Working partners: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
Members
Aston is a proud Wiradjuri/Ngemba man who lives and learns on Gubbi Gubbi Country. He has represented as an Indigenous Leader at his school and has participated in many programs including the Nation Indigenous Business Summer School (2022, 2023 and 2024), the Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School 2023, the Telstra Foundation Youth Advisory Council and the Queensland Indigenous Youth Leaders Program.
By participating in these programs, Aston is working towards his goal improving the lives of others through learning what is to be a leader, how to lead, building connections to make change and the will to be the start of that change.
As a member of the Advisory Group, Aston hopes to achieve new connections with his peers and work together towards solutions to problems, no matter what they are, to uplift both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of Australia.
Profile coming soon.
Bianca is a 22-year-old Palawa woman who is proud to live on Palawa Country in Lutruwita/Tasmania. She is currently studying to be an Aboriginal Health Worker. Bianca hopes to be the voice for all young mob across the nation and to advocate for the quiet voices who may not always have the confidence to voice their great ideas and opinions.
Bianca is passionate about ensuring all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have only the best start to their lives with all their needs met. This will provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with the best possible start to their school life and education and set them up for better success in life. Bianca wants to be the voice for future generations to come. Our youth are our future.
Charlize is a proud Arrernte woman who lives, works and studies on Kaurna and Peramangk country in Adelaide. She recently started studying a Bachelor of Social Work at Adelaide University, to learn more about advocacy as a professional career. Her lived experience motivates her to advocate not only for herself, but for her community as well.
Charlize is eager to meet other passionate youth who can truly create change that matters. She sees the First Nations Advisory Group is an opportunity to promote cultural safety through projects and policies with peers. She is extremely passionate about First Nations rights, supports and opportunities, which has led her to engage with and use every opportunity to advocate.
Through the First Nations Youth Advisory Group, Charlize hopes to gain new skills, adequately represent other First Nations youth who have experienced similar things to her, and use this platform to make a real impact.
Jaharn is a proud Ngunnawal/Yuin/Ngarigo/Gunaikurnai man born and raised in Canberra with family connection reaching Wreck Bay. He is particularly passionate about Suicide Prevention and helping ALL youth within the out-of-home Care System.
He currently works with Indigenous Allied Health Australia, having recently completed a Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance and is currently working towards a Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs and Community Service.
In 2025, Jaharn was named ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year. Through his work with the First Nations Youth Advisory Group, he aims to ensure young people are able to find the right connections, and, more importantly, finding support when it comes to Culture, Education, Physical/Emotional/Social/Mental Health and to most importantly Have A Voice.
Jindara is currently working with Beyond the Bell. Jindara is eager to build meaningful connections, foster new relationships, and engage in enjoyable experience that contribute to both personal and professional growth.
Jindara wants to explore and learn more about Aboriginal culture, to spread awareness to help close the gap and ensure youth voices are heard.
Kelsee is a proud Whadjuk Ballardong Noongar Yorga (woman) with connections to Wilman and Yued Country through her Father and a Barkandjii Ngiyampaa woman through her Mother. She lives in beautiful Boorloo (Perth) and works within the City of Melville as a First Nations Community Development Officer.
Kelsee’s journey exemplifies a dedication to personal growth and community impact. Through her completion of the Emerging Leaders program through Western Australian Aboriginal Leadership institute (WAALI), her role as Miss NAIDOC Perth 2024, and her recent graduation from the Yorga Djenna Bidi program (also through WAALI), Kelsee has cultivated a strong sense of identity and purpose.
These transformative experiences have fuelled her passion for uplifting First Nations communities, with a focus on ensuring that youth voices are heard and valued. Her commitment reflects a vision to create meaningful opportunities that celebrate and empower First Nations perspectives, fostering a future of inclusivity and representation.
Within the First Nations Youth Advisory group, Kelsee hopes to make sure First Nations Youth voices are heard and recognised, gain knowledge and create connections with other like minded Mob and Elders.
Matilda is a proud Muruwari and Ngemba woman, who was born on Larrakia lands, and has lived on Kaurna lands most of her life. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at Flinders University with a focus on Indigenous Studies and Politics, while also balancing working as a Student Ambassador. Additionally, she is a Congress Champion within the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition (NIYEC).
For her previous work in senior school leadership regarding First Nations education she received the Muriel Matters Award 2023, an Order of Australia Association Student Citizen Award in 2023, and the Ampol Best all Rounder award 2023.
Tilly is really passionate about First Nations education and curriculum because she sees how much difficulty Indigenous Peoples go through in the education system. She believes that the key to national change is in federal policy and she thinks there is a fundamental failing in Australia between what First Nations People experience and what non-Indigenous people are exposed to, and that education spaces are a big way to bridge this gap.
Zak was born in Newcastle and raised in Sydney. A proud descendant of Aboriginal Gamilaroi peoples, he was appointed to the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) of New South Wales at 17, with focuses on Out of Home Care (OOHC), public education, youth crime and the rights of Indigenous youth. In 2024 he fronted the NSW Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters to make the case for lowering the voting age.
He has since been elected the Social Officer of the ANU’s Indigenous Department and is in his second year of studying International Relations and Economics.
Zara is a Kungarakan and Gurindji woman from the Northern Territory, who currently attends boarding school in Canberra. As part of the First Nations Youth Advisory Group, she aims to represent the nuances of issues faced by Indigenous peoples across Australia, as well as grow and learn from others in the group.