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Indigenous Connections Committee

Objectives and responsibilities

The NFSA established the Indigenous Connections Committee in May 2017 as an advisory committee to the NFSA Board to provide advice on the development and management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, projects and other strategic matters.

Key objectives of the Indigenous Connections Committee are to:

provide advice on, and support the development of, the NFSA Indigenous Strategy
provide a forum to discuss and progress issues relating to the NFSA’s Indigenous collection, programs and exhibitions
connect the NFSA with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, artists and practitioners.

The principal responsibilities of the Committee are to advise the Board on:

the development and implementation of the NFSA Indigenous Strategy
showcasing the stories and work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, both nationally and internationally
identifying concrete actions within the NFSA that build respectful relationships and create opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

The Committee also represents Indigenous perspectives and advises on Indigenous policy, programs and projects through the role of cultural advisor to the following NFSA working groups:

NFSA Collection – Indigenous
NFSA Programs and Exhibitions – Indigenous
NFSA People and Culture – Indigenous
NFSA Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and Indigenous Strategy.

The Committee is responsible for providing support to the Senior Manager, Indigenous Connections. This support includes:

providing and facilitating professional and Indigenous community level advice on specific NFSA initiatives
creating contacts with Indigenous communities to obtain advice on, and support for, specific NFSA initiatives
devising and sharing ideas in relation to the NFSA’s progressive cultural competence program
engaging with NFSA programs and initiatives.

The Committee is directly responsible and accountable to the Board for the exercise of its responsibilities.

The membership of the Committee comprises up to 8 members which includes up to 3 members of the NFSA Board:

Committee members are appointed by the Chair of the NFSA Board at the request of the Chair of the Indigenous Connections Committee
Most of the Committee must be comprised of people that identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and consist of a balanced mix of gender diversity
Members are appointed for a period of 2 years, with the opportunity for extensions.

The Committee meets a minimum of 3 times per year and the Chair of the Committee reports to the Board on behalf of the Committee. The minutes of committee meetings are provided to the NFSA Board at the next possible Board meeting following the Committee meeting.

Committee Members

Catherine Liddle

Chair, NFSA Indigenous Connections Committee

CEO, SNAICC

Catherine is an Arrernte/Luritja woman from the Central Australia regions. A journalist by trade, she subscribes to the philosophy that to change the story you first have to change the message. Catherine has worked across all levels of news and current affairs production and presented news programs for Imparja, NITV and the ABC.

Over the past 10 years she has worked primarily in managerial roles where she has led multidisciplinary teams, driven workplace transformations and delivered record-breaking programs for NITV and SBS. When working as the Interim General Manager of Indigenous Community Television she also had the opportunity to dabble in drama.

Catherine is the CEO of SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children, the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Dr Lyndon Ormond-Parker

Visiting Fellow, Australian National University

Associate Professor Lyndon Ormond-Parker is an Aboriginal man of Alyawarr descent from the Barkly Tableland region of the Northern Territory. He is an ARC Research Fellow with the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies, Australian National University. He is also engaged as a Principal Research Fellow with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, RMIT University on a project entitled 'Mapping digital inclusion for informed decision-making in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities'. The project will generate a detailed account of the distribution of digital inclusion across Indigenous communities.

Dr Ormond-Parker has been involved in advocacy, policy development, research and negotiations at the local, national, and international level focused on Indigenous communities and information technology, digital inclusion, cultural heritage, materials conservation, and repatriation. He was an Indigenous expert member of the Australian Heritage Council (2015 to 2021), and is a member of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation, Office for the Arts, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (since 2015).

Aaron Fa’Aoso

Director, producer, writer and actor

Aaron is a stage and screen actor, writer, director and producer. He came to prominence in 2004 with his performance in the SBS mini-series RAN: Remote Area Nurse, and is best known for his appearances in the ABC’s Black Comedy. Aaron’s other acting credits include East West 101, City Homicide, Sea Patrol and Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms.

Aaron has also been active behind the camera, writing and directing the VR documentary Every King Tide, which was selected by the Cannes Film Festival and the Sheffield Film Festival. In 2012, Aaron associate produced and starred in the ABC crime drama, The Straits, and in 2016, his production company Lone Star, along with Bunya Productions, produced a drama documentary series on the history of the Torres Strait Islands, Blue Water Empire. He is the producer on Straight out of the Straits.

Aaron has also trained young Torres Strait Islanders in filmmaking as part of a TAFE-accredited My Pathways programme.

Tasha James

Manager, Indigenous Unit, ABC Archives

Tasha James is a Wiradjuri woman who grew up in Dubbo, Central West NSW. Her homelands cross the region of the lower Bogan River of Wiradjuri Country.

In June 2021 Tasha took on a newly created role leading the Indigenous Unit of the ABC Archive. Previously, she was the Manager of Indigenous Connections at the NFSA. Tasha has over 10 years’ experience working with Indigenous communities and Indigenous collections that include audiovisual and material culture.

Throughout her career, Tasha has had held a number of roles in major cultural institutions such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the Australian Museum, where she worked closely with Indigenous communities by facilitating access to collections to reconnect them with their cultural heritage. She has also worked within Indigenous public programs and outreach which focused on sharing and educating others about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Tasha has extensive experience in Indigenous policy having developed several key policies within her past workplaces relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and Indigenous collections.

Tasha is passionate about empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in managing and practicing their culture along with caring for and controlling their own cultural collections on country.

Kim Ledger

Member, NFSA Board

Kim is a Western Australian entrepreneur who has founded and successfully operated several businesses in Perth, Adelaide and New York. He has revisited his long-term passion for driver training and education with partner Alister McCrae to establish Driver Risk Management in Perth, WA. Kim has an enduring relationship with the film industry through his work as Patron of Australians in Film (Heath Ledger Scholarship) in Los Angeles.

Kim co-founded Scriptwise in Melbourne, a non-profit foundation set up to educate people about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. He is also a member of the Management and Finance Committee of Cyrenian House (WA Council on Addictions).

Judith Donnelly

Member, NFSA Board

Ms Donnelly is a senior public affairs and communications specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. 

Ms Donnelly is a former policy and media advisor to the Australian Government and was the General Manager, Media and Communications for the Richmond Football Club from 2007 to 2010. In 2013, she took up her current position as the Head of Government Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility for the AFL. Ms Donnelly also serves on the board of the Melbourne Press Club.