Professor Peter Dawkins

Vice-Chancellor and President

Peter Dawkins became the third Vice-Chancellor and President of Victoria University on 19 January 2011.

This followed six years in high level leadership roles for the Victorian Government, and 28 years in the university sector.

He was Deputy Secretary of the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (2005-2006) and Secretary of the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (2006-2010).

He has held academic appointments in the UK and, since arriving in Australia in 1984, in a number of Australian universities. He holds a Ph.D. from Loughborough University in the UK, where he commenced his university teaching career.

At the age of 35, he became a Professor of Economics at Curtin University in Western Australia in 1990. In 1996 he moved to the University of Melbourne where he was the Ronald Henderson Professor, and Director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research until 2005.

In 2001 he was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA), for his research on Australian economic and social policy issues.

His research and writing has covered such issues as education, human capital, labour markets, unemployment, tax and welfare, innovation and productivity. He is currently active in writing about federalism and education policy.

He has served on a range of committees and boards for Federal and State Governments, including for example:

Prime Minister Science Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC), (2003-2005)
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Board (VCAA) (2006-2010)
Committee (Chair) that produced the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians for the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEEDCYA)
COAG Productivity Agenda Working Group (PAWG) (2008-2009)
Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership Board (AITSL) (2010-2011)

As Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University, as well as representing the University on the sector’s peak body (Universities Australia) he is a member of the boards of

Business Higher Education Round Table (BHERT)
World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE)

He is married to Susan Sleep and has a daughter and a son, Emily (aged 18) and Mark (aged 16).

He is a keen sports enthusiast. Having been a club cricketer and a coach, he continues to follow cricket with keen interest, is an occasional golfer, and follows the Western Bulldogs in the AFL, one of the University’s important partners.