Strengthening Indigenous-led Social Change
3 January 2025 at 9:00 am
Damien Miller is a Gangulu man who grew up in Meanjin (Brisbane), and whose ancestral lands are in Central Queensland. He is an AFSE Senior Fellow (2018 Cohort) and assumed the role of AFSE Executive Director in September 2024.
His appointment followed a distinguished 25-year diplomatic career at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). From 2017-2024, he held various leadership roles at DFAT, including:
- Assistant Secretary of the European Union Branch
- Australia’s Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States
- Minister Counsellor for Strategic Communications at the Australian Embassy in Washington DC
- Assistant Secretary of the Soft Power, Partnerships and Research Branch.
In 2013, Damien made history as the first Indigenous Australian appointed head of an overseas mission, serving as Australia’s Ambassador to Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. He also served as Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to Germany and Third Secretary to Malaysia.
Damien is a member of the Advisory Board of a New Approach (an independent Australian cultural policy think tank) and a Non-Executive Director of the Aurora Education Foundation (focused on Indigenous education). In 2022, he was an Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy International Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington DC).
Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position?
For the past 25 years, I have served as a diplomat and ambassador at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This included postings in four countries and working on a broad range of foreign and trade policy matters. When I joined DFAT in the mid-1990s, I was one of a handful of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff – now there are over 100.
In 2017 DFAT nominated me to join the inaugural cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) – an Indigenous-led and fellowship-based leadership program based at the University of Melbourne and funded by the US-based Atlantic Philanthropies, which was established by the late philanthropist Chuck Feeney.
My AFSE experience was transformational. In 2024, I had the opportunity to return to AFSE as Executive Director. It’s an honour to play a part in strengthening the leadership and social change capabilities of amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pacific Fellows.
Take us through a typical day of work for you.
A typical day at AFSE HQ involves engaging with a broad range of stakeholders and supporters. Many of these often involve discussions with the current cohort of Fellows, our Senior Fellows (those who have graduated master degree program), the AFSE Team, colleagues at the University of Melbourne, or with AFSE Pou (Indigenous knowledge holders and leaders group).
AFSE is unique in many ways, but mainly because we honour and celebrate Indigenous and Pacific knowledge systems and leadership approaches. We work to ensure this is reflected in the Master of Social Change Leadership we offer each Fellow and in our collective efforts to drive social change in our communities.
We are also part of an Atlantic network of seven hubs around the world. We are working collectively to advance a healthier, fairer and more inclusive world.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was creating genuine space for Indigenous voices and perspectives in Australian foreign policy. This was not on DFAT’s agenda when I joined, but it was great to work alongside many Indigenous colleagues over many years to change that. It’s incredible to think that the Australian Government is now pursuing an Indigenous foreign policy – it was unthinkable even five years ago.
And now, in a different setting, the big challenge as Executive Director of AFSE is working with a diverse range of stakeholders to support Indigenous and Pacific changemakers focused on improving the daily lives of people within their communities.
If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?
Back yourself and know that as an Indigenous Australian, you’re carrying the legacy and resilience of your ancestors into every role you take on
How do you unwind after work?
Enjoying a meal with my partner.
