Constituency Statement: Dr Jodi Edwards

Tuesday 30 June 2026

Speaker, I rise today to recognise Dr Jodi Edwards, a Yuin-Dharawal custodian who has dedicated her life to community, culture, education and language across New South Wales – including in the Southern Illawarra region within my electorate of Whitlam.

Jodi left school in Year 10 to support her family after her father was injured in a workplace accident. She returned to high school at the age of 26 to complete her HSC – the first in her family to do so.

Jodi was awarded her PhD from Macquarie University in 2021.

At the University of Wollongong, she is the Vice Chancellor's Senior Indigenous Research Fellow with the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security.

Two years ago, the Albanese Labor Government invested in the University of Wollongong’s Unbroken Whispers project, led by Dr Jodi Edwards.

Blending Indigenous research and modern science, Jodi and her team are tracking southern right whales, humpback whales, orcas and dolphins along Australia's east coast. Jodi’s project draws on stories and knowledge from the world's oldest living culture to better safeguard our incredible ocean environment.

In 2022, Jodi was named Shellharbour Woman of the Year and Illawarra Regional NAIDOC Aboriginal Community Person of the Year, for her enormous contribution to many organisations and initiatives within our community, and in 2023 she was nominated for the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year Award.

I thank Dr Jodi Edwards for her absolutely extraordinary contribution to our community.

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