Kamilaroi woman Carlyn Waters is a portfolio executive that currently works between the Australian Public Service, corporate Australia and academia. She began her Australian public service career nearly 25 years ago and is currently a part time Branch Head for the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

She has completed a Master of Business Administration and is a part-time Fellow in the Practice of Business with the Australian National University’s College of Business and Economics. Carlyn is a program mentor for the award-winning Graduate Certificate in Management that ANU delivers to Indigenous public servants.

She is a co-founder and director of two businesses: Cultivate Indigenous and Gali-Ford that are focussed on improving employment and career outcomes for Indigenous people.

In her spare time, she is an experienced Non-Executive Director and currently sits on two not-for-profit boards that allow her to focus on her commitment to the environment and education. The Foundation of National Parks and Wildlife helps protect Australia’s unique biodiversity and the Stars Foundation provides opportunities for young Indigenous girls and women to be supported through their secondary education.

Carlyn is known for identifying and growing talent whether it be team leaders in the public service or directors on corporate boards. Carlyn believes that you can’t be, what you can’t see and won’t rest until there are diverse voices on Australian boards and in senior leadership teams.

Connect with Carlyn on LinkedIn and share your story.

Lisa is the Chair of the APS Indigenous SES Network and has worked for the Australian Government for the past 18 years in a variety of roles, including service delivery, social work, community engagement, fraud prevention, human resource policy and social and public policy development.  She is currently the Assistant Secretary of the First Nations Employment Policy and Programs Branch at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Lisa has been recognised for her work helping Services Australia better communicate with First Nations service users and by the APS more broadly for her research and development of the Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness training for social workers. Lisa’s PhD research focused on looking for opportunities to uplift the cultural capability of the APS to improve policy effectiveness and make it more culturally safe and responsive for First Nations peoples. She has been awarded two research prizes for this research.

Lidia Thorpe is a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung mother, grandmother, and advocate for First Peoples. She is an Independent Senator for Victoria and represents the Blak Sovereign Movement. She was the First Victorian Aboriginal person to be elected to the Federal Senate.

Lidia carries on the legacy of her family, who are proud working class activists and organisers. Growing up in Melbourne’s inner north public housing flats, Lidia was raised to advocate for herself and those around her. After surviving domestic violence, Lidia raised three kids as a single mum and went on to university to study public policy. This equipped her to advocate for First Peoples, women’s rights, public health, environmental protection, public housing and the protection of children. Lidia is a devoted campaigner for social and environmental justice, and she is a sought-after facilitator, public speaker and commentator.

In 2017, she was the first Aboriginal woman elected to the Victorian parliament. As the Victorian Greens MP for Northcote, she held several portfolios including Aboriginal affairs, mental health, consumer affairs and sport. In 2020 Lidia was chosen to replace Richard Di Natale in the Senate and was sworn in holding a message stick burned with 441 marks, one for each death in custody since the handing down of the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991. As she entered the chamber to be sworn in, she held her fist above her in a gesture of strength and solidarity with First Peoples.

In 2023 she left the Greens to sit on the crossbench as an Independent Senator and represents the Blak Sovereign Movement.

Tanya Koeneman is proud Dharawal, Jerrinjah and Wonnarua descendant, and a valued member of the Sydney Aboriginal community of La Perouse. 

The last 25 years of Tanya’s career had a primary focus in cultural heritage and strategic land use planning, including regulation, protection, conservation, and management. 

Tanya is currently an Assistant Secretary within the First Nations Partnership Division of the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Leading a Branch of First Nations staff, Tanya encourages authentic conversations that result in improved relationships and collaborative engagement.

Tanya’s recent role as Director of Healthy Country within Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), celebrated the establishment and development of strategic approaches to increasing the use of cultural fire management by Aboriginal people across NSW as well as exploring opportunities for the establishment of a NSW Aboriginal Rangers program. Both bodies of work are designed to facilitate Aboriginal people to care for Country in a way that responds to cultural obligations and the needs of Country.

Prior to this, Tanya’s team delivered outcomes relating to strategic improvement across the planning and environment sectors, Indigenous cultural intellectual property, Aboriginal languages and dual naming and Aboriginal economic land reform. Work also included a monitoring and evaluation approach that demonstrates meaningful outcomes to key stakeholders and delivery partners. 

Tanya managed Aboriginal community land and infrastructure programs that developed planning tools, strategies and pathways that facilitated the rezoning, subdivision, and infrastructure upgrades to Aboriginal communities across New South Wales and enabled them to leverage greater economic, community and cultural use of Aboriginal land.

Tanya is passionate to see the development of a better cultural understanding and management approach which incorporates the knowledge, cultural authority, and stewardship of traditional owners with their involvement furthering their cultural, social, and economic aspirations as land owners and managers.

My objective is to lead an organisation with a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to promoting economic empowerment. My past experiences working with Aboriginal communities have equipped me with substantial knowledge of the critical issues affecting Territorians. I am eager to inspire others, overcome challenges, and create sustainable opportunities for future generations. I aspire to apply my skills and expertise within an active organisation that values diligence and is dedicated to strategically planning for a sustainable economic future.

As an Executive Leader with over 20 years of experience managing Aboriginal Affairs and Economic Development portfolios, I possess the cultural competency and leadership skills necessary to effectively engage multiple stakeholders. My approach involves assessing risks,
identifying opportunities, and developing a comprehensive strategy to achieve financial objectives for communities, government relations, and the NGO sectors. I am committed to utilising my expertise to drive positive change and foster sustainable growth in these areas.

Originally from Mt. Isa, and a descendant from the Waanyi people in North West Queensland, Wendy is currently seconded to the Office of First Nations Engagement and Innovation within the Department of Premiers & Cabinet from the Department of Corrective Services (QCS). Her substantive role there is Assistant Commissioner, First Nations and Cultural Capability.

As a senior Executive, Wendy has extensive experience working with the Queensland, Northern Territory and the Australian Government across the health, community and education portfolios. Prior to this Wendy has worked as the Deputy CEO for the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (now Lowitja Institute) and a former CEO of the Yothu Yindi Foundation.

Wendy has a health science degree and a graduate certificate in public sector management. In 2017 Wendy also successfully completed the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) through the Australian & New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).

Jody Broun is an Yinjibarndi woman from the Pilbara in Western Australia, who has maintained strong connections to country, community and culture throughout her life. Jody is passionate about social justice, community led co-design, and making a difference through changing the way government does business with Aboriginal communities and stakeholders.

In February 2022, Jody was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Previously Jody was Chief Executive of the Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO). Following the inclusion of the AHO in the Department of Planning, Industry and and Environment (DPIE), Jody then led work across the Department on Aboriginal Strategy, Our Place On Country, as Group Deputy Secretary Aboriginal Strategy and Outcomes.

Over the past 30 years Jody has held various senior positions in the government and not-for-profit sectors including: Executive Director Aboriginal Housing and Infrastructure in WA; Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment in WA; Director General Department of Aboriginal Affairs in NSW; and Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First People and Director of NSW and ACT for Australian Red Cross.

Jody has been responsible for delivering community and state wide policy and programs, developing and contributing to national policy reforms, and negotiating national and state government agreements. She has a breadth of experience across housing, health, education, justice, land and culture.

Professor Marcia Langton AO, of the Yiman and Bidjara nations, is an Associate Provost and Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. An anthropologist and geographer, Professor Marcia Langton has produced a large body of knowledge in the areas of political and legal anthropology, and Aboriginal arts and culture. In 1993 she was made a member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her work in anthropology and the advocacy of Aboriginal rights. In 2016 Professor Langton was honoured as a University of Melbourne Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor. In further recognition as one of Australia’s most respected Indigenous Academics Professor Langton has in 2017 been appointed as the first Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne.

Kamilaroi woman Carlyn Waters is a portfolio executive that currently works between the Australian Public Service, corporate Australia and academia. She began her Australian public service career nearly 25 years ago and is currently a part time Branch Head for the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

She has completed a Master of Business Administration and is a part-time Fellow in the Practice of Business with the Australian National University’s College of Business and Economics. Carlyn is a program mentor for the award-winning Graduate Certificate in Management that ANU delivers to Indigenous public servants.

She is a co-founder and director of two businesses: Cultivate Indigenous and Gali-Ford that are focussed on improving employment and career outcomes for Indigenous people.

In her spare time, she is an experienced Non-Executive Director and currently sits on two not-for-profit boards that allow her to focus on her commitment to the environment and education. The Foundation of National Parks and Wildlife helps protect Australia’s unique biodiversity and the Stars Foundation provides opportunities for young Indigenous girls and women to be supported through their secondary education.

Carlyn is known for identifying and growing talent whether it be team leaders in the public service or directors on corporate boards. Carlyn believes that you can’t be, what you can’t see and won’t rest until there are diverse voices on Australian boards and in senior leadership teams.

Connect with Carlyn on LinkedIn and share your story.

Michelle is a Kamilaroi/Gomeroi Yinarr from Moree, NSW, and has worked in the public sector for more than 18 years, leading in key policy areas delivering for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly in health and aged care.

Prior to joining PRF, Michelle was the Assistant Secretary of the First Nations Aged Care Branch at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, leading the policies, programs and sector collaborations focused on improving the care experience of older First Nations peoples.

During the pandemic, she led the COVID-19 Indigenous and Remote Policy and Implementation Branch, supporting the pandemic response and vaccine implementation program through a strong partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector –made possible through genuine and respectful partnerships forged through the advisory group.

Michelle has represented Australia at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She is also an inaugural Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program, an Indigenous-led lifelong collaborative fellowship program and platform for systemic change.

Tahlia-Rose Vanissum is a proud Woppaburra woman and Traditional Owner of the Keppel Islands. Tahlia-Rose works across her community and the public sector to improve services for First Nations women, girls and people with disability. She is currently undertaking a Master of Culture, Health, and Medicine at the Australian National University (ANU).

Tahlia-Rose’s is passionate about building understandings and identification of intersectional and systemic discrimination through truth-telling. Tahlia-Rose embodies an inclusive, respectful and reciprocal approach to leadership that amplifies cultural strengths and building the capability of others to identify and address discrimination across national frameworks, jurisdictional priorities and institutional settings.

Tahlia-Rose is currently leading work within the Department of Social Services to embed the National Agreement on Closing the Gap across the Commonwealth’s Social Services Portfolio. Tahlia-Rose is the Chair of the ACT Government’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Women, Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation, and a Board Director at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) the ACT’s public and largest vocational education provider and CIT’s wholly-owned subsidiary CIT Solutions.

In her admittedly limited spare time, Tahlia-Rose is completing the AICD’s Company Directors Course as a 2023 Disability Leadership Scholar. Tahlia-Rose also holds vocational qualifications in government, business, leadership, and human resources management and a Bachelor of Criminology from the ANU

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’.

June Oscar AO is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice, women’s issues, and has worked tirelessly to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

June has held a raft of influential positions including Deputy Director of the Kimberley Land Council, chair of the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and the Kimberley Interpreting Service and Chief Investigator with WA’s Lililwan Project addressing FASD.

She led a successful community driven campaign for alcohol restrictions in Fitzroy Crossing and is an international advocate on the impacts of intergenerational trauma and the need to restore societal wellbeing through the revitalisation of cultural practices, languages and connection to land and water.

In 2013 June was awarded an Officer of the order of Australia for distinguished service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia, particularly through health and social welfare programs. In 2015, June received the Menzies School of Health Research Medallion for her work with FASD. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Desmond Tutu Global Reconciliation Award, she was named NAIDOC person of the year in 2018, and
in 2019 she was bestowed the honorary role of a Distinguished Fellow of ANZSOG.

June completed her seven-year term as Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner in April 2024. As Commissioner she published the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) Report in December 2020. In March 2024, June launched the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute for First Nations Gender Justice, based at the Australian National University. The Institute, a global first, will continue the vital work of Wiyi Yani U Thangani and advance and respond to the rights and aspirations of First Nations women and girls, inclusive of cis and trans women and gender diverse mob.

I am a Noongar woman, a descendant of the Noongar nation. I was born on Ballardong country and have traditional owner ties to the Wagyl Kaip Southern & South-West Boojarah regions.

I have passion and commitment to engage and maintain high level service delivery and outcomes for my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I have excellent experience in providing holistic, strategic, and culturally safe support services. I have an interest to collaborate to form strong partnerships with various agencies and suppliers that is instrumental.

I specialise in the spaces of social and community development impact, employment, procurement, mental health, justice and mediation services in metro, regional and remote areas. I am an experienced supervisor providing cultural supervision support to frontline non-Indigenous employees and leaders.

Sharni, a proud Gamilaraay woman, commenced with the APS in 2015 as an APS2 Indigenous Apprentice, currently now acting as the Assistant Director for the First Nations Unit at the Australian Public Service Commission. Sharni holds both strategic and operational leadership experience spanning across service delivery, and policy and programme design and implementation. A highlight of Sharni’s career thus far is leading the SES100 recruitment initiative and talent and development programs for high performing EL2’s and SES across the APS. Sharni has a strong passion for investing in the development and capability building of other First Nations staff through coaching and mentoring.

Cara is a proud Wiradjuri woman currently living and working on Latje Latje country in Victoria, a Social Work Honors graduate of Deakin University, and holds Graduate Certificates in Business (Public Sector Management) and Executive Leadership. With over 15 years’ experience in the Public Service, Cara has worked her way up to leadership and executive roles across the commonwealth in First Nations strategy, governance, policy/program design and collaborative change processes.  Cara possesses a deep understanding of First Nations peoples lived experiences and  cultural knowledge systems with a strong focus on cultural safety and self-determination.  Cara passion lies in improving the life outcomes for First Nations peoples and communities through self-determination, social justice, community decision making, community led co-design, and changing the way government partners with First Nations Australians to drive meaningful change.

Tahlia-Rose Vanissum is a proud Woppaburra woman and Traditional Owner of the Keppel Islands. Tahlia-Rose works across her community and the public sector to improve services for First Nations women, girls and people with disability. She is currently undertaking a Master of Culture, Health, and Medicine at the Australian National University (ANU).

Tahlia-Rose’s is passionate about building understandings and identification of intersectional and systemic discrimination through truth-telling. Tahlia-Rose embodies an inclusive, respectful and reciprocal approach to leadership that amplifies cultural strengths and building the capability of others to identify and address discrimination across national frameworks, jurisdictional priorities and institutional settings.

Tahlia-Rose is currently leading work within the Department of Social Services to embed the National Agreement on Closing the Gap across the Commonwealth’s Social Services Portfolio. Tahlia-Rose is the Chair of the ACT Government’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Women, Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation, and a Board Director at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) the ACT’s public and largest vocational education provider and CIT’s wholly-owned subsidiary CIT Solutions.

In her admittedly limited spare time, Tahlia-Rose is completing the AICD’s Company Directors Course as a 2023 Disability Leadership Scholar. Tahlia-Rose also holds vocational qualifications in government, business, leadership, and human resources management and a Bachelor of Criminology from the ANU

I am a Noongar woman, a descendant of the Noongar nation. I was born on Ballardong country and have traditional owner ties to the Wagyl Kaip Southern & South-West Boojarah regions.

I have passion and commitment to engage and maintain high level service delivery and outcomes for my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I have excellent experience in providing holistic, strategic, and culturally safe support services. I have an interest to collaborate to form strong partnerships with various agencies and suppliers that is instrumental.

I specialise in the spaces of social and community development impact, employment, procurement, mental health, justice and mediation services in metro, regional and remote areas. I am an experienced supervisor providing cultural supervision support to frontline non-Indigenous employees and leaders.