Dr Lisa Conway is a Yorta Yorta woman who has worked in the Australian Public Service for around 20 years. Her current role is leading the First Nations Employment Policy and Programs Branch at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Lisa undertook her PhD at the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University. This research focused on looking for opportunities to uplift the cultural capability of the APS to improve policy effectiveness and make it more culturally safe and responsive for First Nations peoples.
Her research, using Indigenous research methodologies to interview non-Indigenous decisionmakers in the APS, has been recognised for its ground-breaking contribution to public administration.
She found that institutional whiteness is so thoroughly embedded in APS systems and processes that it impedes the service’s ability to effectively design and implement policy for First Nations people. To address this, Lisa developed a model for building cultural capability in the APS.
Lisa’s innovative approach saw her win the Australian Political Studies Association’s prestigious PhD Award for her thesis.
