Born on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Cliff Foley is of Gumbainggir descent. After attaining his School Certificate in 1969 and moving to Sydney, he began his working life with an apprenticeship as a telecommunication technician for Plessey, a telecommunication company. During the last three decades, Foley has been a long-term land-rights campaigner. He was elected to the Board of Commissioners for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and served five terms on the ATSIC Regional Council. He held the position of ATSIC-elected commissioner for the New South Wales metropolitan zone.
Foley strongly believes in Aboriginal self-determination, and was chair of ATSIC's Social and Physical Wellbeing Committee. The committee developed policy and advocacy strategies relating to health, housing, sport, and recreation. It is a policy that has gained approval at all levels of government.
