For her entire adult life, Indigenous activist June Oscar has believed the biggest change can come from the smallest acts.
Born in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the Bunuba woman has been a leading force on a range of social and economic causes for Australia's first people.
Her career has included pushing for restrictions on alcohol in remote communities, preservation of ancient languages and working to combat the scourge of fetal alcohol disorders.
Fighting for vulnerable people has seen Ms Oscar named as the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
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Attorney-General George Brandis announced the five-year appointment on Thursday, with Ms Oscar replacing outgoing commissioner Mick Gooda, who has served in the role since 2010.
Born to an Aboriginal mother and white pastoralist father, it was work as a legal secretary in remote Derby that led to a career of activism.
Fighting "the rivers of grog" saw her stare down community opposition in 2007 and help win a landmark legal ruling restricting sale.
She spearheaded a female-led campaign for restrictions on full-strength alcohol, driven to action by 50 funerals in just 18 months across the Fitzroy Valley, many after serious self-harm and suicide.
Researchers found that of 108 babies born in the region in 2002 and 2003, one-in-eight suffered from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder - among the highest rates in the world.
Ms Oscar has advised a range of business, health and cultural organisations and was appointed to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission by the Hawke Labor government in 1990.
She is the chief executive of the Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre in Fitzroy Crossing.
She was Australian delegate to the United Nations Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues in New York and was recognised as one of the 50 most influential women in the world in 2011, receiving an Order of Australia two years later.
Ms Oscar won the prestigious Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Fellowship last year, calling on Australians not to leave reconciliation in the hands of others.
"Reconciliation is everyone's business," she said.
"We must reach beyond our worlds and interact with those who are not in our daily lives. In doing this we learn about the rich and complex histories of our nation and we also ascribe meaning to the lives of others."
Senator Brandis praised Ms Oscar's "courageous and pragmatic" advocacy.
"Ms Oscar's appointment demonstrates the fundamental role Indigenous women play in fostering social change, at a community, national and international level," he said.
"I am looking forward to the contribution Ms Oscar can make on important issues impacting Indigenous women and children."
The announcement comes amid moves by Malcolm Turnbull to reset relations with Indigenous Australia, with educator Chris Sarra appointed to lead the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council this week.