Wayne Bergmann has been at the forefront of advocating for Indigenous rights and self-determination in the Kimberley for more than 20 years. As CEO of KRED Enterprises, an initiative of the Kimberley Land Council, he is pursuing his passion to drive social change in Kimberley communties while facilitating Aboriginal people’e engagement in the modern economy.
This passion comes from his strong Indigenous cultural connections gained while growing up in Derby and from his Nyikina ancestry. Wayne has worked as a boilermaker, a lawyer, CEO of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre and Executive Director of the Kimberley Land Council.
His current focus is on helping Indigenous people get control of their future through providing increased business opportuntities and economic independence.
Wayne has recently taken on his role at KRED Enterprises, a business development foundation, after spending 10 years as the head of the Kimberley Land Council, one of the largest organisations dealing with Aboriginal land rights and resources development issues. Through this role, Wayne proved his commitment to securing the rights and interests of Kimberley Traditional Owners through the Native Title system gaining recognition to 65 per cent of the Kimberley.
Wayne has also been pivotal in negotiating significant agreements between resource developers, industry and Government, on behalf of Traditional Owners to secure long-term benefits for Indigenous people. He has also implemented land and sea management activities across the region, including the Kimberley Indigenous Ranger Program which employs more than 80 rangers to look after country.
Wayne believes cultural and environmental values can be balanced with development in the region and is an advocate of Indigenous decision-making. He has applied these values to his former roles as Chair of the Western Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council, member of the Aboriginal Affairs Coordinating Committee, Chair of the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance; member of the Kimberley Development Commission; and the Kimberley Regional Planning Committee.
Speaking On:
Outlining Indigenous perspectives of opportunities with industry
Brian Wyatt is a Churchill Fellow who has had more than 30 years experience in community and government administration of Aboriginal affairs, including as an adviser to government. He held the position of CEO with the Goldfields Land and Sea Council for 11 years and was the inaugural Chairperson of the National Native Title Council (an alliance of Native Title Representative Bodies and Native Title Service Providers from around Australia). Mr Wyatt participates regularly in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as well as the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This has led to him being invited to represent the Pacific Region at various UN Permanent Forum Workshops on Mining and Indigenous Communities in Siberia and the Philippines as well as Conferences on Climate Change in Alaska and Copenhagen. Mr Wyatt took up the role as Chief Executive Officer with the National Native Title Council in March 2010.
Speaking On:
The future of Indigenous people rests on the resolution of Native Title
Glen Kelly is the CEO of South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council. Glen is a Noongar man and brings to SWALSC 18 years of experience in Indigenous Affairs, much of it in Native Title and Indigenous land related issues. Glen has held a number of senior positions in Indigenous organisations, both as a manager and as an advocate of Indigenous interests, as well as positions within government agencies. Glen sits on a number of high level committees and statutory authorities at a State and Commonwealth level that relate to Indigenous land interests.
Glen is a keen advocate of Noongar interests, and in his role as the CEO he seeks to ensure that SWALSC is able to provide an efficient and effective service to Noongar people and their native title claims.
Speaking On:
Establishing plans to transfer land ownership & development to Traditional Owners
Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Environmental Management (with Honours) from Macquarie University and is undertaking a Masters of Public Policy from the Australian National University. Mitchell has been involved in policy relating to Indigenous people and carbon markets since 2007 when he contributed to the 2007 Australian Human Rights Commission’s Native Title Report. Since 2008 Mitchell has been working for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency on the development of policies to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Most recently he worked on the Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative and is coordinating the development of offset methodologies relating to savanna burning and rangeland rehabilitation.
Speaking On:
Participating in the Carbon Farming Initiative
Perdi has undertaken bachelor degrees in Forest Science and Public Policy and Management at the University of Melbourne. She is currently working on implementing the Carbon Farming Initiative. Perdi has worked in a wide variety of forestry and land management roles in Victoria and for the Commonwealth, including international climate change negotiations, reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest protection in Tasmania and water allocation issues.
Perdi Mitchell
Speaking On:
Participating in the Carbon Farming Initiative
Daryl Moncrieff has been the Department of Environment and Conservation’s Kimberley Regional Manager since 2007. He has been closely involved in the implementation of DEC’s joint management partnership with the Miriuwung Gajerrong people of the East Kimberley, and continues to seek new ways to develop conservation partnerships with traditional owners on their own country. The government’s Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy extends the opportunities for traditional owners and DEC to work together for mutual benefit.
Speaking On:
Successful joint land management: Illustrating multiple arms for Indigenous economic development
Nolan Hunter is a strong advocate of land rights and has been heavily involved in the fight for Native Title through his involvement with the Kimberley Land Council.
Nolan has been able to pursue his passion for Indigenous empowerment while working with Kimberley Traditional Owners to get back country, look after country and gain control of the future.
Born in Broome, Nolan is a Bardi man, with strong links to his people and culture along the Dampier Peninsula. He has a professional background in strategic operations and staff management which spans more than 20 years. During this time he was employed as WA State Manager for Indigenous Community Volunteers in Perth and held senior positions in the Central region and Brisbane divisions.
Nolan has extensive public service experience, having spent 14 years with the Department for Aboriginal Affairs, Aboriginal Development Corporation and the Department of Social Services in the Kimberley, Central Desert region and within various Northern Territory communities.
Through working with the Australian Consulate in Manchester and in working for the Australian Embassy in Vienna, Moscow, Edinburgh and Dublin, Nolan experienced the many rich and diverse cultures found overseas. Through his extensive international travel, Nolan discovered a greater appreciation and understanding of his own culture and tradition and as a result returned home to work as the Director of the Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation for three years.
Nolan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Kimberley Land Council, Chairman of the National Native Title Council and a member of the Kimberley Regional Planning Committee. He is a staunch supporter of using land rights to achieve positive outcomes and is at the forefront of creating water reform for Kimberley Aboriginal people. He is an active campaigner for Indigenous rights to water and is an advocate of reducing environmental impacts to country caused as a result of climate change. Nolan was a Founding member of the First People’s Water Engagement Council and has participated in national and international conferences on water and climate change.
Speaking On:
Outlining opportunities for economic & social development with Savannah burning practices
Simon Hawkins is Chief Executive Officer of the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC), the native title representative body covering almost one million square kilometres, across the Pilbara, Murchison and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia.
YMAC is run by an Aboriginal Board of Directors and represents 24 native title claims through its five offices in South Hedland, Karratha Tom Price, Geraldton, and Perth, employing over 100 staff. YMAC’s services cover native title claim representation, land access negotiations, heritage services and natural resource management. YMAC’s mission is to see recognition of Aboriginal country and a strong future for Aboriginal people.
As CEO, Simon has also overseen four native title determinations and some of the largest land access negotiations in Australia’s history, on behalf of the Traditional Owners represented by the organisation. Before joining YMAC in 2003, Simon worked for the Department of Indigenous Affairs as a director, where he managed a regional network of offices across the state. This position followed his time as Local Government CEO.
Speaking On:
Aligning Indigenous land values with Native Title agreements: Opportunities & challenges
Franklin Gaffney is the Chief Executive of MG Corporation, the leading Indigenous organisation in the East Kimberley. MG Corporation receives and manages compensation benefits under the Ord Final Agreement for and on behalf of the Miriuwung and Gajerrong people, the native title holders of the area surrounding Kununurra.
MG Corp has been pro-active in negotiating agreements with the State of Western Australia and private sector organisations to develop job readiness and employment programs together with providing financial and practical assistance for MG people to start up new businesses. In 2010 MG Corporation assisted over 60 Indigenous people into employment and 3 new MG businesses, one being awarded the 2011 East Kimberley Aboriginal Business of the Year.
Speaking On:
Getting it right: Using Native Title to generate economic development opportunities
Tony has 30 years experience in the mining and oil and gas industries, including direct experience in commodities such as iron ore, coal, gold, manganese, nickel and oil and gas.
He was the Chief financial Officer of Portman Limited, up until the takeover by Cleveland Cliffs Inc. He previously worked for WMC Ltd, and was employed by BHP Company Ltd for 20 years commencing as a Commercial trainee. He held various senior roles including Vice President – Commercial for BHP Minerals, and was a member of the BHP Minerals Executive Committee.
He represented BHP on several Boards and Ownership Committees. He has operating experience in three countries and has worked on three mine sites. He has also worked in several regional and head offices.
Tony is the founding Managing Director of Pluton Resources Limited.
Speaking On:
A strategy for cooperative development: Proposing a different approach
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, NT
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Steve Sutton grew up in NSW and used to attempt to ride a horse through the Pilliga Forest, an area described by Oxley and other early European travellers as “parkland”. He worked for the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage and came to the Territory in 1993 to work in cultural heritage. Since then he has had roles as NT Director of Cultural Heritage, Executive Director of Environment and Heritage and then moved sideways into fire management, now the Director of Bushfires NT and Chief Fire Control Officer.
It is now almost impossible to ride a horse through the Pilliga, due to a dense scrubby understorey and this is largely due to the cessation of Aboriginal land management and in particular their skilled application of fire. This results in periodic wildfires that wreck biodiversity and threaten neighbouring towns and agriculture. Steve is keen to see the wise continuation of the strong Aboriginal fire management traditions in the Territory so that the problems “south” are not repeated here, although he no longer rides a horse.
Speaking On:
The development of land management projects with value & meaning
Andrew is the Executive Officer for Land Access at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia and is responsible for managing issues relating to native title, Aboriginal heritage and tenements. Andrew is a member on the Department of Mines and Petroleum’s Mining Industry Liaison Committee and the Department of Indigenous Affair’s Aboriginal Heritage and Native Title Industry Liaison Committee. Andrew has a strong background in the area of policy development having previously worked for the Australian Government as the Manager for the Sustainable Mining Section at the Federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.
Speaking On:
An overview of the benefits of an industry & Indigenous land management approach
Rowan Foley comes from the Wondunna clan of the Badtjala people Traditional Owners of Fraser Island and Hervey Bay in Queensland.
Rowan is the General Manager of the Aboriginal Carbon Fund (not-for-profit Company), chair of the National Indigenous Climate Change Steering Committee, Territory Natural Resource Management (TNRM) Board member and member of the RIRDC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee. Rowan is studying part-time a Masters of Environmental Law at the Australian National University.
Rowan is a ranger by trade first arriving in the Northern Territory to work at Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park in 1989 shortly after ‘hand back’. Approximately 16 years later he became the Park Manager introducing the summer seasonal closure of the climb and the $21 million Talinguru Nyakunytjaku visitor development to create new business opportunities for the Traditional Owners and the tourism industry.
In 1995 Rowan went to work for the Kimberley Land Council as their first Land Management Officer and established their Land and Sea Management Unit in 1998. He was instrumental in the development of the Paraku (Lake Gregory) Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
Moving back to Queensland he worked for the North Queensland Land Council negotiating the Mamu Heads of Agreement to construct the $10 million Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway in the Wet Tropics and the development of the Wet Tropics Aboriginal Cultural and Natural Resource Management Plan.
Rowan has consistently played a leadership role in Aboriginal land and sea management, and more recently climate change and carbon farming, to ensure Traditional Owners benefit from the sustainable use of their country.
Speaking On:
Indigenous carbon developments
Zack Webb is an Wardandi/Pibulmen of the Busselton region that has been working in NRM (Natural Resource Management) for the last 3.5 years with TO’s to help protect and manage Noongar sites in the area by using the NRM process and recommendations made by the elders.
Speaking On:
Building meaningful relationships between Natural Resource Management bodies & Traditional Owners
