Ms Julie Tongs OAM

One of 6 Children, her father was a truck driver, and her mother was a stay-at-home  mum. When she left school, she enrolled in nursing at the Leeton hospital but left to  look after her children.  

In 1971 Julie moved to Canberra with her family and was a stay at home Mum until 1985 when she got a job as an administration assistant in the Equal Employment  Opportunity Unit of the Department of Aboriginal affairs. After the establishment of  the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Julie moved to Parliament  House where she worked for several years as Assistant Advisor for the Minister for  Aboriginal Affairs.

After leaving the public Service, Julie worked at the Woden Valley Hospital as  Aboriginal Liaison officer. In 1997, following a request from the Winnunga  Nimmityjah Board, Julie took 6 months leave from the hospital to work as temporary CEO of Winnunga, where she remains to this day.  

Julie is renowned for her unrelenting advocacy for First Nations peoples in the ACT  region. She is particularly passionate about the health and well-being of community  members who are in contact with the justice system.  

She is a former ATSIC Regional Councillor and a board member for the National  Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation for 22 years.  

Her dedication to the community was recognised in 2012 when she received the  ACT Local Hero Award as part of the Australian of the Year Awards and the Medal of the Order of Australia.  

In 2013 Julie was a finalist in the Financial Review – Westpac 100 Women of  Influence Awards.   

She lives just outside Canberra with her husband, daughter, son and their pet miniature pig, Daisy.