Phil Duncan, Aboriginal Cultural Training Coordinator, Walanga Muru. Photo by Mike Catabay

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A core focus of Macquarie University is to be the place of choice for Aboriginal people and communities to come and learn in a supportive and inclusive environment, creating a campus which builds opportunities for Aboriginal success.

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To ensure Macquarie University is effectively equipped to graduate and grow productive global citizens, it is integral to ensure an environment is created that values and respects cultural difference and diversity.

To achieve this, we need to consider how stereotypes, prejudices and acts of discrimination impact our values and actions.

Committing to the future

This year, Walanga Muru is pledging significant commitment to building a reconciled and prosperous future through the reinvestment of educational opportunities for all Aboriginal people across Australia.

Walanga Muru has developed an Aboriginal Cultural Safety and Responsiveness Training Framework to motivate and build a positive knowledge position for staff and students.

“The development and implementation of a high quality, culturally-appropriate training framework will lead to meaningful understanding and respect for cultural values, history, beliefs, practices, knowledges and philosophies across the University,” says Phil Duncan, the University’s Aboriginal Cultural Training Coordinator.

“Delivery of the training sessions will be multi-facetted and flexible to ensure the content is relevant to staff and student needs.”

The training will incorporate the provision of building general skills to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. Additionally, it will allow the participants the opportunity to individually explore their own thoughts on stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and racism.

Encouraging conversation

Dr Leanne Holt, Director Walanga Muru, believes the program will be invaluable for building an environment that is inclusive and respectful of the value that Aboriginal knowledges and perspectives bring to a learning institution.

“Our purpose is to motivate and build a positive knowledge position for Macquarie University staff and students,” she says.

“Staff will gain a practical insight of both the challenges and successes related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within higher education.

“Within a safe environment, staff can have the courageous conversations that are often deemed too contentious to have in an open forum. There is also the opportunity to develop an action plan that allows both professional and academic staff to identify how they can take away the knowledge from the training and implement it in their workplace. This may relate to the embedding of Aboriginal knowledges and perspectives in curriculum or possibly the attraction, retention and success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to Macquarie.”

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To find out more about the Aboriginal Cultural Safety Training or register you interest in attending, email Phil Duncan or call 9850 6884.

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Further information about the University’s commitment to reconciliation can be found here. Alternatively, you can register your attendance to Introduction to Aboriginal Cultural Safety Training, co-hosted by the Learning Innovation Hub.