Celebrating Australia's First Peoples and introducing two incredible Aboriginal colleagues.

It is NAIDOC Week starting this Sunday 8 November, where we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

At Revenue NSW we are fortunate to have a number of trailblazing Aboriginal staff who not only do great things in their ‘day job', they also spend time educating their colleagues on Aboriginal Cultural and Values and providing peer support to other Aboriginal staff. Last but not least, these inspiring and courageous individuals also guide the executive team on how to support and work collaboratively with First Nations communities across NSW.

The photo above: Emma Hickey (left) and Thomas Sheen (right) presenting at a recent Aboriginal Cultural Values Sharing session for staff at Revenue NSW.

To celebrate NAIDOC week, I’ve interviewed two of our rising stars – Thomas Sheen and Emma Hickey. With their permission, I'm sharing some of their worldviews and perspectives including how they find working for Government and what inspires them.

"My Story" with Emma Hickey, Customer Advisory Officer (Aboriginal identified role) with Revenue NSW, part of the Dept. of Customer Service.

Can you tell us about your background?

I am a proud Woopaburra/Butchulla woman from Queensland. I grew up and still live in the Newcastle region of NSW. I am passionate about community development and have worked in remote communities all over Australia.

The photo above: Emma Hickey.

What is your role and what do you enjoy most about it?

As an Aboriginal Customer Advisory Officer, I support vulnerable citizens in NSW and provide face to face and virtual (due to the pandemic) community support to help people manage their fines and resolve any fines debts.

My favourite part of the job is providing services to customers in their communities and connecting with people, hearing their stories and seeing first hand the huge positive impact we can have on people's lives.  Our work gives our Mobs a pathway to get their license and to get their debts on track. This job really does change peoples lives and it's so rewarding.

How did your worldview change when you started working in Government? 

Before I worked for the NSW Government, talking about Government wasn’t a positive subject in my household or in my community. In fact, it was a negative reference used when we spoke about our history. I didn’t aspire to work for, or with, the Government but as I grew older I joined new and circles and met new people and this opened my eyes to the future of my people and how the Government could support us. I had friends who worked in Government and they talked about how they are implementing initiatives that are providing opportunities for Aboriginal people. I heard how they were aspiring for a better future for our People and making sure the voices of our Mob are heard in rooms that I didn’t even think were possible for people like me.

I now realise the opportunities that the Government can offer, the impactful projects you can work on and the support available within the Government. There really are people in Government who have our Mobs best interest at heart and who want to help deliver positive change.

Where does your inspiration come from? 

Coming from a community here in Newcastle where my family and many other families around me struggled and were victimised because of our culture, growing up was hard and it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that things changed for me. When I was 18 years old, I moved to Uluru to work on the Resort there as an Aboriginal Hospitality Trainee – this changed everything.

There was a strong Aboriginal culture there, but the living conditions were poor, and I saw children impacted by lack of education and a community that lacked support and opportunity. I realized with sorrow that many aspects of colonisation had negatively impacted on our People. From that moment on I knew all I wanted to do was to create a better future in any way I could, to ensure voices of our People were heard, and acted on within Government, within Industry and within the broad society.

I helped people understand the experience of living in an extremely remote community and to know what it is like to live with a lack of services that are badly needed. From there I took a traineeship as an Aboriginal dental nurse and spent 4 years travelling around Australia working in remote aboriginal communities providing health services and education to our Mob. I then lived and worked within the Torres Strait Island communities for 12 months and from there I knew I needed to do more.

The desire to make a difference drove me to apply for the Aboriginal Employment Development Program. I wanted to increase my experience and skills and put myself in a position where I could work towards taking on a job that makes a positive difference to our Mob. I am now in such a job and am using this opportunity to role model to our younger generation. By working together, we can take these opportunities and give back to our communities. 

My Story, by Thomas Sheen, Duties Services Operations Officer with Revenue NSW, part of the Dept. of Customer Service.

Can you tell us about your background?

I am a proud Gamilaraay man, and our traditional lands reach from the Hunter region in NSW inland up to southern Queensland. I grew up in Mount Druitt on Darug land in Western Sydney and now I live in beautiful Gosford on Darkinjung land.

The photo above: Thomas Sheen.

What is your role and what do you enjoy most about it?

I am an assistant operations officer for the Duties services team. In a nutshell, I assess legal documents to determine the duty payable and assist clients in the lodgement and processing of these documents. The most enjoyable part of the role is the great people I get to work with all of whom are very skilled and supportive. We have a great team dynamic and a culture that focuses on creating a happy, supportive and outcome-driven working environment.

My role also allows me to share my culture as a facilitator of the Aboriginal Cultural Values Sharing training. This is a half-day session that has been developed for the Dept. of Customer Service that allows participants to learn more Aboriginal culture and gives context to some of the issues faces by Aboriginal communities.

Can you tell us about the Waterhole Connections Group and your role in this?

The Waterhole Connections Group is a network of Aboriginal employees within Revenue NSW. It was established in 2018 during the initial stages of developing the Aboriginal Employment Strategy. The members have found this group to be supportive and a safe space to discuss issues, programs, events and strategies affecting Aboriginal employees, therefore the group decided to continue to maintain the network and we generally meet 3 quarterly. It is a network of equals and all members have an opportunity to participate regardless of grade or title. My role in the group is admin and logistics, I maintain the contact list, send some of the meeting invites, and actively contribute to all our discussions.

How did your worldview change when you started working in Government? 

I used to view the Government as something that was largely holding Aboriginal people back, preventing them from recovering and healing from past injustices and policies. Indeed, while the plight of the Aboriginal Peoples in Australia is largely a result of how Aboriginal peoples have been treated since 1788, I now see that some parts of Governments are coming to accept the role they have played in bringing about the current state and are now actively trying to mitigate the damage that has been done and have a positive impact on Aboriginal communities going forward.

My first Government role was in an Aboriginal run NGO providing aged care services to Elders in the community. This role sought to increase understanding of Aboriginal cultures across the non-Aboriginal NGO’s and provide more culturally sensitive services throughout the region. This was my first experience of the Government funding a role that directly contributed to bettering my community.

From there I learned that the best way to influence change in Government is from within. I applied for and successfully gained an Aboriginal identified role in Revenue NSW. I am now a member of the Aboriginal Employee Resource Group and the Revenue NSW Waterhole Connections Network. Part of my role involves helping Revenue NSW to achieve positive outcomes for Aboriginal staff and customers, while also working in the community to dispel some of the negative stereotypes of Government.  

I believe that whilst healing from the damage that has been done to Aboriginal cultures and communities is a marathon that will take time to accomplish, that if Governments and the community are all working together and moving in the same direction, then we will get there together and be a better, stronger and more united country for the experience.

Where does your inspiration come from? 

I’ve always had a strong connection to my culture, this was taught from my mother at a young age. However, I was not aware of the depth of the plight of Aboriginal communities until I studied Aboriginal Studies at university and realised the continuing suffering of so many people within the Aboriginal community. Education inspired me and awoke a desire to help make a difference.

My inspiration comes foremost from Jesus and from the late great Gene Roddenberry, his vision of a future where our planet is a utopia without famine, sickness, inequality, pollution or war is a noble vision and a worthy goal for humanity. I believe in a future where all peoples have healed and forgiven the injustices of past generations and embrace and defend the diversity of all other peoples. Perhaps this vision of paradise seems unrealistic, but if you aim for something then chances are you might hit somewhere near the mark if you don’t hit the bullseye.  

Thomas and Emma, thank you for your incredible and ongoing contributions to Government and for all you do for our customers. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me and our colleagues across Government. Happy NAIDOC week 2o20!

The photo above: Me (Kathleen Mackay) celebrating NAIDOC Week 2019 with the Team Leaders at our Gosford contact centre team leaders.