The State’s highest-ranking judge, an orthopaedic leader, the former Premier of South Australia, and a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of The University of Adelaide are among Adelaide University staff, alumni, and friends to be recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours List.
Professor Nicola Phillips, Vice Chancellor and President of Adelaide University, congratulated those who were recognised.
“I am delighted to offer my congratulations to all members of the Adelaide University community who have been honoured today,” she said.
“We are pleased and proud to celebrate the success of members of our University community.
“Adelaide University prides itself as a place for changemakers, for those who address and contribute to a better future for the State and the world.”
More than 35 members of the University’s community received honours this year, including:
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC):
The Honourable Chief Justice Christopher Kourakis AC - For eminent service to the judiciary, to the law and to legal reform, to social justice and gender equity, to the Greek community, and to education.
Chief Justice Kourakis began practising as a barrister and solicitor in 1982 after graduating from the University of Adelaide the year prior. He rose through the ranks and was appointed Solicitor-General of South Australia in 2003, a position he held until 2008 when he became a Judge in the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Kourakis has served as the state’s top judge since 2012, and will step down from the role in February 2026.
Chief Justice Kourakis has also served as the Commissioner of Legal Services Commission of South Australia, and is a former member of both the South Australian Law Reform Institute Advisory Board and Adelaide Law School Advisory Board.
Office of the Order of Australia (AO):
Professor Pascale Quester AO - For distinguished service to tertiary education, to academic administration and leadership, to commerce, and as an author.
Professor Quester joined the University of Adelaide in 1991 as an academic in the School of Commerce and Graduate School of Management where she established the marketing course.
She was the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Professions from 2006 until she was named the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Academic) in 2011. Professor Quester departed the University in 2020 becoming Vice Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology.
Professor Quester’s commitment to higher education extended to joining the board of Universities Australia, and Chair of the Teaching and Learning, Student Success and Welfare Standing Committee.
The Honourable Steven Marshall AO - For distinguished service to the people and Parliament of South Australia, to business, to people with disability, and to governance and board positions.
A graduate from the University of South Australia’s Bachelor of Business, Marketing, Mr Marshall has dedicated his life to serving the people of South Australia.
Mr Marshall became the Member for Dunstan in 2010 – a position he held until 2024 – leading both the Opposition and Government in that time. He served a number of portfolios from the arts to Aboriginal affairs, tourism and defence and space industries and is now President of the American Australian Association.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM):
Associate Professor Robert Bauze AM - For significant service to orthopaedics and trauma care as a clinician and administrator.
Associate Professor Bauze is a leader in orthopaedics, both locally and internationally, being the Chair of the South Australian branch of the Australian Orthopaedic Association and Asia Pacific Committee at different times.
Associate Professor Bauze served the University of Adelaide as Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma from 1987 to 1989.
He was the President of the University’s Medical Foundation from 1988 to 2004 and in 2010, as Clinical Associate Professor, founded the Australian Consortium for Myanmar Health – an organisation linking the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and University of Sydney with the Central Adelaide Local Health Network to create better outcomes for those overseas.
He was named a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of South Australia in 2015.
Ms Tanya Hosch AM - For significant service to the community through social policy, and as an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Ms Hosch is a passionate advocate and leader in the diversity and inclusion space, leading the Recognise Movement for Constitutional Recognition campaign, before being the Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the Australian Football League.
Ms Hosch, a pre-eminent Indigenous leader, has brought her experience and dedication to a number of boards, including the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Bangarra Dance Theatre and University of South Australia Council from 2009 to 2012.
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Dr Lainie Anderson OAM - For service to community history.
As a former journalist, columnist and editor both in Australian and London, Dr Anderson has been telling community stories since the 1990s.
She received a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship in 2016, allowing her to head overseas to explore the history of the 1919 Air Race from England to Australia won by pioneering SA aviators Sir Ross and Keith Smith.
In 2024, Dr Anderson completed a PhD with University of South Australia, studying the life of South Australia's pioneer policewoman Kate Cocks and testing the validity of using a fictional murder mystery to tell her story. Dr Anderson is also an Executive Committee Member of the History Council of South Australia and Ambassador for the Hutt Street Centre.
Dr Peter Clements OAM - For service to conservation and the environment, and to medical science.
Dr Clements, an alum of the University of Adelaide, and current Visiting Research Fellow, was part of the team at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital who helped develop enzymes now used worldwide to treat a group of lysosomal diseases known as mucopolysaccharidoses.
He helped screen for these diseases across Australia, New Zealand and Southern Asia before he retired in 2011. Dr Clements is a current Life Member of the SA Medical Scientists’ Association and held several positions in the Human Genetics Society of Australasia.
In 1989, Dr Clements was a founding board member of Urban Ecology Australia, where he explored his passion for conservation; he currently sits as Public Officer for Wombats SA.