In the aftermath of the Voice referendum, there has never been a more important time for First Nations leaders in the public sector to showcase their leadership.

Concurrently, there is also no time in recent history with as many Indigenous community members in positions of leadership, passing on experience and knowledge to First Nations public servants and allies alike.

The Public Sector First Nations Leadership & Allyship Summit, hosted by the Hatchery on Ngunnawal Country on 21-22 May, will see some of the country's finest First Nations leaders in the public sphere celebrated.

Providing a platform for leaders and allies alike to explore the intersectionality of culture, identity, and professionalism, the two-day event will help foster meaningful connections, conversations and progress through powerful stories and shared learnings.

Speakers include: Adnyamathanha man, AFL champion, community leader and anti-racism advocate, 2014 Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes; Kiel Williams-Weigel, Mununjali man, Assistant Secretary of First Nations Participation & Place Based Partnerships (First Nations Partnerships, Student Equity & Participation Branch); Awabakal woman and Supply Nation chief executive Kate Russell; and Kalarie man and NSW Treaty Commissioner, Dr Todd Fernando.

MC Lil Gordon says generating excitement around events like the Public Sector First Nations Leadership & Allyship Summit was not just a "responsibility," but a deep passion of theirs.

Having recently been announced as the inaugural (interim) Indigenous National Child Commissioner, she has been quick to highlight the importance of representation, whether that is in a government role or the public sphere.

"From a perspective of celebrating [and] supporting each other in terms of First Nations leadership—it's incredibly important," the Ngemba woman said.

"I feel very responsible to be part of these things, but also, I love it. It's so great to be able to connect with other leaders along the way and be able to hear all the achievements and the great things that are happening."

Asked what people can take away from the conference, Commissioner Gordon said participants and attendees can better understand "that our lived experience, our skills, our attributes, are all things that are needed in the APS".

The conference aims to strengthen First Nations voices and relationships across sectors through stories, actionable insights, and shared learnings, in turn empowering all participants to help champion leadership and drive change in the community.

Post-referendum, Commissioner Gordon argued it's more important than ever to have allies, with attacks on identity—including from a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) aspect—becoming more prevalent.

"There's kind of this water we're swimming in at the moment that means we have to shine a light from a perspective of our own leadership, but also that of allies coming into the space strongly," she said.

"The referendum was where we saw a fair bit of our First Nations leadership come out fairly strongly, along with our allies through that space, and obviously since then as well.

"The way that I see it evolving at the moment is lots of our leadership taking very much a strong focus around elevating First Nations leadership in the public service."

The event will feature a wide range of topics, with Palawa woman and Assistant Commissioner for Indigenous Policy & Reporting at the Productivity Commission, Sarah Leary, hosting 'Owning your career agenda in public service'; and Māori woman and former Chief Executive, of Te Arawhiti - Office for Māori Crown Relations, Lil Anderson, live streaming from Aotearoa to discuss Māori Crown relations in the public sector.

Former AFL great Adam Goodes, who as the co-founder of the GO Foundation, empowers Indigenous youth through education, also works with the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium to open pathways to skill-building and employment. He will host a talk titled 'From Field to Foundation: Empowering Indigenous Futures.'

Having been in the space for over three decades, Commissioner Gordon has been able to see various iterations of Indigenous representation in the public service, as well as leaders and allies alike.

She said some of the positive change has been the willingness of leaders to share and create space, or even "move out of the way" to allow First Nations leaders to take the lead.

"I've certainly seen from an allyship point of view, more visibility," Commissioner Gordon said.

"When you walk around spaces and see spaces, you have people who are willing to come up and talk to you and ask, 'What can I do in my role in this space, in terms of changing the status quo, or help building those things that help change the status quo in terms of our communities and build on positive outcomes for our community'."

Noting the 'bump in the road' which was the referendum, she added: "I think that was a moment where we saw our allies really stand strongly, and you saw it quite visibly, and I think that's what we're going to need going forward."

For more information about the upcoming summit, download the full program online.