Dianna Baker OAM - 2025 Alumni Community Award
In recognition of her outstanding dedication to public service and community leadership through charitable initiatives and advocacy for gender equity in local government.
Former Inverell Shire Councillor and 2025 UNE Alumni Community Award winner Dianna (Di) Baker OAM reflects on two big-ticket developments with great pride from her 25 years of continuous service. The town’s new police station and aquatic centre – multi-million-dollar facilities that will serve the community for generations to come.
But on the other side of the Macintyre River and beyond are smaller, more humble improvements that Di considers equally important. “On the south side of town, we developed a child-friendly space, with a skate park and basketball court and area where children can learn to ride their bikes safely – I’m very proud of that place,” says Di. “The council has invested all over the shire, in every town, so that residents have safer and more functional environments to live in.”
When she first stood for election in 1999, Di says her ambitions were “quite small”.
“I wanted to help make our shire [population just over 16,000] more liveable and more inviting to visitors. West of the Great Dividing Range, the populations of many smaller towns were dwindling, and I didn’t want to see our town suffer.”
Image: Di Baker officially received her Alumni Community Award at the October 2025 graduation ceremony.
As a local businesswoman, Di was already invested in economic prosperity but her interest in community services soon expanded to include more than infrastructure. She played a pivotal role in upgrading and expanding the Inverell Library, and her leadership brought improvements to the large road network and animal welfare facilities, as well as the accessibility of local streets and buildings.
As NSW President of the Australian Local Government Women’s Association (ALGWA) from 2022-24, Di led a state-wide How to Get Elected campaign to encourage women to consider council roles – an initiative that saw an increase of over 10% in the number elected. She also served for 20 years on the Inverell Hospital Advisory Committee, advocating for better healthcare services for regional families and, as co-founder and inaugural chair of the charity Operation Operating Room, helped raise $250,000 to finance essential medical equipment for Inverell Hospital.
“It’s hard enough to attract doctors and health professionals to the hospital and we could see that those who were coming didn’t have the equipment to perform to the best of their ability. It wasn’t good enough.”
The Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) Di earned from UNE in 2014 would help her “make more informed planning decisions” during her local government career, which included serving as Deputy Mayor. The professional qualifications also equipped her to be the council’s nominee on the Northern Regional Planning Panel.
During her first term, Di was one of only two women representatives (in a council of 12) and then the sole woman for two subsequent terms. “That was a little hard, but it was no deterrent to me doing what I thought was right,” Di says. “Being on council is a big responsibility and you cannot let yourself feel intimidated or overwhelmed.
“It has been very important to me to encourage women into local government, because a better balance of genders results in better decision-making. When I was with the ALGWA I sought to tackle barriers like bullying and harassment and advocated for cultural change. I’m glad to see the situation for women improving.”
Di was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2025 Australia Day honours for her services to local government and the Inverell community. It added to the Bicentenary Medal she received in 2003 and the accolades from former colleagues, one of whom described her life as “a testament to perseverance, compassion and vision”.
Maintaining a passion for council for a quarter of a century was never a problem. “I loved every minute of it,” Di says. “It was a joy to know that I could help make positive improvements.
“Local government is on the frontline of maintaining our communities and lifestyles and making things better. I still feel it’s the most important level of government and I am thrilled that Inverell currently has a woman Mayor and Deputy Mayor. With two other women councillors, they bring to four the number of women serving on the council of nine. That’s progress.”
