*** Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of someone who has passed ***
Tributes have flowed for the late Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE, a Narungga man from Guuranda/the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, acknowledging his wide-ranging contributions over more than 40 years to the pursuit of educational excellence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
During his illustrious career, Buckskin was a classroom teacher in Western Australia and South Australia, a Ministerial Adviser, Superintendent of Schools and Senior Executive at State/Commonwealth levels, and also held senior academic positions, including as Dean: Aboriginal Engagement and Strategic Projects, and also Dean of Indigenous Scholarship, Engagement and Research, University of South Australia.
Below are statements from the Lowitja Institute, Professor Steve Larkin, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Indigenous at Adelaide University, Reconciliation Australia, the South Australian Government, and comments by others.
A visionary leader
Lowitja Institute
It is with great sorrow that we acknowledge the recent passing of a visionary leader and influential educator, Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE.
Professor Buckskin, a Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula, was appointed Director to Lowitja Institute’s Board in 2010, a role in which he served with distinction until stepping down in 2023.
During this time, he elevated the importance of Aboriginal-led health research, helping to shape policy and funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.
He also played a pivotal role in championing Lowitja Institute scholarships to ensure continued support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early career researchers in health and wellbeing.
For over 40 years, Professor Buckskin’s passion was the pursuit of educational excellence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. From 2016 until his retirement, Professor Buckskin was the inaugural Dean: Aboriginal Engagement and Strategic Projects at the University of South Australia.
Professor Buckskin championed greater access to research and education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His career included working as a schoolteacher in Western Australia and South Australia, a Ministerial Adviser, Superintendent of Schools, and as a senior executive at both state and federal levels.
He was also Chair of the SA Aboriginal Education and Training Consultative Council and a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators.
His commitment to advocating for truth and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was profound and enduring through his work in reconciliation, and the co-design for enshrining an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice into the South Australian Constitution.
He was Co-Chair of Reconciliation South Australia, was appointed a member of the Voice Co-Design Senior Advisory Group in 2019 and was Co-Chair of the Local and Regional Co-design Group in 2020.
Internationally, in 2009, Professor Buckskin participated in the Working Group of Experts to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that reported to the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. He was also an Executive Member of World Indigenous Network of Higher Education Consortium.
Professor Buckskin has received numerous awards throughout his lifetime, including the Commonwealth Public Service Medal, Frank G Klassen Award for Leadership and Contribution to Teacher Education in 2001. More recently, he was awarded the 2020 NAIDOC South Australia Lifetime Achievement Award and, in 2025, was a guest speaker for the AIATSIS Wentworth Lecture.
Lowitja Institute offers its deepest condolences to the Buckskin families and kin.
His legacy continues through the next generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, educators, and knowledge holders.
A profound legacy
Professor Steve Larkin, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Indigenous
Adelaide University acknowledges with deep sadness the passing of Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE – a proud Narungga man, respected educator, mentor and leader whose contribution to Aboriginal education and reconciliation has left a profound legacy across our university, and the broader community.
Professor Buckskin played a transformative role at the University of South Australia (UniSA), where he dedicated many years to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and perspectives across the institution, strengthening pathways and support for Aboriginal and Tores Strait Islander students, and fostering deeper relationships between the University and communities.
The work he led and contributed at UniSA continues to shape Adelaide University’s commitment to Aboriginal leadership, education and reconciliation.
His contributions reached far beyond the higher education sector. He was a trusted voice in national, state and local conversations on reconciliation, Aboriginal education and social reform, and his leadership helped shape meaningful change across communities and institutions.
Professor Buckskin will be remembered for his wisdom, generosity, integrity and unwavering commitment to empowering Aboriginal Peoples through education.
Through his leadership, mentorship and advocacy, he created pathways for generations of students, educators and communities, and championed culturally responsive and community-led approaches to education. His impact will continue to be felt for many years to come.
On behalf of Adelaide University, we extend our sincere condolences to Professor Buckskin’s family, friends, colleagues and all those who were privileged to work alongside him and learn from him.
We honour Professor Buckskin’s extraordinary life, leadership and enduring legacy, which will continue to not only shape Adelaide University, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and reconciliation for generations to come.
Immeasurable impact
Reconciliation Australia mourns the passing of Professor Peter Buckskin, a proud Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.
For over 40 years Professor Buckskin’s passion was the pursuit of educational excellence for Aboriginal peoples.
He contributed to significant changes within the education landscape, working tirelessly alongside First Nations education champions to ensure that First Nations peoples, histories, cultures and perspectives were embedded in Australia’s education system.
A strong supporter of the reconciliation movement, Professor Buckskin advised on – and formally launched – Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program in 2015.
He was a founding judge and patron of the Narragunnawali Awards.
His story is shared on film as part of First Nations Voices in Education a series that focuses on the legacies of five First Nations education champions who have transformed the Australian education system.
He also served for many years as Co-Chair of Reconciliation South Australia.
Reconciliation Australia CEO, Karen Mundine said his impact on Reconciliation Australia’s work in the education sector is immeasurable.
“He gave us one piece of advice in the very early days of the Narragunnawali program, and that was to ‘know your place in the space’ that First Nations people have been doing this work for a long time and know what works best for First Nations kids.
“He advised Reconciliation Australia that our key role was to support teachers and educators – 98 percent who are non-Indigenous – to undertake the work of reconciliation.”
Beginning his career as a schoolteacher in Broome, his drive to improve education systems saw him take on numerous leadership roles, including becoming the youngest appointee to the National Aboriginal Education Committee (1981-1988).
He was the first Chairperson of Tauondi Aboriginal Community College, a Ministerial Adviser, Superintendent of Schools, and held senior executive positions at both state and federal levels.
Most recently he was Co-Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC).
Reconciliation Australia sends our deepest condolences to Professor Buckskin’s family and friends.
Unwavering commitment
South Australian Government
It is a sad time for South Australia, in particular for our South Australian Aboriginal community, to learn the news of the passing of one of our State’s great Aboriginal leaders – Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE.
Professor Peter Buckskin, a proud Narungga man from Guuranda (Yorke Peninsula), was one of Australia’s most influential Aboriginal education leaders, with a career spanning more than four decades.
His work shaped policy, strengthened institutions, and advanced the rights and educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia and internationally.
Beginning his career as a teacher, Professor Buckskin held senior executive roles in both state and Commonwealth governments, served as a Ministerial Adviser, and led major reforms in Indigenous education.
He was the inaugural Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC), the national peak body for Indigenous education, that advises government across the education sector from early childhood to higher education.
His academic leadership included serving as Dean of the University of South Australia’s David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research, where he championed culturally grounded teacher education and Indigenous research excellence. He has also chaired the South Australian Aboriginal Training and Employment Consultative Committee (SAATECC), driving systemic change in training and employment pathways.
Professor Buckskin’s influence extended globally. He represented Australia in international forums including UNESCO and the Working Group of Experts to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, contributing to policy frameworks that recognise and protect Indigenous rights worldwide.
He was an international representative of World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) and was instrumental in bringing WIPCE to Adelaide in September 2022, where he was on the Organising Committee.
His leadership has been recognised through numerous honours, including:
- Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding public service (2001)
- Frank G. Klassen Award for leadership in teacher education (2001)
- National Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education (2002 and 2005)
- Fellowship of the Australian College of Educators (2007)
- Inaugural Board Member of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (2010).
Professor Buckskin’s legacy is defined by his unwavering commitment to educational justice, cultural integrity, and the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Government extends its deepest condolences to Professor Buckskin’s two children Peter and Lorraine, great-nephew Haymish and all the Buckskin family.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “We mourn the loss of a phenomenal South Australian in Professor Peter Buckskin.
“Professor Buckskin was a tireless champion and advocate who dedicated his life to improving outcomes and advancing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Professor Peter Buckskin’s contribution to Indigenous education. Countless generations of Aboriginal South Australians will no doubt benefit from his significant legacy.
“I extend my condolences on behalf of all South Australians to Peter’s children, family, and loved ones, and all those whose lives he touched over so many decades.”
Deputy Premier Kyam Maher said: “I was fortunate to have known Peter for most of my adult life, long before he became Professor Peter Buckskin. He had a profound impact on me, and on so many others fortunate enough to know him.
“There will rightly be countless reflections in the days ahead about Professor Peter Buckskin’s extraordinary contribution to Indigenous education in South Australia, across the nation and around the world.
“During his time in SA Government leading Aboriginal Affairs, he worked on significant and difficult challenges facing Aboriginal communities, including work to combat petrol sniffing, which was devastating communities across South Australia at the time.
“Professor Buckskin played an integral role in helping shape South Australia’s Voice to Parliament legislation. His contribution to many of the reforms and conversations that have helped move our state forward cannot be overstated.
“I will be eternally indebted to Peter for the time, care and belief he invested in helping shape me into the proud Aboriginal man I am today.”
Other comments
Post by Federal Education Minister Jason Clare
Further reading and viewing
In this 2013 article in The Guardian, via @Indigenous X, Buckskin said: “In the words of Martin Luther King, I hope to see a time when our children ‘will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the colour of their skin’. I hope we have a future where our children have the capacity to keep true to their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural identity and are honoured for their contribution to Australia as descendants of the oldest living culture of humanity. Finally, I hope we recruit more warriors to champion this work.”
AIATSIS also has published a recording of the 2025 Wentworth Lecture, delivered by Buckskin.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on Indigenous education
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