As one of the nation's youngest indigenous elders, the 46-year-old proud Ngunnawal woman, whose bloodlines connect her to every one of her people, feels the weight of her legacy and knows the importance of acknowledgement, of the need to bridge the divide between cultures.

As she delivered the Welcome to Country ceremony at the opening of the 45th Parliament, wearing stories in the form of the possum-skin coat made by Mudgin-Gal women, she represented not just her parents, Carl and Louise, not just her children Johbie and Justine, not just her brothers and sisters and family, but everyone who is Ngunnawal.

And for them, and for the rest of Australia, she used her platform to make a plea for our politicians to do better, to unite instead of divide, to solve instead of blame, to mix ancient wisdom with new thinking - to build bridges and move forward, as one.

"As a member of the planet's oldest continuous culture, I feel the duty that my parents feel, of trying to figure out what we have learned and what is the most useful for others to know, knowledge that will sustain us for this planet, for the next 20,000 years," she said in her address.

"This long connection to people in place is a unique gift to Australia and the world. Our shared custodianship of our nation requires of you, me, that we, be connected and in good shape.

"It requires of us that we be intelligent in the way we take this country forward. Our nation needs us to create solutions, drawing on the wisdom of an ancient Australia and the wisdom of a modern Australia. And in the process, create a new, transformed way that unites us all."

To do that, Ms Brown, an employment inclusion officer, advisor to the ACT Chief Minister and part of the Reconciliation Action Plan, said the nation needs a pathway - one mapped out by politicians in partnership with indigenous communities, one which includes all Australians.

"It is important to us that they acknowledge us and they have today," she told Fairfax Media.

"And that is important to us and that is why I said that in the speech - when you ask one of our fellow brothers and sisters around Australia, or myself, you are acknowledging our connection to country and acknowledging our song lines and stories and our custodianship.

"I would like to see more of this - more working together and learning each other's wisdom.

"Bringing the two wisdoms together to create a beautiful new pathways - that means being united and being able to hear each others voices and mould that into one voice that creates the voice of Australia, that takes in all aspects of multiculturalism, about everyone being here, not just my people, but all Australians.

"So when I talk, I am talking to all Australians and my people as well."

It's a message that has already begun to resonate, with both Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten addressing the sentiment of Ms Brown's words. She hopes they will take it with them as they forge the new Parliament, and let it infuse the policies they help create.

And in the meantime, she will continue honouring the legacy handed to her from her elders, by helping both her people and her government understand what they can learn from each other.

"I never judge anyone - always have to give another chance," she said.

"It doesn't matter how many chances they have had, you give them a go.

"That is what Australia is about - being fair. And that is what I stand for. Being fair."

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