The Northern Territory government has offered a state funeral for Dr Pat Miller AO, an Arrernte elder who spent her life fighting racial discrimination. Her son, Allan Miller, said the honour was a fitting acknowledgement of her legacy. Dr Miller was the first Indigenous deputy to the administrator of the Northern Territory, in 2002, and was named NT Australian of the Year in 2004. She joined the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service as a filing clerk in 1978 and became its director by 1982. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro called her a trailblazer who championed access to justice.
More than 20 leading Australian companies have supported the inaugural Mawal Leadership Program in 2026. Companies including BHP, Coles and Origin funded scholarships, while others hosted events or mentored scholars. Mawal founder and CEO Brad Welsh said the aim is to develop 10,000 Indigenous leaders and eventually produce the first Indigenous chief executive of an ASX-100 company. Applications for the second program close on November 30, and Mawal is calling for more companies to get involved.
The Queensland Government has reappointed Tammy Williams as Family Responsibilities Commissioner and appointed Codi Dalley as Deputy Commissioner. Both are Indigenous legal practitioners. Ms Williams has led the Family Responsibilities Commission Registry since September 2019 and has more than 25 years of experience. Ms Dalley has worked as a criminal lawyer, a police prosecutor and in family law. The Queensland and Federal governments have jointly committed to co-funding the commission through to June 2029. Minister Fiona Simpson called the appointments a milestone.
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Pat O’Shane became the first Aboriginal barrister and magistrate in Australia. Born in 1941 in Mossman, Queensland, she spent four years in hospital after her mother’s death. She refused psychosurgery, stopped her medication and studied law at the University of New South Wales. In 1976 she became the first Indigenous Australian admitted to the Bar. In 1986 she was appointed a magistrate in New South Wales. She received the Marcia Langton award for lifetime achievement in leadership at the Deadly Awards in 2013.
