Australian Rugby League Indigenous Advisory Council member Ed Monaei is determined to continue driving change within Indigenous communities after he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia at the recent King's Birthday Honours.
Monaei has been at the forefront of improving opportunities and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both on and off the field for more than a decade.
The co-chair of the Queensland Rugby League Indigenous Advisory Committee and a member of the ARL Indigenous Advisory Council, Monaei has played a key role developing a number of initiatives across the game.
The former rugby league player was shocked to find out he had been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia and said it was an honour to be recognised for the impact his work has had in First Nations communities.
"We've been able to run regional and remote competitions sustainably with the resources and support provided," Monaei told NRL. "Recognition for that was really good for my personal journey.
"It was special to receive the notification while doing the work I was doing with the people I really want to help. I want to ensure future generations have the same opportunity as kids living in urban communities. If they have access to these types of capabilities, then I've done my job.
"I don't really look at it as an accolade because this is something we do all the time."
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Monaei is an Aboriginal descendant of the Kaurareg Nations from the Torres Strait Islands, and a Meriam descendent from the Comet tribe of Mer Island, Far Eastern Torres Straits.
Monaei has worked for the Queensland government since 2007 and was a founding member and president of the Torres Strait Islander Independent Congress.
Within rugby league, he has played a key role in the growth of the Murri Carnival and helped establish a structure to ensure Indigenous players are supported as they progress through the talent pathway.
Monaei also wrote the QRL's first Reconciliation Action Plan and was involved in the creation of the NRL's second Elevate RAP that was launched in May.
While proud of his achievements, Monaei recognises that considerable work is required to continue providing opportunities for First Nations people and hopes to see further change in the future.
"The biggest thing for me – and I’ve been a very strong advocate for this – is the elimination of racial vilification and discrimination from our game," he said. "It's important to put in place some of the platforms that can give robust conversations to our people out in regional lands and give them the opportunity to create culturally safe platforms to have conversations about race, and the trauma informed history that our country has.
"Bringing to life some of those stories so the policies and legislations that dictate and determine whether First Nations people get married or move off their communities or travel from state to state – those stories need to be told and we need to recognise that we do have a black history and we can use sport to create that environment of positive change.
"Sport is the perfect platform because we have an audience and we have a brand, and the key is using that positively to get the information and education out there."
