Paul Briggs AM
Inaugural Indigenous Leadership Fellow 2003 - 2007

Biography

Paul Briggs has a wealth of experience across a vast range of sectors in Aboriginal community development.

He was founding Chairman of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), a member of the Northern Victorian Aboriginal Partnerships Committee and a founding member of the Koori Economic Employment and Training Agency Committee.

He is founding Chairman of the First Nations Australian Credit Union, the first Indigenous credit union offering national access to financial services and also works closely with the Victorian Indigenous Leadership Network.

Paul has been awarded an AO for his services to his community and to broader Australia.
He has been a participant in bodies including the Premier's Drug Prevention Council, the Victorian Qualifications Authority and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Paul joined the Council of the University of Melbourne in 2005.

Paul is best known as the founding president of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club in Northern Victoria. It is the result of his recognition of the vital role the sport plays in Indigenous communities and its value as a pathway into many social, cultural and economic issues. Rumbalara Football Netball Club is an Indigenous sporting organisation that not only provides sporting, recreational and social opportunities for its members but also addresses the spiritual, emotional and physical well being of its players and community members.

Fellowship Outcomes

Paul is a man of vision who has the well being of his community at the core of everything he does and will use his Fellowship to:

• Continue to work towards a vision for Indigenous Australians and the future of Australian society, particularly in South Eastern Australia, with an emphasis on his people the Yorta Yorta Nation.
• Motivate and stimulate discussion amongst Indigenous leaders and levels of Government and Non-Government and the Corporate Sector.
• Continue his work in developing:
• School retention programs for Indigenous children
• Relationships with mainstream employees to implement employment initiatives
• First Nations Australian Credit Union
• Victorian Aboriginal leadership
• Rumbalara Football/Netball Club
• The Academy of Sports Health and Education (ASHE) in Shepparton
• Assist management of the Council of Australian Government's role in Shepparton as one of the identified communities under the COAG approach.