We are happy to announce Mr Justin Mohamed’s nomination as Australia’s first ambassador for First Nations people.
Mr Mohamed will oversee the Office of First Nations Engagement at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Together, they will advance Indigenous rights internationally and support the expansion of First Nations commerce and investment while truly partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Deeper engagement with many of our closest allies, particularly the Pacific family, is made possible by elevating the viewpoints of First Nations people, who were this country’s first diplomats.
Thanks to this new post, Australia will now have dedicated Indigenous representation in our overseas engagement for the first time.
Mr Mohamed, a Bundaberg, Queensland-born Gooreng Gooreng, provides a deep sense of community.
With roles spanning the Aboriginal community, government, and corporate sectors, Mohamed worked for years in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health, social justice, and reconciliation. He is currently the Deputy Secretary of Aboriginal Justice in the Victorian Government.
Before that, he served as Reconciliation Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Chair of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization, and international representative of Indigenous organizations, notably at the UN Permanent Conference on Indigenous Issues.
Beginning in April, Mr Mohamed will serve as ambassador.
Quotations from Mr Justin Mohamed: “I am honoured to have been named first Ambassador for First Nations People and am enthusiastic about the opportunities to incorporate First Nations perspectives and knowledge into Australia’s trade and foreign policy.
As we establish foreign policies that put First Nations People’s expertise, voice, and connection to the nation front and centre, I look forward to sitting down and hearing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around the country.
