Ep#141: NAIDOC Week Special: Strength, Vision, and Legacy
In this special NAIDOC Week edition of Work with Purpose, guest host Kate Driver, CEO of IPPA ACT, leads a powerful and heartfelt conversation celebrating the theme of NAIDOC Week 2025: The Next Generation – Strength, Vision, and Legacy.
Kate is joined by two inspiring young First Nations leaders – Luke Stevens, a proud Gimuy Waluburra Yidinji and Kuku-Yalanji man working at the Department of Home Affairs, and Tianie Scott-Knight, a proud Yankunytjatjara, Pitjantjatjara, Anmatyerre, Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri woman and First Nations lead at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This episode is a tribute to the strength of First Nations peoples and a call to action for deeper understanding, curiosity, and reconciliation within the public sector and beyond.
key tips
- Consider cultural identity and the importance of connection to Country when engaging with First Nations in the public sector
- Storytelling, music, and art play an important role in shaping First Nations leadership
- Allies can support First Nations by walking alongside them and genuinely listening to them.
guests
Tianie Scott-Knight
Tianie Scott-Knight is a proud Yankunytjatjara, Pitjantjatjara, Anmatyerre, Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri woman, with strong cultural ties across Central Australia and regional New South Wales. A fourth-generation descendant of the Stolen Generations, Tianie draws strength from her family’s story of survival, resistance, and unbroken connection to culture.
As the First Nations Lead within DFAT’s Public Diplomacy Programs Section, Tianie plays a central role in embedding First Nations voices, values, and worldviews into Australia’s diplomatic storytelling. She leads initiatives that elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on the global stage, strengthening cultural diplomacy through strategic partnerships, national campaigns, and international engagement. Her work reflects a deep commitment to truth-telling, reconciliation, and the power of cultural knowledge in shaping respectful and inclusive diplomacy.
Driven by her community, heritage, and responsibility to Country, Tianie brings both professional excellence and cultural integrity to her leadership in public diplomacy.
Luke Stevens
Luke Stevens is a proud Gimuy Waluburra Yidinji & Kuku-Yalanji man from Cairns, Far North Queensland – living on Gadigal Country, NSW.
He started with the Public Service through the Indigenous Apprentice Program (IAP) in 2021 and is now a Strategy and Coordination Officer in the Settlement Operations Network, Department of Home Affairs.
During his APS career, he has been blessed to have worked across many different teams, working closely with Directors and Senior Executives, handling various caseloads and gaining high-level data analytical skills.
He takes pride in being a leader and role model both in and outside the APS, taking on roles and responsibilities to further his career and networks in pursuit of paving the way for future emerging leaders (First Nations or not) that are to come after him.