Our stories: Career profiles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Foreword

This booklet celebrates the significance of Indigenous Australians who have chosen to work in the Australian Public Service (APS) and I encourage you to read and reflect upon the messages it contains.

This booklet tells the stories of 15 very different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their journeys through the APS, highlighting the contributions they have made to the APS, in many fields and at different levels. Each of these Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people has a significant role to play within their agency, including the Indigenous cultural perspective they bring to their work and their workplace. The stories show that there is a large pool of talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people available to work in the APS, and I encourage departments and agencies to take measures to recruit such talented individuals and ensure that they are offered support and career development opportunities.

I hope, also, that the profiles appearing in this booklet will act as role models for other Indigenous Australians to view the APS as a desirable place to work.

I would like to thank all of the contributors for generously sharing their stories. My thanks also go to Ms Patricia Turner for her assistance with this publication.

A S Podger
Public Service Commissioner