Professor Emerita Deb Brennan

Professor Deb Brennan is one of Australia’s leading researchers in comparative social policy and gender and politics.

 She co-led the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Australia’s early childhood education and care system as an Associate Commissioner and is recognised internationally for her work in this field.   

Deb has held visiting positions at the London School of Economics, Oxford University, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Melbourne. She is the author of The Politics of Australian Child Care, Caring for Australia’s Children, and Lifting our Game.

She is a former President of the Australian Political Science Association, a founding member of the Work + Family Policy Roundtable and has served on the boards of the Australian Council of Social Service, the Centre for Children and Young People and Community Child Care NSW. She is a Director of the Care Economy Collaborative Research Centre. For many decades, Deb has worked to promote high quality early childhood education and care, paid parental leave and other policies that support families and children. She has collaborated with researchers and advised governments and community groups in the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

A long-standing supporter of the not-for-profit sector, Deb was elected as the Inaugural Convenor of the National Association of Community Based Children's Services in 1982. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2022 in recognition of significant service to social policy research, gender equity and tertiary education.