UNSW has been a leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and research for decades. I touched on many of these important moments in our last newsletter – acknowledging that as a community we all should be proud of these achievements.
Today, in time for NAIDOC Week, I am very excited to announce we have launched our new UNSW Indigenous Strategy website. The UNSW Indigenous Strategy, Education and Research website combines the work of the Office of Pro Vice-Chancellor and Nura Gili under a single home. It will include and promote the work of divisions and faculties on Indigenous education. It will also contain, promote and monitor the University-wide goals under the Indigenous education strategy and the Indigenous workforce strategy that both fall under the main strategy.
The new website represents another important step forward for UNSW on Indigenous education and means, as a University, we can continue to innovate and lead the nation in Indigenous education and strategic initiatives. It is a vital resource for the UNSW community. UNSW’s Indigenous Strategy and its pillars – Culture and Country, Give Back and Grow Our Own – take a whole-of-university approach. This means we all play a role in creating an environment in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff and researchers thrive.
On our site, you can also read about the Aboriginal history and occupation of lands on which UNSW reside – the land of the Bidjigal/Bedegal peoples. There are also resources available for staff to learn more about the local Aboriginal history, the Aboriginal history of the Sydney basin and much broader.
I invite you all to take the time to explore the website, particularly our Indigenous Strategy, and to visit regularly for updates. It will be the UNSW home for the latest Indigenous news and media and will be a growing resource.
NAIDOC Week 2021 at UNSW
The Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous and Nura Gili invite you to celebrate NAIDOC Week at UNSW. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples each July.
It is also a week to reflect on the progress of Indigenous rights, political empowerment, justice, and truth.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown measures in Greater Sydney, all on-campus events and activities have been postponed.
However, there is still plenty to do to get involved! Head over to the page and see how you can celebrate NAIDOC Week this year.
To read how you can take meaningful action this NAIDOC Week, see the 2021 NAIDOC address, where I reflect on the theme: Heal Country! First Nations people need greater civic action and engagement than Zoom and Teams “Acknowledgements of Country” to change the nation. Read what you can do.
Nine in 10 want Indigenous Voice in Constitution: expert report
Ninety per cent of public submissions to the Indigenous Voice Co-Design Process support a referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament, a UNSW Indigenous Law Centre report finds.
UNSW Indigenous Law Centre’s analysis shows that 86 per cent expressly support the constitutional enshrinement of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and a further 4 per cent express in-principle support.
The expert analysis, conducted by three UNSW academics – Professor Gabrielle Appleby, Emma Buxton-Namisnyk and Dr Dani Larkin – also reveal one-third of submissions expressly say that they do not support the approach of legislating an Indigenous Voice.
I have just been blown away by the civic engagement with this process. It shows the high level of active engagement by a large number of Australians on this important reform, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The Indigenous Law Centre is also celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW Law & Justice has been at the forefront of Indigenous law research and reform for four decades – and as seen by the release of the report, today its work and influence are helping change the nation.
To those impacted by the various lockdowns across the country, stay safe and I hope to see you back on campus soon.
Professor Megan Davis
UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law, and Professor of Law
