Progressing Indigenisation at the University of Tasmania

As Aboriginal people working within the university we have the ability to empower Indigenous peoples. Problems of poverty, racism, poor health and suicides are the lived realities of our people and will continue. These are the reasons to write, teach and research, to make scholarship useful to do otherwise ‘is self-serving and purposeful only to the academic who needs a job, promotions and book contracts’ (Mihesuah & Wilson 2004.p.x.) 

Education attainment levels for Indigenous students continues to be below the standard for the population of Australia as a whole, and the number of Indigenous students going on to university continues to be low.
However the biggest gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians is the knowledge gap. Australia cannot close this gap until non-Indigenous Australians increase their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and develop the skills to become culturally competent at a personal and professional level. 

This session will explore strategies to progress indigenisation at the University of Tasmania between 2014 and 2018.