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Indigenous Governance Awards 2024 Judges

The eight-member judging panel is integral to the Indigenous Governance Awards, bringing decades of governance expertise and lived experience to the judging process and the Indigenous Governance Program as a whole.

Belinda Duarte wearing a white top and standing in front of a yellow wall.

Belinda Duarte

Co-Chair

Belinda Duarte is Wotjobaluk and Dja Dja Wurrung descendant with Polish and Celtic heritage.  Belinda is CEO of Culture is Life, an organisation which is dedicated to Aboriginal-led solutions for the prevention of First Peoples youth suicide.

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Shirley McPherson standing in front of a grey background.

Shirley McPherson

Co-Chair

Shirley McPherson is a Yamatji and Nyoongar woman from the Perth and Murchison regions of Western Australia. She has experience in program delivery and business development at the regional, national and international levels of government.

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Romlie Mokak

Co-Chair

Romlie Mokak is a Djugun man and a member of the Yawuru people. In March 2024, Rom completes a five year term as the first Indigenous Commissioner at the Productivity Commission.

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Kenny Bedford

Kenny Bedford is a Traditional Owner of the Meuram Tribe of Erub (Darnley Island) Torres Strait. Kenny has served his community and region as the Torres Strait Regional Authority Member for Erub.

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Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown AM is the Chief Executive Officer of Purple House and has been helping the Indigenous Directors to run the organisation since its inception more than eighteen years ago.

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Jim Davis

Jim Davis is a descendant of the Daurareb tribe from Mer (Murray Island) in Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait).  He has over 20 years’ experience supporting Traditional Owner led land and sea management initiatives.

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Val Price-Beck

Val Price-Beck is a Kamilaroi woman from the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales with over 20 years experience in Indigenous economic development. 

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Bhiamie Williamson in front of a grey background.

Bhiamie Williamson

Bhiamie Williamson is a Euahlayi man from north-west New South Wales with familial ties to north-west Queensland. He currently leads the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program at Monash University.

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Reconciliation Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.

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Belinda Duarte wearing a white top and standing in front of a yellow wall.
Belinda Duarte

Belinda Duarte is Wotjobaluk and Dja Dja Wurrung descendant with Polish and Celtic heritage.  As an accomplished leader in elite sport, social equity and First Nations communities, Belinda is CEO of Culture is Life, an organisation which is dedicated to Aboriginal-led solutions for the prevention of First peoples youth suicide.

She has been appointed to the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, is a director of the Western Bulldogs, MCG trustee, board member of the AnnaMilla First Nations Foundation and Djaara Aboriginal Corporation.

Belinda has a vision of equality across all aspects of living for Aboriginal people. As a former elite athlete, Belinda is working on innovative projects to influence the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to improve relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. In 2020 she was recognised for her work and awarded a CEW Vincent Fairfax fellowship. Additional awards include Football Woman of the year 2012 &  Emerging leader under the Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership in 2006-2007.

Shirley McPherson standing in front of a grey background.
Shirley McPherson

Shirley McPherson is a Yamatji and Nyoongar woman from the Perth and Murchison regions of Western Australia. She has experience in program delivery and business development at the regional, national and international levels of government.
 
Shirley is a Chartered Accountant and has held senior positions in the private, government and university sectors. She is currently a National Business Development and Engagement Manager for AFL SportsReady.
 
Shirley has been a consultant to the mining industry in negotiating land use agreements in Western Australia and held roles as Group Manager of Indigenous Strategy and Business with Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd. She was member of the Australian Government delegation to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
 
Her previous board appointments included Chair of Ngarda Civil and Mining Pty Ltd (2011–13) and the Indigenous Land Corporation (2001–11), and board member of McArthur River Mining Community Benefits Trust (2009–14).
 
Shirley is a member of the Audit, Risk and Performance Committee.

Romlie Mokak

Romlie Mokak is a Djugun man and a member of the Yawuru people.  In March 2024, Rom completes a 5 year term as the first Indigenous Commissioner at the Productivity Commission. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of the Lowitja Institute and the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association. Earlier, Rom held policy and program management roles in the Australian and New South Wales governments. Responsibilities spanned a range of areas including substance use, eye health, ageing and disability. Rom is a patron of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services and a member of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Board. 

Kenny Bedford
Board Member

Kenny Bedford is a Traditional Owner of the Meuram Tribe of Erub (Darnley Island) Torres Strait. Kenny has served his community and region as the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) Member for Erub and held the Fisheries Portfolio on the TSRA Executive for almost a decade.

Kenny was also a Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the inaugural Torres Strait Island Regional Council. As President of the Erub Fisheries Management Association (EFMA) Kenny re-established the only community owned and managed commercial fishing operation in the Torres Strait.

Kenny Bedford is an Owner Director of his own business, Indigenous Initiatives and Innovation and is an establishing Board member of Zenadth Kes Fisheries. He is also a Director of the My Pathway Group and Board Member of Reconciliation Australia.

Kenny will graduate with a Masters of Indigenous Business Leadership from Monash University in 2024.

Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown AM is the Chief Executive Officer of Purple House and has been helping the Indigenous Directors to run the organisation since its inception more than eighteen years ago. As well as being a judge this year, Sarah and Purple House were the winner of the Indigenous Governance Award Category A (incorporated organisations) in 2016, helping to provide her a unique perspective to this year’s judging panel. 

Sarah holds a Master of Nursing, a Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education, and a Graduate Diploma in Health Service Management. Prior to joining Purple House, she was as a remote area nurse and university lecturer.  

Sarah has been recognised in many ways for the work she does, being named Hesta’s Australia’s Nurse of the Year in 2017, being listed as one of BOSS magazine’s ‘True Leaders’ in 2018, and in 2020 Sarah received an Order of Australia Medal for “her significant service to community health, remote nursing and Indigenous communities”. 

Jim Davis

Jim Davis is a descendant of the Daurareb tribe from Mer (Murray Island) in Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait).  He has over 20 years’ experience supporting Traditional Owner led land and sea management initiatives, the implementation of cultural and corporate governance, the co-design of economic opportunities and the reaffirmation of cultural values on traditional estates.  Jim has worked within the Public Service sector in Canberra, the Indigenous not for profit sector focussed on Cape York and for the past 2 years been with the Indigenous Engagement team at BHP.  

He holds a Bachelor of Arts attained at Griffith University, is an accredited Mediator and an executive member on government, corporate and philanthropic boards. 

Val Price-Beck

Val Price-Beck is a Kamilaroi woman from the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales with over 20 years experience in Indigenous economic development. 

Val also has extensive experience in both corporate services and corporate governance having worked in both the private and public sector. This has included being the Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenous Business Council of Australia and a member of Indigenous Business Australia’s executive management team. 

Currently Val is a Director on the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute where she holds the position of Duty Chair in an Executive role, as well as a Director at the National Health Funding Body, a body that supports the obligations and responsibilities of the Administrator through best practice administration of public hospital funding. 

Bhiamie Williamson in front of a grey background.
Bhiamie Williamson

Bhiamie Williamson is a Euahlayi man from north-west New South Wales with familial ties to north-west Queensland. In 2014, Bhiamie graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) and in 2017 from the Masters of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Bhiamie also holds graduate certificates in Indigenous Governance from the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona and Indigenous Trauma Care and Recovery Practice from the University of Wollongong. His PhD investigates Indigenous men and masculinities. Bhiamie has extensive research experience in Indigenous land management, and cultural burning, while his PhD investigated Indigenous men and masculinities. He currently leads the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program at Monash University.

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Paul House with gum leaves and smoke
Paul Girrawah House

Paul Girrawah House has multiple First Nation ancestries from the South-East Canberra region, including the Ngambri-Ngurmal (Walgalu), Pajong (Gundungurra), Wallabollooa (Ngunnawal) and Erambie/Brungle (Wiradyuri) family groups.

Paul acknowledges his diverse First Nation history, he particularly identifies as a descendant of Onyong aka Jindoomang from Weereewaa (Lake George) and Henry ‘Black Harry’ Williams from Namadgi who were both multilingual, essentially Walgalu-Ngunnawal-Wiradjuri speaking warriors and Ngunnawal–Wallaballooa man William Lane aka ‘Billy the Bull’ - Murrjinille.

Paul was born at the old Canberra hospital in the centre of his ancestral country and strongly acknowledges his First Nation matriarch ancestors, in particular his mother Dr Aunty Matilda House-Williams and grandmother, Ms Pearl Simpson-Wedge.

Paul completed a Bachelor of Community Management from Macquarie University, and Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage and Management from CSU.

Paul provided the Welcome to Country for the 47th Opening of Federal Parliament in 2022. Paul is Board Director, Ngambri Local Aboriginal Land Council, Member Indigenous Reference Group, National Museum of Australia and Australian Government Voice Referendum Engagement Group.  

Paul works on country with the ANU, First Nations Portfolio as a Senior Community Engagement Officer

Acknowledgement of Country

Reconciliation Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing  connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away.

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