Professor Martin Nakata AM is the Chair of the Indigenous Reference Group. The IRG provides advice to the Minister for Northern Australia as well as the Minister for Indigenous Australians, on practical actions to enhance the economic and social prosperity for Indigenous peoples across northern Australia. He is also a Torres Strait Islander and works as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Education & Strategy at James Cook University in Townsville. He is a leading scholar in Indigenous Education, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and Indigenous Studies in Australia, and his ongoing research projects include longitudinal studies to improve a) the academic performance of Indigenous school students in Math and Science, b) the academic success of Indigenous students in university studies, and c) the capabilities and capacities of Indigenous people to drive their own futures. He is widely published on Indigenous matters and has provided over seventy keynote and plenary addresses to professional conferences in over twenty countries.