First Nations Practice Group

Partnering with First Nations people and communities

To achieve this vision, we have a clear commitment to work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to support them to achieve their goals. We support the shift in narrative from a deficit lens to a strengths-based approach that empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and contributes to self-determination. This is essential to enabling the systemic change required for all Australians to have the same opportunities. We are proud to have worked with clients on projects with First Nations people, communities and businesses. These have been across a range of sectors including education, health and ageing, human services, justice, government and sustainable development. Many of these have been through important collaborations with our First Nations consulting partners.

Our vision

Our vision for reconciliation is for all Australians to understand, respect and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, heritages and knowledge systems. This includes accepting our shared history and addressing its effects on Australian society.

WHY IT MATTERS

Aspiring to racial equity is not just the right action – it is also the prudent action

The moral case for racial equity is clear and compelling. But beyond this, evidence shows that organisations that take action on racial equity are better able to meet client needs, perform better, and are more innovative.

Racial Equity framework

76 per cent of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor of their decisions.

Source

Research shows the power of initiatives to move toward racial equity:

Source

For every 1 per cent rise in the rate of ethnic diversity in a workforce there is a 3 to 9 per cent rise in sales revenue.

Source

Teams that include one or more members of the demographic market they serve are 158 per cent more likely to understand that target market, increasing their likelihood of innovating effectively.

Some of our projects

Across sectors, our clients have an increasing focus on contributing to the First Nations agenda through strategic initiatives designed to progress reconciliation, drive policy improvements and support Closing the Gap. By combining our sector expertise and our experience working with First Nations people, communities and organisations, we are able to support sustainable, systemic change.

Source

Organisations with above-average diversity are eight times more likely to be in the top 10 percent for financial performance.

The organisation complies with government targets and strategies but does not think outside these parameters. Activities are driven by risk mitigation and focus on diversity rather than equity or inclusion.

Compliant

OUR PEOPLE

Our team brings together diverse First Nations experience from different sectors

Director | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Mike Stewart

Principal | Government and Financial Services

Rodney Williams

Principal | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Monique Jackson

Community Facilitator

Selina Swan

Principal | Human Services, Safety and Security

Kendra Cockburn

Principal | Human Services , Safety and Security

Kendra Cockburn

Kendra leads Nous’ Darwin office and brings 15 years of experience in public policy at the intersection of the human services, justice and primary health sectors. She has worked extensively with First Nations leaders on projects that seek to improve First Nations outcomes in the Northern Territory. Some of her most influential project work includes leading a cost benefit analysis of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement, and engaging community members around the design of a youth hub for Darwin’s northern suburbs.

Principal | Government and Financial Services

Rodney is a Guwa man from Queensland and has decades of experience across the private, public and community sectors, where he has held board, senior executive and management roles. At Nous, Rodney holds the position of First Nations Portfolio Champion. He has worked on many influential projects that impact First Nations people across urban, rural and remote communities. These include the strategic review of the government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy and the mid-term review on Tharamba Bugheen: Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy. Rodney has also been CEO of CareerTrackers and worked in Indigenous Business Australia’s Investments and Enterprises programs.

Rodney Williams

Community Facilitator

As a proud Ngardi-Jaru & Lungka Kija woman raised in Halls Creek, Western Australia, Selina brings over 20 years of experience in management and service delivery roles in the WA and the NT Governments. With a profound dedication to supporting Indigenous communities, Selina ensures their voices are not only heard but also represented in decision-making processes. Selina designs and leads consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations for a wide range of projects. She has a deep understanding of trauma-informed practice and the nuances of communication and relationships in an Indigenous context.

Selina Swan

Manager | Human Services and Government

Josh McKinnon

Principal | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Monique brings 20 years of experience in health and human services and is committed to working in partnership with community to address inequities and improve outcomes for people experiencing vulnerabilities. Her expertise spans system redesign, policy reform, strategy, analysis, service design, stakeholder engagement, business cases and evaluations. She has worked on a range of projects involving community-controlled governance and alignment to Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles. These include co-designing the Futures Planning and Support model for young people, reviewing a program to support Aboriginal women exiting the justice system and partnering with an Aboriginal organisation to streamline its support for people with alcohol and other drug needs.

Monique Jackson

Director | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Michael is an experienced strategic advisor and evaluator with more than a decade’s experience in health and sustainable development in Australia and overseas. Michael lives and works on Larrakia Country in Darwin. He leads Nous’ health work in the Territory, and works closely with government, ACCHOs, peak bodies, and communities to build better systems, enhance service delivery, and improve outcomes. He is lucky that this work provides opportunities for continual learning, reflection and improvement – and he is hopeful that Nous’ work in the Territory makes a meaningful contribution to Closing the Gap.

Mike Stewart

Director | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Georgia has led strategy, service design and evaluation projects for government, and NGOs in areas such as mental health, domestic and family violence and the child and family sector. When working on these projects, Georgia is passionate about engaging meaningfully with Aboriginal communities and ensuring projects have the right governance and approach to deliver positive change - defined by communities, for communities. One recent project involved setting up and partnering with placed-based Aboriginal reference groups to understand Aboriginal clients and service provider views of violence, abuse and neglect services. Prior to Nous, Georgia worked for the Aurora Education Foundation where she co-designed a pilot program for Aboriginal school students focused on academic excellence through a cultural lens.

Georgia Stern

Director | Government, Health and Ageing

Born and raised on Gomeroi Country, with close family ties to Gomeroi People and community, Sarah spent her early career working in rural and remote Australia, delivering First Nations focused programs. As a consultant she has led a range of high profile and high impact First Nations projects. These include coordinating the first Indigenous content for the 2021 State of the Environment and facilitating the Traditional Knowledge peer review, developing the Australian Indigenous Employment Index, evaluating the Queensland Government’s Our Way Strategy and consulting on kinship care for Department of Social Services. She also worked with the Office of Township Leasing, developing the framework for community-led social planning within remote Northern Territory townships, and leading implementation across several communities.

Sarah Jones

Intersectional analysis is not just good to have – it is essential for designing policy programmes that deliver equitable outcomes

The three questions every organisation needs to ask to create an authentic and impactful ESG strategy

Advancing racial equality in higher education

Inclusive organisations can combat social inequality and improve the bottom line

Read more about our thinking on these issues

OUR THINKING

Developing an anti-racism strategy for an arts academy

A creative arts academy had undertaken significant work to advance racial equality but was facing challenges creating a shared, institution-wide approach.

Anti-racism strategy

Helping a university to understand BAME staff experience

A large university wanted to better understand the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff.

Employee engagement

Working with Great Northern Museum on a decolonisation strategy

Great Northern Museum showcases Newcastle’s natural history, archaeology, geology and world cultures.

Decolonisation strategy

We evaluated a primary healthcare locum program to support remote Aboriginal communities in the NT

The Department of Health and Aged Care asked us to evaluate the Remote Area Health Corps and how the model was being implemented.

Stakeholder listening

Measuring the community impact of Wungening Aboriginal Corporation

We worked with Wungening Aboriginal Corporation to develop a bespoke impact measurement framework underpinned by best-practice program evaluation methods.

nti-racism plan

Working with a Cape York Indigenous community to design a needs-based service delivery model

We helped an Indigenous community trust to better respond to community need, improve engagement with young people and increase health and wellbeing.

Anti-racism review

Our work celebrates the oldest continuing culture and contributes to self-determination and the First Nations national agenda

Case studies

Finding the right language to talk about ethnicity and other protected characteristics is challenging and differs across organisations, communities, and countries. Individuals see their identity in distinct ways. However, language around ethnicity often aggregates experiences of people from diverse backgrounds into homogenous categories. Examples include BAME (which amalgamates individuals and communities who are Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic), Global Majority and people of diverse ethnicities. This often creates an “othering” by defining one group of people by what they are not (say, “minority ethnic” as opposed to an undefined majority ethnicity). In addition, any definition of “minority” is context-specific, so the categorisation means different things in different places. We understand this complexity so work sensitively with clients and consultees, and with respect to jurisdictional differences, to ensure we use the right language for your context and treat people compassionately. The project examples given here use the preferred language of the clients in each case.

A note on language and terminology

A specialist university had committed to becoming an anti-racist institution following scrutiny over past efforts. The university recognised that students and staff had experienced racism. With our support, senior leaders wanted to understand those experiences better in order to design a new Head of Equity and Inclusion position and to establish organisational change principles to reduce inequity. A diverse Nous team conducted an institution-wide listening exercise to understand and improve the experiences of students and staff of colour. We used a trauma-informed approach, that emphasised safety (physical, psychological and emotional) and helped rebuild a sense of empowerment in those who had experienced trauma. At each stage we re-iterated the process’ confidentiality. The exercise identified instances of racism and highlighted challenges for the institution to address. We used journey maps to visualise challenges students and staff of colour experience during their engagement with the university. Our recommendations, which have been accepted, will help the university in its drive to be anti-racist. Find out more about this project.

Anti-racism review

Helping a specialist university with a diverse community to combat racism

The University of Kent identified the need to address racial inequities for staff and students. Many members of Kent’s community actively advocate for change and there were pockets of grassroots good practice across the university. However, the route to setting strategic direction had been unclear, and the university community felt little action had taken place. The university needed a strategy to support a culture shift that would tackle issues of structural racism. As a first step, Nous reviewed outcomes data to better understand issues for racially minoritised staff and students. Following this, we worked with the reference group and other university staff through interviews to understand the underlying issues contributing to race inequalities. Finally, we facilitated workshops with a reference group to develop the strategy’s vision, objectives and detailed actions. Kent is now one of the few universities in the UK with a strategy committed to advancing anti-racism. The executives are all committed to its success and have been assigned responsibility for delivering their relevant objectives. Find out more about this project.

“Nous was the critical external eye we needed to surface our structures and practices that are embedding racial inequality. They provided a framework for the work needed to enable colleagues and students to unlock a shared vision appropriate for Kent.”

Georgina Randsley de Moura, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Strategy, Planning, and Performance, University of Kent

Anti-racism plan

Supporting the University of Kent to advance antiracism

The Integrated Care System for Devon (ICSD) is a partnership of health and social care organisations working together with local communities across Devon to improve people’s health, wellbeing and care. The ICSD knew from previous consultations that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities were experiencing challenges with healthcare access, participation and outcomes. Nous worked with the ICSD to explore these issues and identify opportunities for improvement. To understand the opportunities it was essential to tap into the lived experiences of BAME staff and communities in Devon. Nous collaborated with BAME staff networks and community organisations, including the BAME staff network in hospital trusts and the Plymouth & Devon Race Equality Council. This partnership gave participants essential support, including translation, during the consultations. In total we engaged 67 BAME participants from across Devon, using individual and group interviews, in person and online. These engagements were complemented by analysis of local and national data on BAME health inequalities. We offered system-level recommendations for ICSD and local recommendations for individual partner organisations, all of which were accepted. Find out more about this project.

“The review undertaken by Nous has been an invaluable step in understanding the issues in Devon and enabling us to develop a plan to tackle them. It has been a real pleasure working with Nous. The team were really focused on what we wanted to achieve and worked with this at every stage to ensure our goals were met.”

Andrew Millward, Director of Communications and Engagement, Integrated Care System Devon

Stakeholder listening

Helping a health and social care system connect with BAME communities

Learn more

We have committed to a Reconciliation Action Plan to guide our contribution to reconciliation. Our current Stretch RAP, launched in 2024, includes three themes: Relationships, Respect and Opportunities. This RAP builds on our Reflect RAP, in place from 2014 to 2016, and our Innovate RAPs, in place from 2017 to 2019 and 2020 to 2022.

Our Reconciliation Plan

Great Northern Museum showcases Newcastle’s natural history, archaeology, geology and world cultures. The museum was seeking to more effectively incorporate the perspectives of people who had been impacted by colonisation. We worked with the museum to develop a decolonisation strategy so it could understand and address colonial legacies. We interviewed individuals, community organisations and museum staff to understand the situation. We then worked with the museum to plan the long-term work to create and enact the strategy. We identified key work areas, including alignment of purpose, objectives and scope; a conceptual framework to guide key questions; and a full strategy workplan. We established ways to engage stakeholders and reviewed the current state to identify risks and mitigations. The museum is continuing to develop its decolonisation strategy.

Decolonisation strategy

Working with Great Northern Museum on a decolonisation strategy

A large university wanted to better understand the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff. We helped the university run consultations with BAME staff to explore their experience of recruitment and progression to better understand themes that had emerged from a survey. We held workshops, group interviews and one-on-one consultations to explore recruitment and selection, career progression and promotion, and raising and reporting racism. The work surfaced key insights, including that staff perceived a lack of equitable practices in the recruitment process, insufficient progression-related transparency, and barriers to reporting incidents. We then identified realistic actions to address pain points and barriers and improve equity, diversity and inclusion.

Employee engagement

Helping a university to understand BAME staff experience

A creative arts academy had undertaken significant work to advance racial equality but was facing challenges creating a shared, institution-wide approach. We started by reviewing existing anti-racism documentation and synthesising leading practice in higher education and the performing arts. We then engaged about 50 teaching staff, professional services staff, students, trustees and alumni to shape the academy’s refreshed anti-racism action plan through interviews, workshops and a survey. We later tested and iterated the plan with key stakeholders. The refreshed action plan identified six high-level goals, from supporting an equitable experience of Global Majority students and staff through to fostering partnerships that support racial diversity and inclusion. The academy’s executive and board have endorsed these goals. The work took place in a highly sensitive and emotionally charged environment. Some students and staff felt the plan was not going far enough, while some senior leaders felt it was lacking nuance. Developing a plan that could unite all stakeholders was a big challenge. We worked iteratively with cross-sectional groups of community members to define and prioritise the actions required and helped senior leaders and non-executive stakeholders to understand why these actions matter so much to the wider staff, student and alumni body. Establishing a governance process for the plan to be approved and communicated was crucial to its success.

“We were very happy with the project leadership and delivery. The Nous team were excellent colleagues to work with – highly professional, knowledgeable and efficient.”

Director at the arts academy

Anti-racism strategy

Developing an anti-racism strategy for an arts academy

A creative arts academy had undertaken significant work to advance racial equality but was facing challenges creating a shared, institution-wide approach.

Anti-racism strategy

Helping a university to understand BAME staff experience

A large university wanted to better understand the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff.

Employee engagement

Developing a roadmap to diversify the student population

A Russell Group university sought a university-wide strategy and implementation roadmap to enrol and support students from underrepresented groups.

Diversification roadmap

A Russell Group university sought a university-wide strategy and implementation roadmap to enrol and support students from underrepresented groups. The strategy had to cover undergraduate and postgraduate students and enable staff teams to understand how they contribute. We started by analysing student demographic data to understand key issues for access, continuation, attainment and progression. We then consulted with staff and students on strategic vision and priorities, bringing together different perspectives into one coherent narrative. We tested emerging findings with a taskforce of key senior staff through interactive online workshops. Finally, we developed an implementation roadmap that established delivery horizons, accountabilities for strategy elements and supporting governance structures. The new strategy brings together broad work areas through an access and student success lens. The strategy has accelerated efforts to address unfair access and success for postgraduate students through the expansion of previously undergraduate-only initiatives and policies. It has also led the university to set targets for a more diverse workforce of professional and academic staff to support the agenda. The university is implementing the strategy via our implementation roadmap and is adjusting governance processes in line with our recommendations.

Diversification roadmap

Helping a university to understand BAME staff experience

“Nous took the time to really understand the institutional context and the perspectives of stakeholders. They combined this with their expertise of the global higher education system and clarity of approach to work with us to develop our ambitious strategy.”

UK university executive

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Why it matters

OUR APPROACH

OUR WORK

OUR PEOPLE

The organisation implements programs to source greater demographic diversity of talent. These efforts may be undertaken without preparing for the inclusion of the new talent.

Segmented

The organisation adapts to respond to underrepresented groups (such as through unconscious bias or cultural competency training). But without a more comprehensive approach to inclusion, the majority culture may overwhelm efforts to better respond to diversity.

Accommodating

The organisation works to include its diversity of talent in organisational processes. It leverages the experience across a diversity of groups, and diversity is seen to promote better outcomes. Inclusion is integrated into processes and moments that matter.

Inclusive

The organisation recognises the power of inclusive practices, which are reflected in systems, processes, data collection and organisational norms. The organisation leverages diversity of thought to respond to its strengths and challenges.

Equitable

The organisation integrates and leverages equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels – grass roots, management and leadership. The organisation is recognised for its culture, which results from equitable and inclusive practices and systems.

Belonging

Racial equity contributes to stronger organisational performance, including productivity and innovation.

Organisations with racial equity are better able meet the diverse needs of their clients and deliver better quality outcomes.

Racial equity is critical to attracting and retaining talent, and contributes to the experience, wellbeing and performance of individuals.

Source

Inclusive workplaces are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their given market.

Source: Nous Group

Source

Inclusive teams make better business decisions 87 per cent of the time, and make decisions two times faster, with half the meetings.

Source

Employees whose organisation has a supportive diversity climate report higher levels of job satisfaction and have less intent to quit.

Companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams are 33 per cent more likely to outperform their peers on profitability.

Director | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Georgia Stern

Director | Government, Health and Ageing

Sarah Jones

Nous partners with the Aurora Education Foundation to support Aboriginal students to realise their potential.

Nous launches our first Reconciliation Action Plan, Reflect RAP.

Nous starts our collaboration with CareerTrackers to provide paid internship opportunities to Indigenous students.

Nous signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Indigenous Professional Services to partner on projects to drive policy and strategy.

Nous launches our third Reconciliation Action Plan.

Nous is honoured with a Most Valued Partner Award from CareerTrackers.

Nous launches our second Reconciliation Action Plan, Innovate RAP.

Explore some of our projects

Fitzroy Valley | Marulu

We supported Fitzroy Valley Futures to work with local stakeholders and young people to develop a youth engagement strategy.

full PROJECT

Perth | Boorloo

We worked with Wungening Aboriginal Corporation to develop a bespoke impact measurement framework for alcohol, other drug and social services.

full PROJECT

Melbourne | Narrm

We partnered with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service to evaluate Balit Ngulu, a service to improve access to justice for young people.

full PROJECT

Canberra | Ngunawal

We supported the National Health and Medical Research Council to guide its strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.

full PROJECT

Sydney | Warrane

We collaborated with the Aurora Education Foundation to evaluate its four education programs.

full PROJECT

New South Wales

We designed a monitoring and evaluation framework to support a local health district in New South Wales to understand the impact of its First 2000 Days Strategy.

full PROJECT

Brisbane | Meeanjin

We worked with the Queensland University of Technology’s Oodgeroo Uni to explore the success factors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Cairns | Gimuy

We collaborated with a Queensland Government development to develop an Action Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing.

full PROJECT

Napranum

We partnered with the Western Cape Communities Trust to develop a new service delivery model that better met community need.

Darwin | Garramilla

We partnered with the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory to develop the skills of its staff.

Alice Springs | Mparntwe

We collaborated with a community service to develop a five-year strategy to improve the safety of women.

Supporting self-determination and systemic change

The First Nations Agenda

Director | Health and Justice

Holly Norrie

Principal | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Michael van Koesveld

We are privileged to have worked with First Nations people, communities and businesses on projects across Australia for more than 20 years

Education

Health and Ageing

Human Services

Justice

Sustainable Development

Government

Director | Health and Justice

Holly has 15 years of experience in health, justice, social policy and international development. She combines robust analysis with listening and learning from communities to support better outcomes. Holly has led projects spanning policy, strategy, service design, evaluations and stakeholder engagement. She has partnered with ACCOs, governments, not-for-profits and others - including on a recent review of an Aboriginal-led program for women transitioning out of prison. Holly previously worked for the Australian Government and UNAIDS Cambodia and volunteered for an Aboriginal youth foundation.

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Holly Norris

Director

Carlos is passionate about working with clients to deliver innovative and practical solutions to complex challenges. His focus is on translating insight into action that delivers improved performance.

View Bio

Carlos Blanco

Manager | Human Services, Government

Joshua is a proud Biripi man based in Canberra with policy development, stakeholder engagement and operational leadership experience across private and public sectors. Joshua is the First Nations Portfolio Manager at Nous and additionally works with First Nations organisations and governments across the continent in a variety of sectors. Joshua’s work is primarily focused on the empowerment of First Nations communities by enabling self-sufficiency through strengths-based approaches, understanding the needs of communities and working with stakeholders to support the achievement of their goals.

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Josh McKinnon

Principal | Human Services, Health and Ageing

Michael is social worker and humanitarian professional with over 15 years’ experience working with human services, health, justice, native title and community-led organisations to achieve better outcomes. Michael takes a strength-based and partnership approach to supporting organisations when defining and achieving ambitious service, policy and commercial objectives. His influential work includes working with government and Aboriginal community leaders to establish the Aboriginal Advisory Council of WA, supporting native title organisations to develop nation-building plans and supporting Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to define strategic goals. Michael is Nous' First Nations Portfolio Director.

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Michael van Koesveld

Northern Territory

We developed a model of care and implementation plan to improve the Northern Territory youth justice system.

We supported the handover of a mining town to Traditional Owners.

Queensland

We partnered with an Aboriginal community trust in QLD to develop a service delivery model for young people and then monitor and evaluate its impact.

We partnered with the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport to undertake a co-designed evaluation of Deadly Innovation in QLD.

Western Australia

We conducted a social impact and opportunities assessment for the West Musgrave copper-nickel mining project.

full PROJECT

Victoria

We evaluated a legal support service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Victoria to enable future service and funding decisions.

full PROJECT

Our sphere of influence

Explore the map to find out more about our work around Australia.

Some of our projects

We work with leaders to encourage and coach for change, helping prioritise actions, provide transparent updates and track progress. Racial equity outcomes rely on cultural transformation as well as defined actions. This is hard and takes commitment over a long time. We will partner with you in that journey.

Our co-design approach means that anti-racism actions are owned by internal stakeholders, the targets are meaningful and the timeframes are realistic. We bring rigour, experience and a human-centred approach to planning for change in these sensitive areas. We work with employees and stakeholders at all levels to ensure these plans will deliver the right changes and will have support from the CEO and chair of the board to the new recruit and frontline worker or client.

As trusted external partners, we are well-placed to listen and understand people’s experiences and reflect those back in safe, anonymised findings. We can review your organisational data to pinpoint where you can improve. We can also review your programs and services through an intersectional lens. This work establishes the lived experiences of individuals in the organisation and creates a forum for positive and co-owned change. It is a crucial first step in the journey to improving racial equity.

Community Facilitator

Selina Swan