Aden Ridgeway, Former Politician
Aden Ridgeway was born in Macksville in northern NSW and is from the Gumbayyngirr people of that area. He was educated at St John's College, Woodlawn in Lismore.
Aden spent 14 years in the NSW Public Service working his way from park ranger though policy positions to management. During this time he served on the Sydney ATSIC Regional Council for its first two terms. For five years, he was Executive Director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and responsible for its head office, regional offices and the 118 Local Aboriginal Land Councils throughout the State. During this time he was responsible for implementing broad-based structural and management reforms.
He was a member of both Indigenous Native Title negotiating teams following the Mabo and Wik decisions and was a member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation for its last two years.
Aden joined the Australian Democrats in 1990 and was elected as a Democrat Senator for NSW in October 1998. He entered the Senate as Australia's only Indigenous Federal politician in July 1999.
He was Australian Democrats' Deputy Leader from April 2001 till October 2002 - the nation's first Indigenous politician to hold a Federal political leadership position.
Having gained a significant profile as a politician, orator and advocate of Indigenous issues in August 2005 Aden took on the role of Executive Chairperson of Indigenous Tourism Australia (an industry advisory panel to the Federal government tourism body, Tourism Australia).
He continues his interest in the arts being a long term Chairperson of the Bangarra Dance Theatre Board and formerly serving for 6 years on the Sydney ATSIC Regional Council.
He has been Executive Director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and a member of the National Indigenous Working Group on Native Title advising the Federal government on the Mabo judgement and subsequent Wik legislation in this time.
Prior to this he was NSW public servant in diverse positions from park ranger and policy through to management. One of his initial jobs after leaving school was as a 'spot metal welder'.
Aden remains a patron of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative. He is the Chairperson of the NSW Government's Aboriginal Trust Fund Repayment Scheme, and a former board member of the Tikkun Australia Foundation, and the Charlie Perkins Children's Trust. For the past three years, he has also been the Chairman of the National NAIDOC Committee.
Biography adapted from http://www.democrats.org.au/ and http://www.abc.net.au/message/tv/ms/s1703110.htm