Steve is a Kungarakany man from Darwin in the Northern Territory. Prior to 1995, Steve worked in urban, rural and remote Aboriginal communities in health and community development programs whilst working with the NT Government. In 1995 Steve was appointed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) as their National Aboriginal Health Adviser. In 1997 Steve became the inaugural Chief Executive Officer for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO. In 1999, Steve joined the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care as an Assistant Secretary in the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) where he managed the Social Health (including implementing and managing the Bringing The Home program), Substance Misuse, Men's and Prison's health, Executive Policy as well as the Research and Data programs.

In 2002 Steve managed the National Indigenous Employment program for a brief period before transferring to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies as Deputy Principal. In 2004, Steve was appointed as Principal (CEO) of the Institute. In 2009 Steve took up his current position of Pro Vice-Chancellor - Indigenous Leadership with Charles Darwin University.

He is currently Chair of the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council (IHEAC), a member of the Board with Beyond Blue, a member of the Child Deaths Review Committee (NT), a member of the Indigenous Road Injury Project Advisory Committee and is the incoming Chair for the Expert Reference Group for the Sexual Assault Referral Centre Mobile Outreach Service in the NT. In 2008, Steve was inducted into the National Indigenous Sports Hall of Fame for his contribution to field hockey.  

Area(s) of Expertise

Critical race and whiteness studies
Public administration and government
Social policy
Governmentality

Current Research Activities

'Race matters? Indigenous employment in the Australian Public Service'

Two Key Publications

Larkin, Steve (2007) 'Evidenced-Based Policy Making - Locating Sovereignty and Race in Indigenous Health in Australia', in Aileen Moreton-Robinson (Ed) Sovereign Subjects: The Manifestation of Indigenous Sovereignty, Allen and Unwin.

Larkin, Steve (2006) 'Evidenced-Based policymaking in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in Australia', Australian Aboriginal Studies, Issue 2  

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