Mundanara
Bayles

Mundanara Bayles is a proud Aboriginal woman whose cultural heritage connects to the Wonnarua and Bundjalung peoples on her mother’s side, and the Birri-Gubba and Gungalu peoples on her father’s side. Raised in Redfern, NSW, with her eight sisters, Mundanara later moved to her father’s Country in the early 1990s. Coming from a family deeply involved in the Aboriginal movement since the 1960s and 70s, she continues their legacy through advocacy, leadership, and community contribution.

Mundanara brings over 20 years’ experience working across Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations in NSW and Queensland, including Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Salvation Army Employment Plus, Busy at Work, the Child Support Agency, the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), and Brisbane Indigenous Media Association.

In 2023, Mundanara was awarded Indigenous Businesswoman of the Year at the Supply Nation Supplier Diversity Awards. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast Black Magic Woman, the first Indigenous-led podcast to join the iHeart network.

Internationally recognised for her teaching and learning expertise, Mundanara is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) in the United Kingdom and holds formal qualifications in media, business, assessment, and training. She serves on several boards and committees, including The Murri School, Philanthropy Australia’s First Nations Governance Committee, and as a RAP advisor for AGL. She is also a Founding Director of The Land Back Foundation, Founder of Deadly Futures Indigenous Corporation, and a Visiting Fellow with QUT’s Learning and Teaching Unit.

Mundanara is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of BlackCard Pty Ltd, a 100% Aboriginal-owned and Supply Nation–certified consultancy co-founded with Dr Lilla Watson. BlackCard delivers cultural capability training and consultancy grounded in Aboriginal knowledge, guided by the principle of working with people, not for people.