As the Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Disability Discrimination Commissioner from 2000 to 2005, he authored the ground-breaking "National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention: A Last Resort?" The report ignited a national debate about Australia's immigration detention policies and ultimately led to children being released from mandatory detention and a rethinking of the government's detention policies.

As Disability Discrimination Commissioner, he was instrumental in the "National Inquiry into Mental Health Services: Not for service" report, which placed mental illness on the national agenda, led to the reform of, and major budgetary increases for mental health services in Australia.

Likewise, Dr Ozdowski's work on disability and employment, dealing with disabled access to education, public transport and premises, helped to establish a range of voluntary industry standards.

Dr Ozdowski also has extensive international human rights experience. He represented Australia in negotiations on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of people with Disabilities.

Between 1980 and 1996 he worked within the Federal government portfolios of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Attorney Generals and Foreign Affairs where he played a major role in the advancement of Australia's key multicultural and human rights policies and institutions.

In his new position as Director of Equity and Diversity at UWS, Dr Ozdowski says he will bring his lifelong experience and commitment to multiculturalism, human rights and a civil society to help create a University culture which focuses on people.

"This is a 'fair go' university where everybody should feel welcome regardless of who they are and where they come from - where they can develop culturally, academically and socially," he says.

"My job really is to assist in developing a culture and putting systems in place that will protect equal opportunity and deliver good outcomes."

The Polish born Dr Ozdowski has an LLM and MA in Sociology from Poznan University, Poland and a PhD from the University of New England, Armidale. In 1984 Dr Ozdowski was awarded the Harkness Fellowship which took him to Harvard and Georgetown Universities and the University of California to work on race relations, international human rights and public administration.

He also holds the academic appointment of Honorary Professor at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney and most recently was awarded an honorary doctorate from Melbourne's RMIT University.