 Australia is about to get a new ambassador to Denmark, but this appointment's a bit special because Damien Miller will be the first Indigenous Australian to head one of the country's overseas missions. Now, this follows his successful diplomatic career at the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he started as an Indigenous cadet. Damien Miller is with us now. Damien, good morning. Good morning. Congratulations. Thank you very much. One of the nicest sinnecures to get, I should think, Denmark. It's a fantastic posting, yeah, and I'm over the moon and I've just come back from Europe, so it's nice to be going back to Europe as well. Take us through your history with DFAT. You've been overseas before, obviously. Yeah, my first posting was in Malaysia about 10 years ago, and most recently I was in Berlin, but I spent a bit of time in Canberra as well doing a range of different jobs, working on South East Asia, on Afghanistan, doing a corporate role, so a very diverse career in the department. What are the downsides if there is one of being in the vanguard? Is that you're always pegged that way. So, for example, in women, for example, you know, finally get appointed to boards or get the top job they're always spoken about as the first woman. Is it a burden or is it a pleasure for you to always be put in the context of being an Indigenous Australian? No, it's a great honour to be the first Indigenous ambassador, and I've had a great sense of pride in the department about being an Indigenous staff member. I've got about 49 Indigenous staff in DFAT at the moment, 12 overseas, so I think we bring a unique perspective to the work of the department. We work in all different roles in the department, so, no, it's always been a great sense of pride and honour, and I think it sends a nice message about Australia, actually, to have Indigenous representation all around the world and in Canberra. And how do you hope to use that in terms of reflecting Australia's public face to countries like Denmark? My job is to promote Australia, the Australian government, our national interests, but also there's an opportunity to talk about Indigenous Australia, our history, our stories, our culture, and I know from my previous postings that there's great interest overseas in Indigenous stories and history, and I know particularly in Europe, so it'll be an opportunity to talk about our stories in Europe, and I think in Denmark, and Norway, and Iceland, there's great interest in that. You come from Central Queensland, I understand. So, tell me about your people and heritage there. Yeah. I'm originally from Brisbane, but my family are the Gungaloo. I'm a descendant of the Gungaloo people. We are from Central Queensland, just outside of Rockampton. My family spent all their years in that area. My grandmother was under the Protection Act in Queensland in the early 1900s. She was doing domestic service work in Rockampton, outside of Rockampton, and then she and many other family members moved to Rockampton and then moved to Brisbane for work, and I grew up in Brisbane. My father moved there many years ago, so we have strong connections to our traditional country. I was there a couple of weeks ago, so I had a chance to go and see some of our sacred places, and it was just wonderful to be back. Any language still in your family? There is, unfortunately, I don't speak any of it, but there is thankfully still some language that's been retained, and it's even being taught in school, in a little school, in Banana, from... It's a funny name, but that's where our family is from originally. Then the names you expect will come out. And so some of our language is being taught to primary school students there. Small banana or big banana? I don't know what you're going to answer that. Speaking of language, how's the Danish coming along? I don't have very much, I'm afraid. I can say hey and hey-hey, which is hello and goodbye. Gee, you worked hard on that one. That's right. It must have taken you all week. So I'm determined to kind of learn a little bit of Danish when I'm there. Yeah. And I think it's a nice show of respect to be able to speak a little bit of someone else's language, so... There are many thorny issues, and of course, closing the gap of disadvantage within Indigenous Australians is one of the big ones, when it comes to the differences between, you know, white and black culture in Australia still. Do you find you have to hold your tongue as a member of DFAT, or that you have to rein in what you'd most like to express if it comes to your displeasure or even your praise for various things that might be going on? I think in the department we all are allowed to have our private views about whatever issue, but I really do feel that we've made such incredible progress in Australia over many years. Obviously, there's still a long way to go. There's a lot of disadvantage all throughout Australian communities, and we need to work on that together. But I think it's important that I'm out there promoting a positive and accurate image of Australia. So it's talking about the good news stories in Indigenous communities as well. So those who are achieving in whatever field, those who are doing well on the sporting field, the great successes we're having, but also not to shy away from some of the other issues that we're facing. And it's to be, I think, to speak honestly and accurately. And as a government official, that's what I'm meant to do as well. Right, let's finish with a very important question, Damien. When's your first audience with Princess Mary? But you asked that out of me. I'm not sure. My first, after I arrive, I have to present my credentials to Her Majesty the Queen, Margaret. And then I'm sure there'll be a chance soon after that to meet the royal couple, who were in Australia not so long ago. And I think show great interest in Australia, as do many Danes and Norwegians and Icelanders. I'll look after three countries, so, yeah. Well, you know that Princess Mary speaks it absolutely fluently. Has it excellent language? I've been reminded of that, yeah. Can you pick it up, please? I will. I'll go beyond the hay in the hay hay. Look, I'm really good to meet you. I'm Damien Millen, and congratulations again. Thank you very much. Good luck. Congratulations.