ETHICS COUNCIL
(Left to Right) Tom Calma, Mary Graham, Megan Davis (Co-Chair), Martin Nakata (Co-Chair), Josephine Bourne, Wesley Enoch.
The Ethics Council is an oversight and advisory body to the National Board and CEO on matters of best practice, integrity and transparency. It monitors, reviews and advises the National Board on the conduct of elections and other matters. It also acts as an external body that can investigate breaches or complaints. Ethics Council members may attend meetings of the membership and the National Congress but do not vote.
Having an independent Ethics Council built in to its structure, situates Congress as a unique organisation at the cutting edge of Australian best practice in the area of corporate ethical conduct.
REQUIREMENT TO DISCLOSE: It is a requirement that all Delegates, Staff and Directors of the company must, as a matter of practice, declare any investigations or other matters which may be viewed as having the potential to bring the Congress into disrepute, whether substantiated or not, to the CEO.
The Ethics Council is made up of 6 members with a two year appointment. Current members are:
Dr Tom Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in the NT. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at all levels for over 35 years, including as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner from 2004 to 2010. He is currently the National Coordinator Tackling Indigenous Smoking, Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Advisory Group and Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia.
Professor Megan Davis [PhD] (Co-Chair) is Director of the Indigenous Law Centre and Professor, Faculty of Law, at the University of NSW. Megan teaches and researches primarily in the field of Indigenous legal issues in Public Law and International Law. Professor Davis is an expert member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and a Commissioner of the NSW Land and Environment Court. Megan is a Cobble Cobble woman from Hervey Bay and Eagleby in Southeast Queensland.
Mr Wesley Enoch is Nunukul Nuggi person and an acclaimed award winning theatre director originally from Stradbroke Island in Queensland. Wesley works almost exclusively in Indigenous Theatre and focuses wholly on cultural and social engagement through story telling. Wesley’s extensive experience in directing, writing, script development, acting and dancing spans two decades.
Ms Mary Graham is a Kombu-merri person on her father’s side and is also affiliated with the Waka Waka group through her mother, both groups in Queensland. She has lectured and tutored on subjects in Aboriginal history, politics, and comparative philosophy at the University of Queensland and at other educational institutions around the country.
Professor Martin Nakata (Co-Chair) (B.Ed. Hons. PhD) is a Torres Strait Islander. He is currently Professor of Australian Indigenous Education and Director of Nura Gili, Centre for Indigenous programs at the University of New South Wales. He has been working in areas of Indigenous education since 1979 and continues to spend much of his time supporting Indigenous Australians to achieve university qualifications.
Ms Josephine Bourne is a mainland Torres Strait Islander with ancestry from Mabuiag, Badu, Murray and Moa Islands. She was an inaugural director of Congress and was appointed Co-Chair during the organisation’s establishment phase. Ms Bourne has made a significant contribution to various local, regional and national agencies in Indigenous education, multi-media development and youth leadership.