Elly is an indigenous woman with links to Gunai and Ngapuhi country. She is a lawyer and policy advisor with broad experience across constitutional, indigenous and minority rights law and policy, both domestically and internationally. She holds a BA and JD from the University of Melbourne and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford. She has worked in the public and corporate sectors, for Aboriginal organisations, within not-for-profits and as an advisor during the Fijian constitution-making process. She is currently the Acting Director of the Aboriginal Affairs Policy branch within the Department of Premier and Cabinet, as well as a founding director of Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights.