CIS Senior Fellow Professor Helen Hughes AO passed away on 15 June 2013 after a lifetime dedicated to working passionately and always fiercely on behalf of the poor and the powerless.

Helen was a distinguished economist with a particular focus on development economics and improving the lives of Indigenous Australians living in remote communities. In her later years, she became a mentor to numerous young people, guiding and hectoring them to better futures and bright futures.

The Centre for Independent Studies held a commemoration ceremony on 17 December 2013 at Kirribilli House, Sydney, to celebrate Helen’s life and work.

The Prime Minister the Hon. Tony Abbott offered the opening address, followed by remarks by Noel Pearson, Chairman of the Cape York Group; Emeritus Professor Ron Duncan from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University; and Glenys Byrne, Senior Economist the Australian Government’s Department of Finance.

This publication brings together the four speeches, a photo montage of Helen’s life and works, and a list of her publications for the CIS.

This is also a tribute to the life’s work of a good friend and a most remarkable woman.

Greg Lindsay
Executive Director
The Centre for Independent Studies