Kay Danes OAM: Into the heart of human rights

For more than two decades, the Southern Cross University PhD graduate has operated within the heart of human need in times of conflict, disaster, political upheaval and injustice. Her knowledge and advocacy have influenced policy-making and implementation. 

Through it all, Kay is still Kay, the girl who grew up in suburban Brisbane and wanted to be a hairdresser, but who turned out to be so much more. 

“I am the same me. The essence of me is always the same,” she says. “I have a passion for humanity and so I leap into good causes, whatever the risks. And I am not alone.”  

Sometimes the risks are extraordinary, although as Kay says, challenging them brings heightened perspective and purpose. That truth is amplified by personal experience.  

In December 2000, Kay and husband Kerry were unlawfully imprisoned and tortured by the Communist government of Laos.  Kerry, an Australian Army soldier, was working on approved long service leave as Managing Director of security company Lao Securicor. Kay was the company’s security administration manager.  

The couple served almost a year in notorious Phonthong Prison until their conditional release was secured by the Australian Government. 

Kay still deals with the memory of her ordeal. Yet what she remembers even more vividly is the suffering of her fellow prisoners, a compassion reflected in the social justice and human rights career that has ensued, leading to her nomination for Australian of the Year in 2013 and receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2014.  

Kay’s PhD at Southern Cross University is a more recent chapter in her life story and she speaks glowingly of the experience. 

“My thesis was the professionalism of the Australian humanitarian sector, in particular the need for more formalised training, engagement, government support and applied skills-based knowledge in the pre-deployment stage to ensure greater protection for volunteers once they are deployed,” says Kay. 

“There is always somewhere where people are suffering injustice. I know what that is like. I also know what it is to go into danger zones without weapons, without the Kevlar, and without external support.” 

Though convinced of the mettle of her thesis, Kay admits her PhD took a while to find its focus.  

Switching to the University’s then School of Law and Justice was key, aided by the guidance of Professor William MacNeil and Dr Alessandro Pelizzon, both of whom have since left the University but who hold great affection in Kay’s heart. 

(Interestingly, Kay was the last ever PhD graduate from the School of Law and Justice before it transitioned to the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts). 

“Initially, I thought I would construct my PhD around global security,” she says. “That was the lane I was in. As the degree became more politically nuanced, I learned that it is never too late to change lanes. I allowed myself to follow a new path. 

“Southern Cross University helped make that possible because it looks beyond, encourages you to explore, to dive in, to seek and find new and unexpected insights. It was such a flexible journey and my PhD benefited from that.”

It also signalled the start of a new phase of achievement.  

“The academic qualifications and skills I gained enabled me to develop critical research and analysis for the Afghan humanitarian crisis, elevating my profile and capacity to create detailed submissions to the Australian Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee,” she says. 

Kay also proposed key policy recommendations that informed changes under the Migration Regulations Act, enabling thousands of at-risk Afghans with strong ties to Australia to be re-evaluated under the Locally Engaged Employee Program. 

From 2021-24, she provided pro bono services as a human rights law advisor to GAP Veteran and Legal Services, leading critical initiatives and bringing awareness to deficiencies in policies impacting Australian Defence Force members. She was also principal author of complex submissions to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.  

Furthermore, affiliations with Rotary International and other philanthropic ventures have led to programs around global peace, youth leadership, healthcare, education and human rights.  

Despite current crises in Gaza and Ukraine being the latest examples of our apparently intrinsic inhuman nature, Kay remains enthusiastic and engaged. 

“It is so encouraging that the standard of professionalism within the humanitarian sector has markedly improved in the past few years. It was that very need that drove my PhD.” 

“More broadly, there are always more people doing good for the world to counteract the mess that a few others make. Yes, it is a constant challenge, but it is never less than inspiring.”