2026 Aboriginal Staff Forum

Adam Goodes is a symbol of resilience and optimism and an inspirational role model as he works to create a better Australia for all.

Adnyamathanha man, Aboriginal community leader, former professional footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL) and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes was named Australian of the Year in 2014, in recognition of his tireless community work in addition to his sporting achievements.

Adam is the co-founder and director of GO Foundation as well as the co-founder and CEO of Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC). He is driven to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to achieve economic independence. Adam’s work within the corporate world includes advising large organisations such as David Jones, Qantas and Woolworths on their Reconciliation Action Plans.

Melanie Turner is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who took over the role of South Australia's Chief Psychiatrist in May 2026. Melanie was Deputy Chief Psychiatrist from 2023 and has continued to work across multiple roles.

Her professional background includes senior clinical leadership, regulatory and governance roles, and medical education. She has held positions such as Presiding Member of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, Chair of the Medical Board of South Australia, Board Director of RANZCP and Mental Health Australia; and involvement in national policy development through advisory committees. She is also engaged in teaching and training medical students and specialist registrars.

Melanie is the first Aboriginal Chief Psychiatrist in Australia and is working on representing her mob and continuing to improve the health pathway for all Aboriginal people.

Shelley Ware was one of the first Aboriginal women, to regularly appear on mainstream television and now has over two decades of experience in live television broadcast. She was a regular on Channel 7’s AFL show, ‘Live and Kicking.’ Shelley is well known as part of the ground breaking NITV-SBS football program Marngrook.

She was the host of AFL.com’s Colour Of Your Jumper and now hosts her own Facebook show Ware2Now? sharing everyday people’s stories. She is a regular “Morning Broad’ on Broad Radio and a member of the Outersanctum podcast. Shelley writes a fortnightly AFL and opinion column for the Koori Mail. She was named the 2019 Fujitsu General Football Woman of the Year.

Shelley is also a teacher and is passionate, about embedding First Nations histories and cultures into our classrooms and the national curriculum.

Delahay Miller is the founder of DM Advisory and a Wirangu and Mirning man from Elliston on the West Coast of South Australia. He has led high stakes engagements across every region of the country, from remote communities to Parliamentary Cabinet and worked with ASX listed Boards, Chief Executives and international partners on some of Australia’s most significant Aboriginal affairs projects.

He has represented Australia on the global stage, delivered keynote addresses at international conferences, and founded a number of companies, all driven by a commitment to bridge community, capital and innovation to create lasting impact.