Kevin Rudd receives honorary degree at University of Newcastle graduations

newy.com.au – Former prime minister Kevin Rudd AC received an honorary degree from the University of Newcastle at its graduation ceremonies in Newcastle on Thursday 18 December 2025.

The university said the award recognised Rudd’s contributions to the nation, public life and diplomacy, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States also delivering the occasional address to hundreds of health science graduates and their guests.

University vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO said the institution hoped graduating students would take inspiration from Rudd’s service and leadership, calling it “an incredible honour” to confer the honorary doctorate.

“During his time as Prime Minister, Dr Rudd achieved historic reforms and made courageous decisions that shaped our current social, economic and international landscape,” Zelinsky said.

He highlighted the National Apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008 and said Rudd had also placed a strong focus on education, including introducing Australia’s first national school curriculum and supporting capital investment in schools, as well as “key funding for our flagship NUspace building in the heart of Newcastle”.

Rudd, who served as Australia’s 26th prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, said the country was facing “a time of great mourning and soul-searching” and urged schools and universities to help ensure “neither racism nor antisemitism have any place in forming the minds of the next generation of Australians”.

“I’m especially proud of my association with the University of Newcastle because it continues to rise to the great challenge of reconciliation — translating the spirit of the Apology, and our shared national project of ‘closing the gap’, into the hard business of practical action,” Rudd said.

“It’s a reminder of the enduring power of universities to transform our nation,” he said.

The university said several other honorary doctorates were also conferred during the December graduations, including Adjunct Professor Robert Whittaker AM (Doctor of the University), Karenne Jurd (Doctor of Science), Craig Copeland (Doctor of Science), Mark Vassella (Doctor of Business), Professor Owen Peter Coaldrake AO (Doctor of Education) and Phillip Adams AC (Doctor of Letters).

The University of Newcastle said honorary doctorates are awarded to people whose leadership or innovations have made significant contributions to their communities and reflect the institution’s values of engagement, innovation, integrity, sustainability, equity and social justice, with a full list of previous recipients available on its website.