First Nations Women in Public Policy Lecture

This event explores the leadership of First Nations women in shaping public policy within and beyond government, highlighting lived experience and leadership in practice. In conversation, the three distinguished speakers will discuss how they have worked to define and strengthen policy outcomes, place cultural capability on the public policy agenda and, ultimately, help to drive systemic change,. Drawing on their lived experience and applied leadership, the discussion also looks ahead to the opportunities for the next generation of First Nations women leaders, building on the path carved out by trailblazing Indigenous women to date

About the speakers:

Justice Louise Taylor

Justice Taylor was sworn in as a Judge of the Court on Wednesday 16 August 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University. She was admitted to practice in 2001. Justice Taylor was a senior prosecutor at the ACT and Commonwealth Offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions before her appointment as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the ACT Legal Aid Commission in 2013. Justice Taylor was appointed as a Magistrate and Coroner of the ACT Magistrates Court in 2018. Justice Taylor is the first Aboriginal woman in Australia to be appointed to a superior court. Prior to her appointment as a judicial office in the ACT, Justice Taylor contributed to the community sector with a decade of service as Chair of the Women’s Legal Centre (ACT) board as well as appointments to the ACT Domestic Violence Prevention Council, the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Women and the Law Council of Australia’s Indigenous Legal Issues Committee.

Catherine Liddle

An Arrernte/Luritja woman from Central Australia, Catherine is a leading advocate in upholding the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, influencing and driving positive change. As CEO of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, she works to strengthen, represent and amplify the voices of children and families.

Catherine has held senior management positions in national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, leading teams, overseeing workplace transformations, and advocating for policy reform. She is a key member of the Coalition of Peaks and is involved in ongoing work under the National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Her leadership and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led partnerships and governance is critical to addressing the gaps and needs of the early years, particularly the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care and ensuring access to quality Aboriginal community-controlled early childhood education and support services.

Dr Lisa Conway

Dr Lisa Conway is a Yorta Yorta woman who has worked in the Australian Public Service for around 20 years. Her current role is leading the First Nations Employment Policy and Programs Branch at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Lisa undertook her PhD at the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University. This 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.

Her research, using Indigenous research methodologies to interview non-Indigenous decisionmakers in the APS, has been recognised for its ground-breaking contribution to public administration.

She found that institutional whiteness is so thoroughly embedded in APS systems and processes that it impedes the service’s ability to effectively design and implement policy for First Nations people. To address this, Lisa developed a model for building cultural capability in the APS.

Lisa’s innovative approach saw her win the Australian Political Studies Association’s prestigious PhD Award for her thesis.