The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (‘RCIADIC’) found that; while

there have been significant changes to the educational services provided to Indigenous

demonstrated that failure to provide a meaningful and useful educational experience for

Indigenous people affects their ability to participate fully in Australian society and

Chapter 33 of the National Report recognised that education represents a dilemma for

Indigenous people. The educational curriculum seeks to educate Indigenous students

using ideas, attitudes and values which are derived from non-Indigenous culture, but if

Indigenous students do not participate in schooling they are denied access to many of

recommended that this dilemma be managed by involving Indigenous parents and

community members in decisions regarding educational services, allowing them the

freedom to decide their requirements for education in light of the requirements of their

The RCIADIC made a number of Recommendations to increase the Indigenous

community's involvement in the educational curriculum and school attendance by

Indigenous students, which can be categorised as follows:

299)

This Chapter examines the extent to which these Recommendations have been

implemented by the Federal, State and Territory governments.

[33.1.3].

The RCIADIC acknowledged that preschool programs act as a "bridge" to full

noted that preschool teachers in South Australia had told the RCIADIC that Indigenous

children may require additional help with the English language and that at the age of

three or four, an Indigenous child brought up in an English-speaking household may

have as little as half the English vocabulary of a non-Indigenous child. Preschool

provides an important opportunity to begin countering this deficit to ensure that it does

This Report suggests that the Commonwealth Government and each of the State and

Territory Governments have taken some steps to implement Recommendation 289.

In 2009, each of the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments

acknowledged the RCIADIC's findings that Indigenous children have lower levels of

participation in early childhood education and are likely to be behind from their first year

of formal schooling in the National Strategy for Closing the Gap. This Strategy also set

2011, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Institute of Family

Studies suggested that 75% of Indigenous children between 3.5 and 4.5 years of age

Gap: Prime Minister's Report noted that the Closing the Gap targets are generally not

Disadvantage (2009), available at:

<https://www.coag.gov.au/sites/default/files/NIS_closing_the_gap.pdf>.

Welfare, available at:

<http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2011/ctgc-rs07.pdf>.

Minister's Report 2015 (11 February 2015) Australian Policy Online, available at:

<http://apo.org.au/files/Resource/dpmc_closingthegaptheprimeministersreport2015_feb_2015.pdf>.

The Commonwealth Government's Community Support Program provides funding for

early learning and childcare services in locations where the market would not normally

funding provided under this program is capped and the program is not currently

accepting applications for the establishment of services in new communities.

Territory governments to provide funding to implement the National Partnership

Indigenous enrolment in early childhood education.

Act 2000 also provide for Indigenous children to participate in preschool education for a

period similar to that of other Australian children and for Indigenous people to

participate in preschool, primary and secondary education for Indigenous children.

Similarly, the Western Australian Government has implemented initiatives to increase

the enrolment of Indigenous pre-schoolers in early childhood education and improve

language and literacy but has not implemented measures to increase the involvement of

Indigenous families in their preschoolers' education.

The Victorian Government has implemented a Koori Early Childhood Education

Program to increase the number of Indigenous children attending preschool, assist preschool

programs to become more culturally relevant for Indigenous children and

<http://www.mychild.gov.au/sites/mychild/families-and-carers/pages/indigenous-programmes>.

Universal Access to Early Childhood Education (2009) Council on Federal Financial Relations, available

at: <http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/education/early_childhood/NSW.pdf>.

Federal, State and Territory Governments in November 2008. It committed the Federal, State and

Territory Governments to providing universal access to early childhood education between 2009 and

2013 and, in particular, aimed to provide Indigenous and non-Indigenous children with access to a

preschool program for 12 months prior to commencing full-time schooling. A deliverable under the

Agreement was that the current rates of Indigenous children enrolled in early childhood education should

be maintained and that strategies to improve attendance by Indigenous children should be implemented.

In 2013, a further National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education was

entered into with respect to early childhood education between 2013 and 2015. This Agreement commits

to providing early childhood education to all four year old Indigenous children, including those in remote communities.

Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010-2014 (2010) Education Council, available at:

<http://www.scseec.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/ATSI%20documents/ATSIEAP_web_v

ersion_final.pdf> ('Education Action Plan'). The Plan aims to ensure that all four year old Indigenous

children in remote communities have access to early childhood education within 5 years (i.e. by 2013).

encourage the Indigenous community's involvement in the delivery of preschool

A Koori Preschool Assistants program also provides assistants to increase access to

childhood education for Indigenous children for 2 years before school which combine

best practices in early childhood learning with Indigenous language, history and culture.

A Koori Preschool Program has also been implemented by the ACT Government which

also provides additional support to Indigenous pre-schoolers by way of speech therapy,

Similar programs have been implemented in New South Wales, including the Kids Excel

Program, which provided funding to employ support staff at selected preschools to

assist Indigenous parents to engage in their children's learning, and the Building

Stronger Connections Project, which sought to increase Indigenous families' and

communities' involvement in preschooling and which research suggests has increased

The NSW Department of Education and Communities also provides resources to assist

childcare centres to encourage Indigenous families' involvement in early childhood care,

Recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (27 October 2005)

Department of Justice and Regulation, [134], [136] - [137] ('Victorian Government Response'). Available

at:

<http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/home/your+rights/aboriginal+justice+agreement/reviewing+and+respondin

g+to+the+royal+commission+into+aboriginal+deaths+in+custody+leader/>.

and Their Families, available at:

<http://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/providers/needs/pages/aboriginalsupport.aspx>.

People (2010 - 2020), Department of Education and Training, available at:

<https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/govrel/Policy/thecharter/balertboorron.pdf>.

for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (2012) Community Services, available at:

<http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/415694/2012_ACT_Closing_the_Gap_Report.p

available at:

<http://www.det.act.gov.au/teaching_and_learning/curriculum_programs/indigenous_education>.

Islander Communities, Hunter Institute of Mental Health, available at:

<http://www.himh.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/2772/6-Building-Stronger-Connections-with-

Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Communities.pdf>.

available at: <http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/what-we-offer/regulation-and-accreditation/early-childhoodeducation-

care/aboriginal-access>.

In 2008, the Queensland Government committed to ensuring that all Indigenous four

year olds in rural communities have access to early childhood education within 5 years

and committed funding for programs to support Indigenous pre-schoolers and their

Islander Perspectives in Early Childhood Program also supports early childhood

education providers in regional and urban areas of Queensland to engage with

Indigenous families to deliver early childhood education programs which reflect

However, a discussion paper published by the Queensland Department of Education,

Training and Employment noted that as at 2011 Indigenous preschool attendance rates

The Northern Territory's Indigenous Education Council (an Indigenous representative

advisory body appointed by the Minister for Education and Training) has published a

Strait Islander four year olds in remote Northern Territory communities have access to

early childhood intervention.

The Government of the Northern Territory (together with the Commonwealth

Government) has also funded a Preschool Readiness Program which has helped to

Similar measures have also been implemented in Tasmania, including employment of

Aboriginal Early Years Liaison Officers and Project Officers by the Tasmanian

Department of Education, which work with Indigenous families to engage their children

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Partnerships, available at: <http://www.datsip.qld.gov.au/resources/datsima/funding-grants/atsi/closinggap/

closing-the-gap-0809-full.pdf>.

education and employment action plan 2013-2016 Discussion Paper, Queensland Government

Indigenous Portal, available at: <https://indigenousportal.eq.edu.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/atsidiscussion-

paper.pdf>.

Northern Territory Government Department of Education, available at:

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/31820/2013NTIEC-StrategicPlan.pdf>.

<http://www.indigenous.gov.au/all-ready-for-preschool-in-central-australia>.

<https://www.education.tas.gov.au/documentcentre/Documents/Aboriginal-Education-Services.pdf>.

32.6% of preschool age Indigenous children in Tasmania attend preschool, the lowest

participation rate of any of the States or Territories.

In contrast to the Tasmanian attendance rates, the Centre for Aboriginal Economic

attendance rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous preschool age children and

children in South Australia attend preschool.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children (October 2007) Australian Education Union. Available at:

<http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Publications/2007/IndigenousECE.pdf>.

(2006), Indigenous Australians and preschool education: Who is attending? See, The Australian National

University centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, available at:

<http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/cck_misc_documents/2010/06/ref026.pdf>.

Program, which supports language and literacy development for Indigenous pre-schoolers and advice to

Indigenous community's participation in educational decision making. See South Australia Department for

<http://www.earlyyears.sa.edu.au/pages/Programs/bilingual1/?reFlag=1>.

The RCIADIC heard that inappropriate educational curricula were a direct cause of

reduced self-esteem and educational achievement among Indigenous students and

noted that a focus in educational curricula on the basic skills, language and knowledge

which prevail in non-Indigenous society can lead to the assimilation of Indigenous

students into non-Indigenous society. This risk should be avoided by ensuring that

The RCIADIC noted that a number of research reports and Commonwealth, State and

Territory policy documents recommended that Indigenous studies be included in

educational curricula to combat low educational achievement amongst Indigenous

curricula and the provision of Indigenous studies courses were dependent on the

Indigenous community members that the educational curricula include alcohol, drug,

This Report shows that Recommendations 290 - 292 have not been fully implemented

by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority is a national

authority responsible for the development of the national Australian

Curriculum. The Australian Curriculum requires schools to teach the histories

and cultures of Indigenous people and requires Indigenous perspectives to be

embedded in every subject.

However, the Federal Government has indicated that it will seek to reform the

Australian Curriculum, including by scaling back the emphasis on Indigenous

perspective and teaching Indigenous culture and history as a stand-alone

2014), available at: <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/paring-backovercrowded-

national-curriculum-a-government-priority/story-fn59nlz9-1227087805139>.

The Victorian Department of Education and Training has confirmed that

Indigenous issues have been recognised as essential learning in its curriculum

for Years 5-6 and 9-10. These units have been developed by Indigenous and

non-Indigenous educators, and training has also been provided for teachers to

The NSW Government's Department of Education and Training Aboriginal

understanding of the histories, cultures and experiences of Indigenous people.

Similar commitments to those made by the NSW Government have also been

histories and cultures be embedded in all learning areas.

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority has developed a

number of protocols and guidelines to support the inclusion of Indigenous

student understanding of and respect for Indigenous cultural perspectives and

to extend teaching of these perspectives across the school curriculum and

affirmed its commitment to doing so in its Report to the Legislative Assembly

advocates the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in

Training Policy, available at:

<https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/students/access_equity/aborig_edu/PD20080385.shtml?query=Abo

riginal+Education+and+Training>.

Strait Islander Perspectives in schools: A guide for school learning communities, Queensland

Government Indigenous education, available at:

<http://indigenous.education.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/eatsips-docs/eatsips_2011.pdf>

support materials, available at: <https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/3035.html>.

Strategic Plan 2006-09, available at:

<http://www.det.act.gov.au/teaching_and_learning/curriculum_programs/indigenous_education>.

2012-2013, available at: <http://www.det.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/509742/ATSI-Education-

Screen-PDF.PDF> ('Report to the ACT Legislative Assembly').

the educational curriculum and the Northern Territory Government's policies

include a "non-negotiable" requirement that its schools embed Indigenous

The Northern Territory Curriculum Framework also incorporates Indigenous

The Government of South Australia has published strategies for incorporating

Indigenous cultural studies component which has been designed by the

Government of South Australia has not identified how Indigenous history will

be incorporated into its curricula.

The Tasmanian Government has also sought to incorporate Indigenous

will be achieved. However, the Government of Tasmania has not identified

how Indigenous history will be incorporated into its curricula.

The Government of Western Australia has implemented an Aboriginal

Perspectives Across the Curriculum program which aims to broaden students'

and teachers' understanding of Aboriginal culture and enable them to look at

Numeracy - A strategy to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes 2010-2012, available at:

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/13086/LiteracyNumeracyStrategy.pdf>

('Prioritising Literacy and Numeracy').

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/teachers-educators/curriculum-ntbos/ntcf>.

Torres Strait Islander Perspectives in Schools (4 November 2010), available at:

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/15228/EmbeddingAboriginalPerspectivesIn

Schools.pdf>.

for all learners in South Australia: A beginner's guide to DECS Aboriginal Education, Department for

Education and Child Development, available at:

<http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/farnorthandaboriginallands/files/links/Ab_Ed_for_all_learners_in.pdf>.

<http://saplan.org.au/pages/download-the-plan>.

available at: <https://www.education.tas.gov.au/documentcentre/Documents/Tasmanias-Aboriginal-

Education-Framework-(2012%E2%80%932015).pdf>.

empowers all to make a significant difference, available at:

<http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/apac/detcms/navigation/apac/>.

certain "focus schools" to negotiate a formal school-community partnership

agreement between the school and families of Indigenous students which sets

out the manner in which the parties will improve educational outcomes and

establish family forums to enable the families of Indigenous students to

participate in their education.

for the involvement of Indigenous people in the making of decisions

concerning preschool, primary and secondary education.

The Victorian Department of Education has implemented policies which

acknowledge that local Indigenous communities are best able to determine the

Local Aboriginal Consultative Groups throughout Victoria also provide advice

and regional Education Development Officers work with local Indigenous

community members to develop school curricula. In particular, the Victorian

Aboriginal Education Association aims to increase the presence and voice of

While payments to Indigenous community members in return for their

expertise are a matter for each local school, the Department of Education has

to develop appropriate systems to engage and pay Indigenous community

members and non-profit organisations, including for Welcome to Country,

guest speaker programs, artist in residence and general curriculum

engagement activities.

The Queensland Indigenous Consultative Committee also provides advice to

the Queensland Government to assist it to consult with Indigenous people and

dsp-default-d.cfm?loadref=56>.

communities and take their views into account on matters relating to

The NSW Government's policy acknowledges that school principals and

institute managers are responsible for consulting and engaging with

Department of Education and Training to ensure that the policy is implemented

and report to the Minister and the broader NSW community on its

implementation.

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the NSW Government

requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community members in return

for their participation in educational decision making.

and provides for an Indigenous Education Consultative Body to hold

community meetings to provide parents, caregivers and members of

Indigenous communities in the ACT with opportunities to discuss issues that

they consider impact on Indigenous students' educations. By 2013, 28 schools

in the ACT had implemented Community Partnership Agreements to increase

opportunities for Indigenous people to be involved in school decision-making

at a local level and the ACT Education and Training Directorate had consulted

with a number of Indigenous communities and groups in relation to its

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the ACT Government

requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community members in return

for their participation in educational decision making.

The Tasmanian Department of Education's Aboriginal Education Services has

also implemented a number of programs to involve the Indigenous community

in education, including off campus cultural education programs in which

Indigenous students work with Indigenous elders, an Aboriginal Sharers of

Knowledge Program which gives Indigenous people an opportunity to be

involved in classroom learning and Aboriginal Cultural Understanding training

for teachers, in which teachers work with Indigenous elders to obtain an

Educational Framework (2012-2015) also seeks to increase the proportion of

Training Policy, available at:

<https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/students/access_equity/aborig_edu/PD20080385.shtml>.

Aboriginal parents and community members involved in school decision

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the Tasmanian

Government requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community

members in return for their participation in educational decision making.

The South Australian Government has implemented policies requiring school

managers to facilitate participation by the Indigenous community in

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the South Australian

Government requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community

members in return for their participation in educational decision making.

must learn from members of the Indigenous community as often as possible

and provides for local Indigenous people to give storytelling sessions and

musical performances and act as guest speakers at educational institutions.

However, it does not provide for members of the Indigenous community to be

involved in making decisions with respect to school curricula. In its

Northern Territory Department of Education concluded that there should be

more effective partnerships between the Indigenous community and the

educational system and greater Indigenous control over education. The

Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the Northern Territory also recommended in

its submission on the review of Indigenous education in the Northern Territory

in February 2014 that Aboriginal peoples and organisations should be given

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the Northern Territory

Government requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community

members in return for their participation in educational decision making.

Indigenous education in the Northern Territory (1999), available at:

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/7475/learning_lessons_review.pdf>.

education in the Northern Territory (February 2014) Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern

Territory, available at: <http://www.amsant.org.au/apont/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/140314-APO-NTSubmission-

Indigenous-Education-Review.pdf>.

maintain strong partnerships with Indigenous communities. Schools with a

higher proportion of Indigenous students are required to use advocates to

build Indigenous engagement and increase Indigenous governance.

The Government of Western Australia has also established Aboriginal

Education Advisory Councils which allow Aboriginal people to provide advice

on issues that impact on the education of Aboriginal students and ensure that

school and community partnership agreements between schools, the parents

of students and the local community to work together as partners.

However, this Report has not identified any policies of the Western Australian

Government requiring payments to be made to Indigenous community

members in return for their participation in educational decision making.

The Australian Curriculum includes some courses on the legal system and civil

liberties. However, we have not identified any evidence to suggest that the

RCIADIC's Recommendation that education curricula include courses on

social issues such as drug and alcohol use and sex education has been

formally implemented by the Commonwealth Government.

While the Victorian Government has suggested that it has partially

organisations to make decisions about the funding and provision of

educational initiatives, we have not found anything to suggest that the

Victorian curricula includes courses on the social issues identified to the

RCIADIC.

drug and sex education to be provided to all students. The Curriculum

Framework includes a general acknowledgement that the community's

customs and practises should be addressed in these programs.

Schools 2011-2014, available at: <http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/detcms/aboriginaleducation/

aboriginal-education/docs/aboriginal-education-plan-2011-

2014.en?oid=com.arsdigita.cms.contenttypes.FileStorageItem-id-7148382>.

at: <http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/detcms/navigation/aboriginal-education/regionalbased-

advisory-bodies/?oid=Category-id-7060765>.

The Governments of the other States and Territories provide a number of

resources to assist their schools to teach drug and sex education but do not

appear to have formally included courses on those topics in their educational

curricula.

The RCIADIC considered the Commonwealth Government's Aboriginal Student Support

and Parent Awareness Program (‘ASSPA’), which, at the time of the National Report,

supplemented mainstream educational funding by providing funding for excursions,

cultural lessons by community members and other projects to increase Indigenous

parent and community involvement in schooling. The funds provided by ASSPA were

administered by local committees comprising school staff and the parents of Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander students, and the RCIADIC heard criticism from Department

of Education officers suggesting that members of the Indigenous community were

The RCIADIC noted that this reluctance may be a consequence of ASSPA being

implemented without adequate consultation, negotiation and support from the

Indigenous community, which may be difficult to obtain given the sense of alienation

This Report shows that there have been a number of policy responses to this

Recommendation at a Federal level. ASSPA was criticised for its failure to involve

Indigenous parents, and in 2005 it was replaced by the Parent School Partnership

Initiative (‘PSPI’), which provided funding to applicants to build the capacity for

Indigenous parents and communities to assist with the program. The grants provided

under the PSPI are intended to address local barriers to education for Indigenous

students and focus more strongly on educational outcomes than the ASSPA. However,

the PSPI has been criticised for reducing the level of certainty regarding access to

funding (which was provided directly to Indigenous parent-based committees under

ASSPA) and reducing Indigenous involvement in decision making.

However, the Parent and Community Engagement Program (‘PACE’) seeks to increase

Indigenous parent engagement with schools and education providers and has been

adopted by the States and Territories. It is supported by the National Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Education Policy, which establishes arrangements for Indigenous

parents and community members to participate in education services.

The RCIADIC considered innovations in the training of Indigenous teachers around

Australia, including training in community-based settings and differing levels of

qualification which accommodate trainees' learning difficulties and lower academic

qualifications (such as at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in the

would substantially increase the number of Indigenous teaching graduates available to

The RCIADIC also heard criticism of the attitudes, teaching methods and knowledge of

Indigenous culture may be learnt "on the job", teachers rarely stayed long enough at

community schools or mainstream schools with Indigenous enrolments to obtain this

The RCIADIC noted proposals to develop community education plans in remote

communities which would enable remote communities to tailor the curriculum,

timetables and programs to suit the community. It also noted the positive effect of

Aboriginal Education Workers, Teaching Aides and Teaching Assistants in policing

lack of resources, low pay and lack of official accreditation limited their effectiveness

This Report shows that Recommendations 294 - 297 have not been fully implemented

by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments.

We have not identified any Commonwealth Government policies which

acknowledge this Recommendation. However, in 2000 the Human Rights and

Equal Opportunity Commission recommended that a remote area teaching

The Queensland Government has implemented a Remote Area Teacher

Education Program, which provides qualified Indigenous teachers the

opportunity to teach in their local areas and permits enrolled students to

complete most of their training in their area to avoid the need for them to travel

to attend tertiary institutions.

Similar programs have been implemented in Western Australia, including the

program offered by Batchelor College referred to by the RCIADIC.

<http://www.humanrights.gov.au/rural-and-remote-education-inquiry>.

The Victorian Government has indicated that it has partially implemented this

regional training courses for Indigenous educators and implemented programs

and incentives to increase the training of Indigenous teachers.

The NSW Government has established a scholarship program which offers

financial incentives to encourage newly qualified teachers to work in remote

A similar program to that offered by the NSW Government is also offered by

This Report has not found any evidence to suggest that the ACT, Tasmanian

or South Australian Governments have taken steps to implement this

Recommendation.

The Commonwealth Government's policies have acknowledged the need for

the extent to which the Indigenous community has been involved in this

training is unclear.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers includes a requirement

that, at the most basic level, all teachers demonstrate a broad knowledge and

understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic

We understand that the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers now

apply to all Australian teachers, but that certain State and Territory policies

and standards also continue to apply to certain teachers.

available at: <http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about-us/careers-centre/school-careers/teaching/our-programsand-

initiatives/teach-rural-scholarships>.

<http://www.teaching.nt.gov.au/remote/index.cfm?attributes.fuseaction=our-commitment-to-you>.

Government (1975), 26.

Teachers, available at: <http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-forteachers/

standards/list>.

The NSW Government's policies include the provision of Indigenous cultural

Indigenous community. The ability to apply effective strategies for teaching

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is a mandatory component of

provided with in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills and for cultural

awareness and competency training to be provided at a local level under the

guidance and leadership of the local Indigenous community.

provides for the proportion of teaching staff who have completed Indigenous

education leadership and cultural understanding training to be increased, and

for teachers to collaborate with the Indigenous community.

registered to teach in Western Australia must have completed an accredited

initial teacher education program, which includes strategies for teaching

Indigenous children and a broad understanding of Indigenous history, culture

and language.

A key outcome under the Western Australian Strategic Plan for Aboriginal

Indigenous studies and education units in teacher education courses.

The Western Australian Department of Education also provides resources and

courses for qualified teachers to increase their knowledge of Indigenous

culture, language and issues. However, the extent to which the Indigenous

community has been consulted in formulating these training programs is

unclear.

<https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/strat_direction/aetstrat0912.pdf>.

and Educational Standards NSW, available at: <http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/publicationspolicies-

resources/publications/nsw-professional-teaching-standards/>.

Aboriginal Education and Training 2011-2015, available at:

<http://www.aetcwa.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/AETCWA%20Strategic%20Plan.jpg.pdf> ('WA

Strategic Plan').

The South Australian Government's Certificate of Education encourages but

does not require teachers to include Indigenous knowledge and perspectives

in their learning programs. It does not appear to require teachers to undergo

Indigenous cultural training or consultation with the Indigenous community in

respect of such training.

The Victorian Government has indicated that it has not taken steps to

implement this Recommendation on the basis that it falls within the

The Government of the ACT appears to have taken a similar approach to this

Recommendation as that taken by the Victorian Government.

provides for Indigenous representatives to be members of the Northern

Territory Teacher Registration Board, which is responsible for making

recommendations to the responsible Minister in relation to the minimum

qualifications and other requirements for registration of teachers and

accrediting education courses. These include requirements that teaching

graduates learn strategies for teaching Indigenous students and have a broad

knowledge and understanding of the culture, cultural identity and linguistic

background of Indigenous students and understand and respect Indigenous

people and promote reconciliation.

The Northern Territory Government also provides funding for new teachers in

remote Indigenous communities to complete Graduate Certificates in Teaching

includes a key deliverable of education workers being "culturally competent".

The Commonwealth Government's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education

families, teachers and education workers in the development of personalised learning

plans for Indigenous students from their first year of formal schooling to Year 10. The

Commonwealth Government's What Works Program also encourages schools to use

personalised learning plans, but provides for these plans to be developed for individual

students by their teachers in consultation with their parents or carers, rather than by the

The Victorian Government has suggested that implementation of this Recommendation

Governments appear to have taken the same view.

Neither the Commonwealth Government nor the Governments of the States and

Territories appear to have explored processes to enable teachers, students and parents

to negotiate guidelines for the employment and conditions of teachers in local

communities as recommended by the RCIADIC.

Other than one program to increase levels of qualification and provide varied career

paths for certain "Aboriginal Teaching Assistants" in the Kimberley region of the

giving effect to this Recommendation. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Educator Workforce Strategy to be implemented by the Commonwealth Government

but, despite commitments from the Commonwealth Government to agree the Strategy

In 2000, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission found that there are still

too few Aboriginal Education Workers and that despite the RCIADIC's

Recommendations, they are usually not employed as permanent staff, have no defined

career path, have limited access to professional development and qualification

year, the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs

suggesting that the reforms proposed by the RCIADIC are still required.

The Victorian Government has suggested that it has partially implemented this

<http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1311202974899_file_CoreIssues10.pdf>.

<http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/S7037/index.html>.

end of 2013 (1 June 2013), available at: <http://matsiti.edu.au/workforce-strategy/>.

Taskforce on Indigenous Education (March 2000) Education Council, available at:

<http://www.scseec.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Reports%20and%20publications/Public

ations/Cultural%20inclusion%20and%20ATSI/Report%20of%20the%20MCEETYA%20Taskforce%20on

%20Indigenous%20Education%20(2000).pdf>. Similar recommendations were also made in Graeme

Department of Education, available at:

<http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/detcms/navigation/teaching-and-learning/aieoguidelines/

aieo-program-review/>.

In addition, the Victorian Government undertook a review of Aboriginal Education

Workers in 2011, which led to reforms of the pay and professional development

suggest that similar reforms have been implemented in the other States and Territories.

The RCIADIC heard that improvements in Indigenous adult education, particularly

for further improvements to enable Indigenous people to have economic and political

commitment should be made to develop education and training programs which are

geographically and culturally available to the greatest number of Indigenous people

ABSTUDY scheme which provides for payments to be made to adult Indigenous

students. While the Commonwealth Government has funded some programs and

Education Workforce Reform: Building a Professional and Sustainable Workforce for the future, Northern

Territory Department of Education, available at:

<http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/21302/KoorieEducWorkforceReform.pdf>;

However, the Victorian Government's reforms have been criticised by the Victorian Auditor-General as

available at: <http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/koori-education-plan-slammed-20110601-

1fgph.html>.

home' recommendations (Canberra Journey of Healing Network, 1999).

Minister's Report noted that in the decade ending in 2013, Indigenous enrolments at

evidence to suggest that it has taken steps to implement the balance of these

Recommendations.

Board for Employment and Training to be established and for Indigenous

representatives to sit on the Board. While the Board's functions include advising the

Minister on policies and programs designed to enhance employment and training in the

Northern Territory, this Report has not found anything to suggest that the Northern

Territory Government has taken steps to implement this Recommendation.

The Victorian Government has suggested that it has partially implemented the

Recommendation by allocating funding for Indigenous training but it does not appear to

have increased entitlements for adult Indigenous students or provided courses tailored

to their needs. This Report has not found anything to suggest that the other States or

Territories have implemented this Recommendation either.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy is a national policy

which has been agreed between the Commonwealth Government and each of the State

and Territory Governments. Its objectives include ensuring Indigenous involvement in

decision making, providing equal access for Indigenous people to educational services,

raising Indigenous participation in education and achieving equitable and appropriate

and that the Policy may represent a threat to Indigenous controlled education and

As discussed above, the Commonwealth Government and each of the State and

Territory Governments have implemented some measures to encourage the

participation of Indigenous parents and community members in educational decisions.

However, the extent to which these Governments have applied the Policy having regard

to the RCIADIC's Recommendations in practice is not clear.