The Library Leadership Group is excited to invite you to the launch of our inaugural Thought Leadership Events book, Sustainable Development Without Borders: Western Sydney University to the World – 2025 Edition. This significant academic publication showcases Western Sydney University's key contributions to global challenges through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Featuring insights from WSU academics across various disciplines, this compendium highlights innovative research and its broad impact. Aligned with the Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy 2030, this volume underscores our commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering resilience globally.

What to expect

• Expert insights from contributing academics
• Engagement with authors on sustainability and thought leadership
• Networking opportunities with researchers and industry leaders

Enquiries: Library Outreach and Engagement Team

Book link: https://doi.org/10.61588/TESB2263 

This event is in hybrid format: Physical location at Parramatta City Campus (Peter Shergold Building), Level 6, Room 31 and Online (Zoom)

Authors

Find the full list of authors in the Overview.

Speakers

Ms Fiona Salisbury

Fiona Salisbury has been Executive Director of Library Services at Western Sydney University since 2022. Fiona joined Western from La Trobe University, where she served as Executive Director and University Librarian. She has a career track record of success that has spanned library learning, research, literacy, and engagement portfolios. Fiona has a deep, scholarly understanding of the role of the university library in the future of higher education and is highly regarded as having expertise in open textbook publishing. Fiona has been a Director on the Board of the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) since 2020. She is currently Deputy Chair of CAUL and the Program Director for the CAUL Open Educational Resources Program. This program includes the CAUL Open Educational Resources Collective, an open textbook publishing initiative involving 42 universities and has published 35 open textbooks since 2022.

Professor Kevin Dunn

Professor Kevin Dunn (FNGS; FRSN) is Provost at Western Sydney University, in which capacity he provides leadership and responsibility for the twelve academic schools, Whitlam Institute and The College. He was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 2019 to 2023 and Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Psychology between 2012 and 2019. He joined Western Sydney University in 2008 as Professor of Human Geography and Urban Studies. His areas of research include the racism and anti-racism, immigration and settlement, Islam in Australia, and local government and multiculturalism. Recent books include Cyber Racism and Community Resilience and Landscapes: Ways of Imagining the World, and his recent articles are published in New Media and Society, Geoforum, Geographical Research, Australian Journal of Islamic Studies and the Urban Policy and Research. He is a Fellow of the New South Wales Geographical Society and past President. For twenty years he has led the national and multi-agency Challenging Racism Project.

Ms Lucy Walton

Lucy Walton has over 30 years of experience in academic and corporate libraries and is dedicated to fostering collaboration and advocating for inclusive publishing practices. She currently serves as the Scholarly Publishing Consultant at Western Sydney University, coordinating the Western Open Books service and leading various initiatives that empower individuals to navigate the dynamic landscape of scholarly communications. Lucy Walton is the author of “A Guide to Creative Commons” https://doi.org/10.61588/ZXHV8635 an open text available from the Western Open Books platform.

Doctor Roger Attwater

Roger Attwater is Director, Environmental Sustainability in the Division of Operations and Commercial, Western Sydney University. His team oversees Western’s Environmental Sustainability Action Plan, related initiatives and Living Lab engagement opportunities. Core areas of current focus include climate action, incorporating nature-based solutions, and increasing circular economy opportunities. Roger has Honours and Master’s degrees from the University of Western Australia, and a PhD from the Australian National University. Early in his career he worked with Landcare and Integrated Catchment Management in WA, followed by PhD fieldwork in Thailand, work with WSU’s Centre for Integrated Catchment Management, being a Guest Professor of the Peoples Republic of China, and a project with the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute. Roger lives in the Blue Mountains with his family, and endeavours to be a systemic practitioner.

Doctor Caroline Mills

Caroline has been an occupational therapist for 20 years, working with people with neurodevelopmental disability, particularly autism and intellectual disability in school and community settings. Caroline completed her PhD at The University of Sydney in 2018 and also holds a Master of Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in occupational therapy at Western Sydney University. Her research and teaching focuses on co-designed initiatives and innovative technologies to improve the lives and participation of people with disability and other vulnerabilities in health, education and community settings. Caroline is a sought after speaker, often engaged to speak at National and International Conferences and other events. Caroline is an honorary allied health researcher within the South Western Sydney Local Health District (NSW Health) and serves on the Board of Directors for Macarthur Disability Services.

Professor Susanne Gannon

Susanne Gannon is Professor of Education and Associate Dean Research in the School of Education at Western Sydney University. She researches equity issues in education, particularly focusing on gender, poverty, and diversity in secondary schooling. Professor Gannon has pioneered innovative qualitative methodologies, notably collective biography and autoethnography, and employs a wide range of interpretivist methodologies, including narrative, visual, and discourse analysis. She has led and designed mixed-method research and has undertaken funded research projects, large consultancies, and competitive tendered research for regional, state, and federal education authorities. Professor Gannon led the recent Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grant entitled “Gender Matters: Changing Policy and Practices in Australian Secondary Schools” and was a Chief Investigator on two earlier ARC grants. Professor Gannon collaborates internationally with researchers in Canada, the UK, Europe, and Latin America. She has authored more than 100 academic papers and coedited several books including Gender Un/Bound: Traversing Educational Possibilities (Routledge, 2025), and Resisting educational inequality: Reframing policy and practice in schools serving vulnerable communities (Routledge, 2018). Her scholarly contributions have significantly advanced understanding in her fields of expertise.