This is about ensuring First Nations voices are at the heart of netball: Liz Ellis. Photo: PCYC Napranum.
Netball Australia’s announcement to establish its First Nations Cultural Council includes a familiar name for Cape York and Torres Strait communities.
The landmark initiative reflects a bold and enduring commitment to First Nations empowerment, cultural safety and systemic reform across the sport.
And among the cultural council members is former Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) chief executive officer Vonda Malone.
The council’s creation marks a major shift in how netball engages and works alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It places First Nations voices at the centre of decision making, not only as contributors to the game, but as co-designers shaping its future and evolution.
Netball Australia CEO Stacey West said the initiative represented a long-term, organisation-wide commitment to doing things differently.
“Cultural safety and systemic reform is not a project – it’s a journey,” Ms West said. “It’s about truth telling, building trust, and transforming how we work and think.
“In the development of First Nations-led initiatives, every step will be co-designed and co-decided with our First Nations Cultural Council.”
Liz Ellis AO, chair of the Netball Australia Board and most capped Australian Diamonds player, said the council represented an important step in embedding First Nations leadership across the sport.
“This is about ensuring First Nations voices are at the heart of netball, shaping its future and guiding how we grow, govern and connect,” Ms Ellis said.
The council brings together respected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders from across the country, including Tricia Stroud, Aunty Debra Walker, Stacey Campton OAM and Ms Malone.
A proud Peiudu descendant of Erub Island in the eastern islands of Torres Strait and Yupungathi of Western Cape York, Ms Malone is currently director of Partnerships and Strategy at Indigenous Energy Australia (IEA).
Netball Australia said Ms Malone brought extensive and distinguished experience in Indigenous affairs, governance, human rights, and social justice, with a proven ability to deliver transformative outcomes for communities.
“She is deeply informed by her lived experiences in the Torres Strait and Cape York, grounding her work in cultural integrity, community empowerment and equity,” Netball Australia said.
“Throughout her career, Vonda has championed initiatives that advance the rights, wellbeing, and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, addressing complex and intersecting matters such as climate change and adaptation, cross-border international matters, housing, health reform for cultural safety, preventative health and COVID-19 response and disaster management for long-term community resilience.”
Ms Malone previously served as a Commissioner of the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry after moving from her role as CEO of the TSRA, the peak Australian Government agency for the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area.
She made history in 2016 as the first female mayor of the Torres Shire Council, serving from 2016 to 2022.
Her leadership extends across a range of community and regional organisations. She has held chair roles with Community Enterprise Queensland/Islanders Board of Industry Service and the Torres and Cape Indigenous Councils Alliance (TCICA), representing 14 councils.
Ms Malone is also the founder and former chair of Torres Health, the first community-controlled health organisation in the Torres Strait. In 2023, she was recognised among Far North Queensland’s Most Influential Women and listed among the Top 100 Movers and Shapers.
Torres Strait Regional Authority staff farewell departing chief executive officer Vonda Malone (centre) in 2024. Photo: Supplied.
