Wyatt, Ken (1952-…), is an Aboriginal Australian politician. He was the first Indigenous (native) Australian to serve in the House of Representatives in Australia’s federal Parliament. He was also the first Indigenous member of the country’s federal Cabinet. Indigenous peoples of Australia include Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Wyatt belonged to the center-right Liberal Party.
Kenneth George Wyatt was born on Aug. 4, 1952, at Roelands Mission farm, near Bunbury, Australia. His mother, Mona Phyllis Abdullah, had been part of the group called the Stolen Generations. This term refers to children of Indigenous ancestry who were taken from their families, usually by Australian governments, and placed in foster homes or institutions. Abdullah was placed at Roelands Mission. She met her future husband, Donald Wyatt, there.
Ken Wyatt was one of 10 children. He studied education in college, and then became a schoolteacher in 1973. He taught elementary school during the 1970’s and 1980’s. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Wyatt worked in the state governments of Western Australia and New South Wales. He held such positions as director of Aboriginal education and director of Aboriginal health. In 1996, Wyatt was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his efforts to improve the lives of Indigenous people. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity.
Wyatt was first elected to Australia’s House of Representatives in 2010. He was elected as a Liberal to represent the constituency (voting district) of Hasluck, Western Australia. In 2015, Wyatt was chosen to serve as assistant health minister under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. In 2017, Turnbull appointed Wyatt as minister for Indigenous health and aged care, an outer ministry position. The outer ministry consists of junior ministers and assists the federal Cabinet. In 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison appointed Wyatt as minister for Indigenous Australians, a Cabinet position he held until 2022. In legislative elections held in 2022, Wyatt lost his seat in the House.
In 2023, Wyatt emerged as a strong supporter for a constitutional amendment known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. If approved, the amendment would create an official body made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to advise Australia’s federal government. In April, Wyatt resigned from the Liberal Party because the party opposed the amendment.
