Michelle Nuske

Department of Health

I arrived in the Territory in the 70s with my parents and completed my schooling at Alice Springs High School. My first job after leaving school was with the Department of Mines and Energy in Alice.

From there I spent seven years working for the Local Community Council in Areyonga (Utju) in Central Australia and then moved to Berry Springs to build a home and raise our daughter.

I returned to the NT Government working for Parks and Wildlife Commission at the Territory Wildlife Park for 18 years. This was an amazing time as the Park had just opened and was at its peak.

I moved on to Department of the Chief Minister taking up a contract as the Research Officer/ Adviser for the Independent Member for Nelson Gerry Wood MLA for four years. This was the period that Gerry Wood and Paul Henderson, then Chief Minister, held the agreement to keep Labor in Government. It was an intense period with a very steep learning curve.

After this very busy period I spent time back in Alice Springs with Tourism NT and then relocated to Nhulunbuy with Department of the Chief Minister.

After 18 months we returned to Darwin and I took on the role of Transition Coordinator with the Department of Health. The highlight of my career has been the transition of primary health care services to Aboriginal community control in Gapuwiyak, Ramingining, Maningrida and West Arnhem.