Graham Ashton AM

Graham Ashton AM APM joined the Champions of Change Coalition in 2016, as a member of the National 2015 Group.

Former Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton was the 22nd Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police from July 2015 to June 2020. Graham first joined Victoria Police in December 2009 after accepting a position on the Victoria Police Executive. After initially working as Director of the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department,Graham assumed the role of Director, Corporate Strategy and Governance Department, and then in April 2011, Graham commenced in the position of Assistant Commissioner, Crime Command. In that role Graham commenced numerous reforms designed to improve the Victoria Police response to serious crime and organised crime.

In February 2012, Graham was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner, Specialist Operations. In this role his responsibilities included oversight and management of:

• Crime Command
• Forensics Services Department
• Intelligence and Covert Support Command
• Legal Services Department
• Road Policing Command

During that time, Graham led a victim focused approach resulting in changes to the handling of child sexual abuse cases, cracked down on crime associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs, and initiated sport integrity reforms.

Prior to his career with Victoria Police, Graham was an Australian Federal Police (AFP) Officer for 24years, departing in December 2004 after attaining the rank of Assistant Commissioner. He had undertaken a diverse range of operational policing roles including the investigation of drug trafficking, organised crime and money laundering, which included a lengthy secondment to the former National Crime Authority. Graham later returned to the AFP in early 2015, in a Deputy Commissioner role, before being appointed as the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in July 2015.

From 1995 to 1997 Graham was appointed to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta as law enforcement liaison officer to Indonesia, with responsibility for facilitating all law enforcement liaisons between Australia and Indonesia. Graham served as an AFP officer in most capital cities in Australia holding a number of positions including Director, Northern Operations based in Brisbane and General Manager, Southern Operations based in Melbourne. Between 2003 and 2004 Graham was appointed to the role of National Manager, Counter Terrorism, with responsibilities for managing global AFP resources in the field of Counter Terrorism investigations.

In October 2002, Graham was tasked with Operational Command of the successful Australian Law Enforcement response to the Bali bombings, known as Operation Alliance. This was one of the largest police investigations Australia has conducted. Graham’s role as Police Forward Commander of this investigation resulted in him receiving an Order of Australia in October 2003.

Graham left mainstream policing in December 2004, and accepted a position with the newly formed Victorian Office of Police Integrity (OPI), with responsibility for investigating and preventing police corruption in the State of Victoria. During his tenure as Deputy Director, Police Integrity, the OPI made more than 200 key recommendations for policing reform.

In addition to a graduate qualification in management obtained from Queensland University of Technology, Graham has completed numerous leadership programs including attending the prestigious London Business School in 2009. Graham also initiated and led the development of a graduate program in integrity studies at Wollongong University. Graham is also a former member of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council and Victorian Coronial Advisory Council.