Natasha Stott Despoja AO

Natasha Stott Despoja AO Natasha Stott Despoja AO is the Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence in South Australia. She is an Expert Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). She is a former Leader of the Australian Democrats and served as a Senator for South Australia 1995-2008. In July 2013, she was named the founding Chair of Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and children. She was appointed life patron of Our Watch in August 2022. Natasha served as national Ambassador for Women and Girls from 2013 to 2016 and was a member of the World Bank's Gender Advisory Council from 2015 to 2017. She has worked as a Principal at Deloitte, has been involved in media outlets (The Advertiser, ABC radio and The Project) and is the author of 'On Violence' (2019). Natasha was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2019 for distinguished service to the global community as an advocate for gender equality, and through roles in a range of organisations.