The Aboriginal Affairs Executive Committee (AAEC) was established in 2020 and is responsible for:

  • providing strategic, across government leadership and endorsement of work plans developed in response to the strategic priorities
  • identifying risks to enhance opportunities for collaboration across working groups
  • considering the whole of government landscape and advising agencies, Senior Leadership Committee and/or Cabinet on any concerns or unintended impacts programs or projects that may have, including precedent setting, unintended impacts on other agencies, or negative impacts on broader government priorities
  • monitoring significant across government high value/risk programs and projects
  • identifying and supporting training, mentoring and support for senior aboriginal public servant co-chairs and officers engaged in the working groups.

Membership

The committee is made up of 5 chief executives and 5 Aboriginal senior leaders in the South Australian public sector:

  • David Brown (co-chair), Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services
  • Nerida Saunders (co-chair), Executive Director, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Attorney Generals Department
  • Martin Westwell, Chief Executive, Department of Education
  • Paul Heithersay, Chief Executive, Department for Energy and Mining
  • Cathy Taylor, Chief Executive, Department for Child Protection
  • David Reynolds, Chief Executive, Department for Trade and Investment
  • Scharlene Lamont, Executive Director, Aboriginal Services, Department for Correctional Services
  • Loretta Romeo, Principal Advisor, Strategic Policy, Projects and Partnerships, Department for Correctional Services
  • Judith Lovegrove, Adviser, Office for the Early Years, Department for Education
  • Daniel Colson, ICU Manager of Operations, Department for Correctional Services

Working groups

Each working group consists of approximately 16 members, with more than 50% Aboriginal representation, who are drawn from across the South Australian public sector. The working groups have been convened under the oversight of the AAEC to address the following strategic priorities:

  1. Over-representation of Aboriginal South Australians in the criminal justice sector
  2. Economic participation
  3. Supporting growth in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
  4. Building capacity in vulnerable families.
Strategic priorityChief executive Co-ChairAboriginal Senior Leader Co-Chair
Over-representation of Aboriginal South Australians in the criminal justice sector

David Reynolds

Scharlene Lamont

Economic participationCathy TaylorLoretta Romeo
Supporting growth in Aboriginal Community Controlled OrganisationsMartin WestwellDaniel Colson
Building capacity in vulnerable familiesPaul HeithersayJudith Lovegrove

Getting involved

Want to be added to the stakeholder list for regular updates?
Email aaec-secretariat@sa.gov.au with the subject “Please add me to the mailing list.”

Have a specific question you want to ask?
Contact one of the following: