Sharon Payne

Sharon Payne is a Wonnamutta elder of the Badjula from K’gari (Fraser Island). She grew up in Queensland before moving to Ngunnawal country (Canberra) in 1986 where she still resides. In 1974 Sharon became the first Aboriginal student at the University of Queensland and, since then, has completed a Bachelor of Law and Diploma of Neuroscience. Professionally she has been a senior public servant and CEO of legal services in Darwin and NSW. Currently Sharon is a member of the Galambany Circle Sentencing Court and is working on her PhD thesis on the neuroscience underlying Aboriginal incarceration.