ANU honours for Dr Brendan Nelson

The ANU has honoured former Liberal Party leader and diplomat Dr Brendan Nelson for his contribution to health, Australian politics, international relations and the education of the nation. Dr Nelson has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Laws, honoris causa ) at the mid-year graduation ceremonies. Dr Nelson was president of the Australian Medical Association from 1993-1995 before going into federal politics. He served as Defence Minister in the Howard Government and as Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008. After retiring from politics in 2009, Dr Nelson was appointed Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and since 2012, he has been Director of the Australian War Memorial. The ANU citation said Dr Nelson has made an exceptional contribution to a broad range of public service activities. Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC said since 2012, Dr Nelson has shaped and overseen the regeneration of the activities of the Australian War Memorial, including the significant responsibility of commemorating the centenary of Gallipoli in 2015, and continuing centennial commemorations for battles fought on the Western front in Europe.