Aboriginal engagement in Western Australia: Building confidence and capability in practice
How can we strengthen the way Aboriginal engagement is approached across projects in Western Australia?
Join the Engagement Institute on Thursday 26 November for a practical morning exploring Aboriginal engagement in Western Australia and how we can strengthen knowledge, skills, capability and confidence in practice.
Over recent months, research has been undertaken to better understand the experiences of people involved in Aboriginal engagement across Western Australia, alongside conversations with Traditional Owners, Knowledge Holders and Aboriginal engagement specialists.
At this event, we will bring these perspectives together to share what we have heard and create space for learning, discussion and reflection. We will share the key findings from the research, followed by a panel conversation exploring what good Aboriginal engagement looks like in practice, some of the challenges and opportunities, and what can help build greater confidence and capability.
We are bringing together a panel of Aboriginal engagement practitioners to share their perspectives and experiences.
Thursday 26 November 2026
John McGrath Pavilion, South Perth
9.30am - 12.00pm
$75 Members & $85 Non-Members. Morning tea provided
Questions? Please contact events@engagementinstitute.org.au
Meet the Panel
My understanding of culture comes from my father whose knowledge came from his father and passed through to my father. I have a lifetime of lived and professional experience working in the Indigenous sector, and the arts, as well as being an active member of the Noongar community. My professional experience includes higher education and the ability to understand complex theory and practice of Noongar and other Aboriginal Australian cultures that I can adapt to walk beside existing frameworks and structures embedded within society and translated with Indigenous methodology using the living language of visual art.
I also use Art as reflective practice to translate complex theories, frameworks, and methodologies about culture, heritage, and society. My passion is to educate the broader public to the richness and diversity of Aboriginal Australian cultures, heritage, and people.
My professional life includes
- Research Fellow, Nulungu Research Institute 2025
- Post Doc Researcher, University of Notre Dame 2024-Present
- Sessional Academic, Curtin University 2015-2022
- University of Notre Dame Broome, Campus 2016
- Immunisation Alliance, Research Assistant WA 2015
- Deputy Curatorial Director, Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia 2011-2014
I am currently the proud co-owner of Karrda Pty Ltd, working in partnership with Farley Garlett, who is a respected Noongar Elder and Cultural Authority. Together we education the broader community to the richness and diversity that is Noongar culture and heritage and promote the voice of Noongar people in development, education, public art, culture and heritage sectors.
As well as this I continue to work on my research.
Chris has recently commenced in the CEO role at Creating Communities Australia. He is a highly regarded leader in social performance and Indigenous relations, with more than 20 years of experience in the resources sector across Western Australia and South Australia. He has held senior corporate and Aboriginal affairs roles, leading stakeholder engagement, collective impact, managing land use conflicts, negotiating and managing heritage and native title agreements.
Chris has also served in influential board and leadership positions, including Chair of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Northwest Council, Deputy Chair of the Pilbara Development Commission He previously served as Director General of Indigenous Affairs in Western Australia and holds an MBA from Edith Cowan University.
Dr Holly Farley (she/her) is a white Australian facilitator and designer who specialises in co-creation and collaborative approaches to engagement, strategy and research. Holly works with communities, organisations and design teams to centre cultural knowledge and lived experiences, facilitating collective understandings and co-creating outcomes.
Over the past 15 years, Holly has worked across the continent, leading and supporting co-creation, research, and strategic projects at the intersection of the built environment, cultural mapping, housing, residential aged care, health, and social services. In addition to her practical work, Holly has extensive experience in professional training and academic education.
Holly is committed to justice-doing through sensitively supporting and co-creating processes, projects and inclusive systems and environments.
Sharon Ninyette (nee Riley) Noongar woman with connections to the Wilman, Ballardong, and Whadjuk Noongar Boodjah, where my ancestors walked throughout this country, waterways and to embark their journey of freedom, and to be with their loved ones who had been taken from all across Boodja. The loss of sorrow, hearts broken, nothing was the same….my connection to Boodja, my connection to culture and my connection to “Moort”(family) will forever be in my “koort” (heart) and could never be replaced within my “wirin”(spirit).
I am married with 6 children and 9 grandchildren, as a proud Noongar woman, I will continue to teach my generation of “Moort” their true connection to Noongar Boodja.
I am currently employed as the Aboriginal Engagement Specialist with DevelopmentWA. In this role my purpose is to provide strategic advice and guidance to strengthen Aboriginal engagement across the business and with key Aboriginal groups. Within the last 3 years I worked with an amazing team and have implemented the Aboriginal Engagement Strategy along with the Aboriginal Engagement Guidelines, in which I am very proud to have delivered whilst in this position.