Drawing on Elders and leading a nation to close the gap – Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP

Ken is a Noongar, Yamatji and Wongi man from Bunbury in Western Australia. He is Minister for Indigenous Australians, and the first Indigenous Minister elected to the House of Representatives.

This episode is a raw conversation on what it takes to lead a nation to close the gap for Indigenous Australians. It discusses the challenges of being the only Indigenous Australian in parliament and how to draw on the strength of Elders to persevere, the role of Indigenous entrepreneurship and how that is playing out to close the gap, and how to shape a better future for Indigenous youth so we ensure we’re not having the same conversations in 20 years’ time.

Beyond the Gap is a podcast from national Indigenous not-for-profit First Nations Foundation as an Australian-first investigation into best practice reconciliation and Indigenous engagement for corporate Australia and beyond.

Guests include Indigenous and non-Indigenous thought-leaders – Hon. Ken Wyatt AM (Minister for Indigenous Affairs), Karen Mundine (Reconciliation Australia CEO), Dr Simon Longstaff AO (Executive Director of The Ethics Centre), David Atkins (former Cbus CEO), Andrew Olsen (GHD), Ian Hamm (chair of First Nations Foundation), and Dr. Tracy Westerman AM (clinical psychologist).

Themes include building meaningful relationships with First Nations communities, understanding cultural obligations and connection to country, essential next steps for all Australians towards reconciliation, step-by-step breakdowns for building Reconciliation Action Plans, how senior executive leaders should engage with Indigenous issues and challenges, the role of Indigenous entrepreneurship, and the importance of representation.

Host, First Nations Foundation CEO Phil Usher, is a proud Wiradjuri man who grew up in the rich culture of the Gamilaroi people. He has taken the Indigenous-led financial wellbeing organisation to new heights, recently launching new digital financial products for Indigenous Australians: IndigenousSuper.com.au, TomorrowMoney.co and My Money Dream. First Nations Foundation was awarded Indigenous Business of the Year at the 2020 MyBusiness Awards.

For more information, please visit firstnationsfoundation.org.au/podcast

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