Ro Allen appointed Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner
Next month, the Commission will welcome Ro Allen as the next Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner. With 25 years’ experience in community services, governance and social justice, Ro will bring to the Commission a deep commitment to equality and a depth of experience in strategic advocacy.
Image: Justine McManus, The Age.
14 May 2021
“As a champion of equality, Ro has worked to lift up communities and make Victoria a safer, more respectful place to live, work and study,” says Moana Weir, Chair of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Board. “Their leadership experience in government and the community sector and their genuine understanding of the inequalities facing many Victorians make them an ideal advocate for fairer treatment of all Victorians.”
Since 2015, Ro has served as the inaugural Victorian Commissioner for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and gender diverse, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) communities. In this role, Ro has worked tirelessly to promote the safety and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ Victorians, advocate for the rights of rainbow communities, and provide strategic advice to the Victorian Government.
Over the last two decades, Ro has held a wide range of leadership roles, including chairing the Victorian Adult, Community and Further Education Board and serving as a commissioner on the Victorian Skills Commission. As founding CEO of UnitingCare Cutting Edge, Ro established Victoria’s first rural support group for LGBTI young people. They have previously sat on the Hume Regional Development Australia Committee and chaired Communities for Children in Shepparton.
Ro contributed to the Victorian LGBTI Ministerial Advisory Committee from 2001 to 2014 and participated in the National Working Party for GLBTI Social Reform until 2013. Ro is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was inducted into the Victorian Government Honour Roll for Women in 2009.
“The Board is confident that under Ro’s leadership, they will continue to both strengthen the Commission, and continue the momentum of our outgoing Commissioner Kristen Hilton in making Victoria a fairer and more inclusive state,” says Ms Weir.
Ro will commence at the Commission in June.
Image: Justin McManus, The Age.