Academy Fellow

Since 1997, I have worked part-time and full-time for universities and Indigenous community organisations. I have held executive positions in the University sector where I have performed senior administrative responsibilities alongside my research. I held the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at CQ University, Australia, from 2013 to 2018 and was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at the University of Queensland in 2018.

My research has made significant contributions to Indigenous Studies, particularly in the fields of education and health. My work investigating cultural appropriateness of Indigenous health services and Aboriginal women’s access to such services was included in the first collection of Indigenous scholarly writings on theory published by the Cultural Studies Review Journal (2009, Vol. 15 no. 2 pp. 46-61). My research is highly collaborative, having co-authored 84 outputs with domestic and international collaborators from institutions such as CQUniversity, Monash University, The University of Queensland, and the Queensland University of Technology. Collaborating organisations include Deadly Choices, The Lowitja Institute, and Cairns Diabetes Centre.

I seek to ground my work in the political reality of Indigenous peoples’ daily lives, exemplified through my community-based research. My research has contributed to my position on the editorial boards of several journals (Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues [B level]; International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies Journal [A level]; Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association Journal [B Level]). My work has a strong impact on policymaking and is often cited within policy documents. My publication, Deadly Choices empowering Indigenous Australians through social networking sites (McPhail-Bell et. al., 2018) for example, has been influential to the Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO). My authored book Yatdjuligin: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing and midwifery care (Best and Fredericks 2017) continues to be a foundational text in the education relating to Indigenous nursing and midwifery.

I was appointed as the Presiding Commissioner for the Queensland Productivity Commission’s (QPC) Inquiry into Service Provision into Remote and Discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in Queensland from December 2016 – March 2018. My appointment had both government bipartisan support and broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bipartisan support. I also served a second term as Presiding Commissioner for QPC, overseeing an Inquiry into imprisonment and recidivism in Queensland Prisons. My appointment in these positions is based on my skills, abilities, and attributes in policy work along with my experience in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Recently, I released the report Building the evidence to improve completion rates for Indigenous students (2022) which focuses on the success factors for Indigenous university completion rates. This evidence-based study demonstrated how completion rates for Indigenous students vary across the nation, improvements have been made, and significant gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students continue. In 2022 my contributions to Indigenous Education were recognised through a 2022 National NAIDOC Week award.

Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

National Research Committee of Beyond Blue.

Member of the College of Experts with the ARC.

Reviewer for the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi for the New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (NZCRE) in the 2019/20 funding round.

Committee and Reviewer for the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) (an International scholarly multi-disciplinary association for scholars within the field of Indigenous Studies).

External committee member of the Indigenous Research Advisory Committee of the Australian Catholic University and VC’s Indigenous Advisory Committee at UTS.

RHD Supervisor Award, QUT, 2015

NHMRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Monash University, 2007-2010.

Australian Endeavour Award, QUT, 2011.

Central Queensland University Post-Graduate Award, 1998-2001.

2019 Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) award

2022 National NAIDOC Week award

1. Walker, M., Fredericks, B., Mills, K. and Anderson, D., 2014. “Yarning” as a method for community-based health research with indigenous women: the indigenous women's wellness research program. Health care for women international, 35(10), pp.1216-1226.

2. Fredericks, B., 2013. 'We don't leave our identities at the city limits': Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban localities. Australian Aboriginal Studies, (1), pp.4-16

3. McPhail-Bell, K., Bond, C., Brough, M. and Fredericks, B., 2015. ‘We don’t tell people what to do’: ethical practice and Indigenous health promotion. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 26(3), pp.195-199

4. Fredericks, B., Barney, K., Bunda, T., Hausia, K., Martin, A., Elston, J., Bernardino, B. and Griffiths, D., 2022. Building the evidence to improve completion rates for Indigenous students.

5. Hine, R., Krakouer, J., Elston, J., Fredericks, B., Hunter, S.A., Taylor, K., Stephens, T., Couzens, V., Manahan, E., DeSouza, R. and Boyle, J., 2022. Identifying and dismantling racism in Australian perinatal settings: Reframing the narrative from a risk lens to intentionally prioritise connectedness and strengths in providing care to First Nations families. Women and Birth.