Alumni profile

Bill Kelty AC has had a long career in the union movement as a board member of several private and public companies. 

He holds a Bachelor of Economics from La Trobe, and is a member of the Class of 1969.

Bill says he came from a poor working-class family. Therefore, he had a drive to succeed.

"If you failed, life would be different. If you succeeded, it was a passport to the things I wanted to do. I didn’t allow anything to get in the way."

“I was about the hardest-working student at this university. Nobody worked harder than me.

Bill was a student of La Trobe in the 1960s, when the University was still in its infancy. But even then, he said it was a "wonderful place".

“Ideas, creativity [and a] sense of excitement - it was because of the teachers and because it was new ... I loved the place."

The two great teachers in my life were actually here. They gave me confidence and debated ideas with [me]. They made you think in different ways.

After graduating in 1969, Bill began his career in the trade union movement. Eventually, he played a role in delivering a number of ground-breaking initiatives for Australians.

“I look back on my life and I think I’ve been lucky to be involved in the three great negotiations: national healthcare, national superannuation and the best minimum wage system in the world," he says. 

Bill credits La Trobe with setting him up with a "sense of confidence", which has helped him throughout his illustrious career.

“What the University did here is they gave me a sense of confidence and they gave me a reward for being a combative person with ideas," he says.

"To give a working-class boy an opportunity just to be with them and learn from them was, for me, magic.

“I owe the University a lot.”

Distinguished Business and commerce

Last updated: 24th May 2019