[1] Mackay has held a number of honorary academic positions, including adjunct professor in the Faculty of Arts of Charles Sturt University, Professor of Social Science at the University of Wollongong and professorial fellow in the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

He is a patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre[2] and was previously a member of the Bell Shakespeare Artistic Advisory Panel.

He has also served on committees of the Law Society of New South Wales, the Sydney Peace Prize, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

After an in air incident on a flight from Sydney to Brisbane Hugh didn’t fly for 15 years despite his busy nationwide work commitments over that time.

At the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Mackay was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community in the areas of social research and psychology, as an author and commentator, and through roles with visual and performing arts and educational organisations.