Antoinette Braybrook AM is an Aboriginal woman who was born in Victoria on Wurundjeri country. Antoinette’s grandfather and mother’s line is through the Kuku Yalanji, North Queensland.

For over two decades Antoinette has worked at the frontline of Aboriginal women’s safety as the CEO of Djirra, a position she has held since the service was established in 2002. Antoinette is currently Co-Chair of Change the Record, Australia’s only national First Nations led justice coalition of legal, health and family violence prevention experts. Antoinette also held the elected position as Chairperson of the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum from 2011 – 2022.

Antoinette is a highly regarded advocate and public speaker, who gives voice at state, national and international levels, to Aboriginal women who have experienced family violence.

In 2019 Antoinette participated in the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and in the 12th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) delivering four oral interventions in the former. In 2023, Antoinette was a member of the Victorian Government delegation at the 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda where she spoke on the devastating experiences of Aboriginal women in Australia, dealing daily with racism, systemic discrimination, fear of child removal, and the ever-present violence perpetrated largely by men from many different cultures and backgrounds. In 2023 Antoinette was also a strong advocate for the Voice to Parliament Yes campaign and participated in a number of activities including delivering speeches, panel and media interviews, feature articles, holding Djirra Referendum information sessions, meeting with organisations, joining the Long Walk, and actively campaigning online and in her local area, including at pre polling booths.

For more than twenty years Antoinette, together with Djirra’s Board members, has driven Djirra’s strategic vision, growth and expansion. This includes Djirra’s long standing vision to establish the first Aboriginal Women’s Centre in Victoria and to expand its holistic, wraparound services across regional Victoria.

Antoinette’s leadership and contribution to justice and human rights is widely recognised. Antoinette was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2020 and is the 2022 Victorian recipient of the Australian Awards of Excellence in Women’s Leadership. Antoinette was named Melburnian of the Year in 2022 and is the first Aboriginal person to receive this Award in its 20 year existence. Antoinette was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2023 in recognition of her service to the law and family violence prevention. In 2024 Antoinette was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Deakin University in recognition of her outstanding commitment to social justice, advocacy and service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over two decades, and her vision in establishing Djirra.

A full list of Antoinette’s awards are outlined below:

• 2015   Access to Justice/Pro Bono Award, Law Institute of Victoria
• 2015    Australian Centre for Leadership for Women Award for Sustaining Women’s Empowerment.
• 2016    Harvard Club of Victoria’s Non-Profit Fellowship Program to attend Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program at Harvard Business School, Boston USA
• 2017    Inspirational Women of Yarra Awards (Victoria)
• 2017    Inducted into the Gender Justice Legacy Wall launched at the UN New York
• 2018    Human Rights Award  – Human Rights Medal Finalist
• 2018    Future Justice Award for driving projects to advance future justice
• 2019    Elle Magazine – Not for Profit Persuader
• 2020    Inductee into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women
• 2021    CEO Magazine  – One of the 16 most influential women in leadership for 2021
• 2022    Australian Awards of Excellence in Women’s Leadership (Victorian recipient)
• 2022   ‘Local Women Paving the Way’ honoured Antoinette’s contribution to the Melton community by engraving her name on a paver alongside other prominent women from the area
• 2022   Melburnian of the Year, City of Melbourne Awards
• 2022   Safe and Equal Lifetime of Excellence Award
• 2023   Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to law and family violence prevention – King’s Honour List
• 2024  Deakin University Alumni Award
• 2024  Awarded a Deakin University Honorary Doctorate in recognition of her outstanding commitment to social justice, advocacy and service to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples over two decades, and her vision and leadership in establishing Djirra

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