Program History
Established in 2016 at The University of Melbourne and funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, AFSE is one of seven international and interconnected Atlantic Fellows programs dedicated to advancing fairer, healthier and more inclusive societies.
Background and Leadership Exerience
Damien comes to AFSE from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he was the first Indigenous Australian to head an Australian diplomatic mission. He is the former Australian Ambassador to Denmark, Norway and Iceland, completing his four-year term in 2017.
A Gangulu man from the area of Mount Morgan, near Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Damien joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in 1995 and has held a number of DFAT roles across South East Asia, as well as serving as Director of the Afghanistan Section in 2009. In 2010, Damien was appointed Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Australia to Germany, before being named Ambassador to Denmark, Norway and Iceland in 2013.