The Albanese Government has appointed Dr Heron Loban and Mr Jerome Cubillo to the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group, which was established in January 2023 to support efforts to narrow the digital divide for First Nations Australians.
The appointment of Dr Loban and Mr Cubillo will strengthen the capability of the Advisory Group, drawing on their knowledge of Indigenous law and justice issues and the Indigenous business sector as it relates to First Nations digital inclusion more broadly.
Dr Loban is a Mabuyag Malu Ki’ai woman with family connections to the Mabuiag and Boigu islands in the Torres Strait. She has held a number of positions in the not-for-profit sector, also sitting on State, Territory and Commonwealth committees relating to First Nations policy and justice.
Dr Loban currently serves on the Indigenous Advisory Group at the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), the Advisory Board for Reforming Legal Education and the First Nations Clean Energy and Emissions Reduction Advisory Committee.
Mr Cubillo is a Larrakia and Wadjigan man with family connections to the Torres Strait Islands and currently holds the position of CEO of the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN).
Mr Cubillo has extensive experience and connections in the Indigenous business sector, and is a member of the Northern Australia Indigenous Reference Group in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
The Government has also appointed Ms Cheryl Bailey and Mr Dan Lloyd to the Digital Inclusion Expert Panel. The Panel supports the Advisory Group by providing expert advice on telecommunications, infrastructure, data and broadcasting issues.
Ms Bailey is a Muruwari and Kooma woman and is the founder and managing director of Indigenous Technology, a Sydney-based IT company.
Mr Lloyd is an executive at Uniti Group and joins the Expert Panel with more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications sector, including working in 10 different countries and holding various roles in TPG Telecom and Vodafone.
The Government also welcomes the appointment of Associate Professor Lyndon Ormond-Parker as co-chair of the Advisory Group, alongside Ms Dot West OAM. Associate Professor Ormond-Parker has been Deputy Chair of the Advisory Group since its establishment and his new role reflects the considerable contribution he has made to its work over that period.
