Selwyn Button
Chairperson
Selwyn Button is an experienced senior executive who has led large health, education and governance organisations across the government, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
Currently Selwyn is a partner of both PwC Australia and PwC Indigenous Consulting, Chairperson of the Lowitja Institute, and a committed member of numerous boards including the Australia Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, and Queensland Rugby.
A Gungarri man from south-west Queensland, Selwyn was raised in Cherbourg and for many years has led policy, service delivery and legislative reforms to support improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Prior to his PwC role, Selwyn was the first ever Indigenous person to hold the role of national Registrar, Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, in which he regulated and supported more than 3,000 organisations, the top 500 of which generate around $2 billion annually.
He has also served as Assistant Director-General for Indigenous Education in Queensland and chief executive officer of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council. Selwyn is a former primary school teacher and Queensland police officer who holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Education.
Selwyn was a Wolfensohn Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and is an active member of the Harvard Club of Australia.
Recent publications co-authored by Selwyn or referring to his work include:
Button, S., Dungan, J., Nixon, L., & Walton, P. (2016). Whatever it takes: Year 12 certification in Queensland. Australian Educational Leader, 38(4), 28–32. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.605215983663191
Kildea S, Gao Y, Hickey S, Nelson C, Kruske S, Carson A, Currie J, Reynolds M, Wilson K, Watego K, Costello J, Roe Y. Effect of a Birthing on Country service redesign on maternal and neonatal health outcomes for First Nations Australians: a prospective, non-randomised, interventional trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 May;9(5):e651-e659. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00061-9.
Walters, K. (2019). This is the key to successful Indigenous governance. Australian Institute of Company Directors Magazine, July 2019. https://www.aicd.com.au/corporate-governance-sectors/indigenous/business/key-to-successful-indigenous-governance.html Walton, P., Nixon, L., Button, S., & Dungan, J. (2018). Above and beyond: Achieving remarkable certification reform in the Queensland state schooling sector. Australian Educational Leader, 40(3), 56–59. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/ielapa.193788605901866
