As Deputy Director-General for First Nations Strategy and Partnerships, Phillip is responsible for improving education outcomes for Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students. Partnering with Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, the division provides leadership, high-level advice and direction on effective and appropriate policies, services and programs for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific and mainstream program areas.

Phillip most recently held the position of Deputy Director-General and Chief Operating Officer of Service Delivery, Youth Justice in the Queensland Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs. He was also formerly Commissioner at the Queensland Family and Child Commission.

Phillip is a descendant of the Bidjara Tribe (Great Grandfather), the Kairi Tribe (Great Grandmother) and the Ducabrook Clan located at Springsure, Central Queensland.

As Deputy Director-General for Youth Justice Services, Phillip was responsible for practice support and advice, learning and development, investment and commissioning, cultural advice, youth detention operations and quality improvement and design. Phillip’s distinguished career in child, youth and family support in Queensland also includes roles as Officer in Charge Queensland Police Service, Manager of Child Safety and Youth Justice Service Centres, Director Government Coordination, Executive Director Strategy, and Regional Director Child Family and Community Services North Queensland.

Phillip completed the Executive Master of Public Administration with the Australia and New Zealand School of Government in 2020.

Wynetta Dewis is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS). Wynetta commenced with QIFVLS in 2011 in the role of Project Officer and, throughout the years, has moved through various positions within the organisation from Community Development Manager to General Manager, progressing to the role of Chief Executive Officer, which she has occupied for the past three years.

A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, Wynetta has family connections from Boigu Island and Horn
Island in the Torres Straits. Wynetta has over twenty years’ experience in management and project
management roles. Wynetta is the Chair of the National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services,
the national peak body for family violence prevention legal services, which QIFVLS is a member
Organisation, chairs Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prevention Group established
through the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, is a member of the National Coalition of
Peaks; Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Coalition (QATSIC) and the Joint Council
Representative for Queensland on Closing the Gap.

Mr C’Zarke Maza LL.M is a descendant of the Meriam people of Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait Islands and Yidinjdji people from the coast of Cairns and commenced duties as the inaugural Commissioner (Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa) in July 2021.

C’Zarke works to bring world-first, historic, legal recognition of Torres Strait Island traditional child rearing practices and taking the next step towards healing the community through culturally appropriate laws for First Nations people.

C’Zarke comes from a humble background, his life and that of his family, epitomises the strength to succeed as a First Nations person. He is the proud son of the late Bob Maza AM and brother of Dr Rachael Maza AM, both who were awarded with an Order of Australia (AM) and who are renowned actors, activists, playwrights and directors and have been instrumental in changing the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are portrayed in the media.

C’Zarke takes up the Office of Commissioner (Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa) after 10 years with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) where he served as the Regional Manager and Legal Practitioner on Thursday Island. As the Regional Manager, C’Zarke was instrumental in establishing an ATSILS regional office on Thursday Island and a satellite office in Bamaga to provide professional and culturally competent legal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Torres Strait Islands and the Northern Peninsula Area. Further, in that period C’Zarke successfully developed collaborative partnerships in the Torres Strait Islands and the Northern Peninsula Area with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, key government and non-government stakeholders to influence positive change and deliver high quality legal services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within or exposed to the justice system.

Prof Stan Grant is a Journalist, Author, Moral Philosopher, Film Maker and Communicator and has had a groundbreaking four decade career as one of Australia’s most awarded journalists.

A Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Dharawal man, Stan has blazed a trail for First Nations journalists. In a career of firsts he was the first Indigenous Political Correspondent, the first Indigenous Foreign Correspondent, he was the first Indigenous person to present a prime time commercial television news and current affairs program.

For a decade he was a senior correspondent for American news giant CNN based in Asia and the Middle East. He has reported from more than seventy countries and has lived in London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

He is a best selling author of seven critically hailed and award winning books covering world affairs, philosophy, theology, political science, Indigenous history.

Stan has been a professor of Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt University, Professor of Journalism at Monash University and Director of Asia Pacific arm of the Denmark based Constructive Institute.

He has won the prestigious US Peabody and DuPont journalism awards. He is a four-time winner of the Asia TV Awards and three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalism award, ‘The Walkleys’.

Lil Anderson (Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi) is the Tumu Whakarae (Chief Executive) of the Office for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti (Te Arawhiti). She is originally from the small community of Panguru in the far north of New Zealand.

Te Arawhiti is a departmental agency that reports to the Minister for Māori Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and the Minister responsible for the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act.

Te Arawhiti was created to consolidate a range of distinct but related government functions that support the journey of the Māori Crown partnership and help the Crown build on the sense of renewal in Māori Crown relations established through the Treaty settlement process.

Lil has more than 25 years’ experience spanning the public service and wider state sector. Authentic leadership, vision and strategy, problem solving and driving results have been key features of her career. She is the public sector lead on Maori-Crown relations.

Corey is a proud GunaiKurnai, Boonwurrung and Wiradjuri man, living on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land in Canberra.

Corey’s advocacy journey began shortly after initiating his affirmation journey in 2017, experiencing the gaps in access to essential health care services, adequate policy and protections for Transgender and Gender non-conforming people and a significant lack of visibility and understanding for First Nations people. Most notably, just how difficult access to life saving gender affirming health care services are for people in  remote and regional areas.

In his day job, Corey is a Director at Deloitte leading the portfolio for Cloud Advisory in Government and the Public Sector, Corey is also a member of the Deloitte pride network “StandOUT” and involved in the Trans and Gender Diverse group in that network. Outside of work he is also a Director on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board and the first Indigenous full board Director in the history of the organisation.

Wendy has more than 20 years’ experience in management, administration and leadership across a range of environments, including the community sector, policy and advocacy organisations and public service sectors at State and Commonwealth Government levels.

Wendy initially trained as a social worker and spent several years working with homeless people, primarily young people and chronically homeless women; later in her career she gained a second degree in Social Sciences.

Prior to joining The Smith Family she held a number of leadership roles across a wide variety of policy and program areas in the Australian Government Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).

Peter is the CEO of Canteen, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that provides free and tailored
support to young people aged 12 – 25 years, who are impacted by cancer. Peter has worked with young people for over 35 years across homelessness, mental health, community health, and now cancer. He was Deputy CEO at headspace and then, as a Director at Australian Healthcare Associates, he undertook evaluations of federal and state initiatives across organ and tissue donation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, mental health, disaster recovery and drug and alcohol.

Over the past 11 years Peter has worked with Canteen’s youth led board on the provision of our
internationally renowned Youth Cancer Services which provide specialist youth-specific treatment and support to young Australians requiring inpatient care. Canteen also funds clinical trials in high lethality
cancers, as well as peer support programs, psychosocial support and vocational support, including our robots program. In 2013 Canteen expanded into the digital realm through the creation of an online community for young people with online counselling. In 2022 Canteen partnered with Camp Quality and Redkite, to launch Cancer Hub, a single digital entry point for children, young people and families across Australia to online counselling and navigation.

A key feature of Canteen’s work has been our collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
organisations, hospitals, other charities, research institutions, departments and governments.
Canteen has a deep commitment to the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples as
the traditional custodians of this land and to meaningful partnerships with Indigenous organisations
that are guided by their expertise.

Canteen has established the Young Adult Reconciliation Network
(YARN), our young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Isander leadership group who have been a powerful voice in shaping our Reconciliation Action Plans and our ongoing support to Indigenous young people.

Lisa brings over 30 years of experience in senior executive leadership roles across diverse
and complex NGOs, the public sector, and community-based organisations. Her focus has
been on delivering evidence-based services to various communities, with particular attention
to children and families, individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, and culturally diverse
populations.

In her current position as Chief Executive Officer at OzChild, Lisa plays a pivotal role in the
sector. She also holds Non-Executive Director positions with the Centre for Excellence in
Child & Family Welfare (VIC), the Association of Child Welfare Agencies (NSW) and serves
on advisory groups such as the Roadmap for Reform Implementation Ministerial Advisory
Group (VIC) and the Ministers Advisory Group (NSW). Additionally, she is an expert member
of the Victorian Children & 39;s Council. Lisa actively participates in various committees to foster
stronger relationships and promote evidence-based practices within the community sector.
She is a passionate advocate for children & 39;s issues.

In 2019, Lisa completed a Doctor of Business Leadership with a focus on developing an
Evidence-Based Ethical Leadership Model for the Community Services Sector. She is
committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise to empower and nurture strong leaders
in the sector, while also contributing to the advancement of evidence-based leadership in
the Community Services and Child Protection Sector. Lisa serves as an adjunct professor at
the Australian Graduate School of Leadership.

Lisa strongly advocates for utilising effective strategies that benefit vulnerable Australian
children, young people, and families. She has successfully introduced new evidence-based
models in multiple jurisdictions and emphasises the importance of early intervention.
Lisa is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Centre for
Evidence-Based Management. Notably, she has recently become a grandmother and is a
former double Commonwealth Games medallist in Judo. Lisa was awarded the National
Emergency Medal for her service during the 2009 Bushfires.

Wendy Ah Chin is a proud Waanyi woman on her father’s side. The Waanyi peoples territories are from the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, near Normanton in Queensland and into the Northern Territory. Wendy was born in Collinsville and spent her early years in Mount Isa. Wendy returned to North Queensland in August 2021 as the Executive Director Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health for the Townsville Hospital and Health Service.

Her background, experience and passion is in Aboriginal Health. Wendy has a degree in health science and an executive master in public administration through ANZSOG. Wendy Ah Chin previously held senior executive roles with both Northern Territory and Commonwealth government departments. Wendy was appointed to Chief Superintendent First Nations at Queensland Corrective Services in April 2023.
Wendy’s passions are addressing social inequality, improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people and building the capacity of the Aboriginal workforce.