Larissa Behrendt

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO is a leading academic, legal scholar, and advocate for Indigenous rights at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She holds the title of Distinguished Professor and serves as Laureate Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research. Her roles include Chair of Indigenous Research and Director of Research and Academic Programs. Behrendt earned her LLB and B.Juris from UNSW and LLM and SJD degrees from Harvard Law School. Her work focuses on Indigenous law, policy, education, and creative arts, with a strong emphasis on decolonizing narratives and advancing self-determination.

Behrendt’s research interests span Indigenous legal frameworks, colonial storytelling, and social justice. She has authored influential books such as Home, Legacy, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Relations, and her films include You Can Go Now and The First Inventors. Her writing also appears in Overland and other literary journals, including a short story Under Skin, In Blood.

Awarded the 2021 Human Rights Medal and 2020 Order of Australia, Behrendt’s honors include NAIDOC Person of the Year (2009) and NSW Australian of the Year (2011). She has led national reviews, including the Indigenous Higher Education Review (2012) and contributed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Behrendt sits on boards of the National Library of Australia, Australian Museum, and Sydney Dance Company, and chairs the Community Spirit Foundation.

Her advocacy includes treaty processes, constitutional reform, and addressing systemic inequities in education and health. Behrendt’s work bridges academia, policy, and creative expression to amplify Indigenous voices and challenge colonial narratives.