INTHEBLACK July 2025 - Magazine - Page 17
“When we are discussing policy change and service reform, it’s clear that
you can’t get the full picture from the Brisbane CBD. You have to go out
to the communities to truly understand, see, hear, feel and experience
the disparities these communities face.”
IN THE FIELD
While Thelander’s role primarily covers
traditional management, accounting
and finance tasks along with operations,
she has also worked on client-facing projects,
which have allowed her to see first-hand
how the business makes an impact.
The majority of yamagigu’s work is with
government departments and agencies
working on policy reform, with a smaller
percentage being done with corporations
and some Indigenous organisations, she says.
“Over the past year, I’ve been involved
in cultural safety facilitation, outsourced
CFO work, and consultations related to
childcare centres, child safety and education.
It really depends on the business’s needs at
any given time. If there’s a need for a senior
Indigenous female on a project, I step in
and provide support,” she says.
One project was working with the federal
government to understand food security
in remote communities across Australia.
“For communities that rely heavily
on welfare, it’s important to see firsthand
how far a welfare pay cheque can stretch,”
she says.
“It’s easy to look at the cost of something
like lamb cutlets in a city and think, ‘Wow,
that’s expensive for A$25’. But in remote
communities, that same tray of lamb cutlets
might cost A$75.”
Visiting communities provides clarity
when it comes to reporting and advocating
for meaningful policy changes, she explains.
“When we are discussing policy change
and service reform, it’s clear that you can’t
get the full picture from the Brisbane CBD.
You have to go out to the communities
to truly understand, see, hear, feel and
experience the disparities these
communities face.
“Those conversations on the ground reveal
why some people and families revert to the
bare essentials — like plain flour for damper,
or lollies and drinking Coke, because it’s
cheaper than water.”
Child safety is another issue Thelander
is focused on. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children are almost 11 times more
likely than non-Indigenous children to be
removed from their families, and 10.5 times
more likely to be in out-of-home care. It is
a situation Thelander believes has to change.
“Before COVID-19, we were already
seeing what could be described as the
second wave of the Stolen Generation,”
she says. The Stolen Generation had
profound impacts on First Nations people
across Australia, including the lasting effects
of intergenerational trauma, Thelander
notes. “What’s less reported, however,
is the ongoing removal of First Nations
children from their families and
communities, with many being placed into
foster or out-of-home care.
“If Indigenous children are still being
taken from their homes and communities
and placed into care arrangements outside
of their communities, clearly something isn’t
working as it should.”
THE NEXT GENERATION
Thelander points to this year’s theme
for National Aboriginal and Islanders Day
Observance (NAIDOC) Week: The Next
Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.
It is a positive message that she says builds
on the change that has already come.
“I often hear that what happens now will
affect the next seven generations,” she says.
“If we look back at the Stolen Generations,
for example, the impacts are still felt today.
But if you think about how far we’ve come
from generations before us — we have made
some progress.
“I can only imagine that the next generation
after us is going to be so much better than
what we are as well, which is just going
to continue this ripple effect of change.” ■
READ
an article on
expanding the
pipeline of
Indigenous
accountants
READ
an article on
how accountants
can “show up”
for Indigenous
communities
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 17
