Indigenous Research and Knowledge

Bronwyn Fredericks

and Aileen Moreton-Robinson

First Gathering of Indigenous Researchers

The first Aboriginal Researcher conference was convened by the

Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action also known as

FAIRA in 1978 at the University of Queensland.

One of FAIRA’s core aims was to undertake research that would impact

on law and policy and it was successful in that regard as it had

undertaken research on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reserves

exposing the substandard health and education services, the abject

poverty, appalling living conditions and the degree of control and

regulation under which our people were living.

FAIRA published its findings in a book entitled Beyond the Act edited by

Les Malezer, current Chair of First Congress, Matt Foley who later became

a minister with the Qld Goss government and solicitor Paul Richards. The

book proved to be the catalyst for a political campaign entitled Smash the

Acts.

Indigenous commencement,

participation and completion

1990-2009

Indigenous Research Students

• The numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers needed to reach critical mass are many generations away.

• Based on 2009 enrolment figures, the number of doctoral students will need to more than triple to reflect Indigenous population parity.

What Indigenous Postgraduate

Students experience

• Indigenous studies is still dominated by non-Indigenous researchers.

• None or scant western research training in undergraduate degrees.

• None or scant Indigenous research training as postgraduates.

• Researchers / supervisors / assessors – limited or no knowledge of our methodologies and protocols.

• Our research is marginalised.

• Limited and dispersed senior Indigenous researcher role models.

• Our students receive limited and mostly non-Indigenous aligned RHD support.

(Source: IHEAC scoping study in Indigenous Centre of Researcher Development Feb 2009).

Why Build Indigenous Research

Capacity?

To improve the living conditions and life chances of Indigenous Australians.

•This will require investment in Indigenous human capital for the future of our communities and the nation.

•Governments and universities need to invest to produce Indigenous research graduates who have the knowledge and skills required to conduct complex research, analysis and evidence-based policy development.

•Sustainability and continuity of funding are important to Indigenous research productivity..

Indigenous Research Capacity

Building

What does the Commonwealth government

and higher education sector consider to be

the core elements of research capacity

building for the nation?

Why do we need to build and increase

Indigenous research capacity ?

Towards a best practice model: NIRAKN

National Indigenous

Research and Knowledges

Network (NIRAKN)

An Indigenous centred approach to

research capacity building

Funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC)

Yurriala

Means one skin in the Jandai language

of the Goenpul people.

Today we come together under the one

skin of NIRAKN.

Our being, doing and thinking in NIRAKN

involves:

* Respect

* Responsibility

* Generosity

* Reciprocity Professor Aileen

* Obligation Moreton-Robinson

* Support

Indigenous Knowledge Production: Connections generating

change

46 Members and 51 Nations

D’hawaral, Kamillaroi, Bundjalung/Worimi, Nyungar,

Nyangumarta, Iwaidja, Waka Waka/Waramungu,

Koonie Koonie for Rak Mak Mak Marranunggu,

Kurrindju, Wiradjuri Narungga, Pitjantjatjara,

Gumabaynggirr/ Dungutti, Miriwong/ Noongar,

Ywauru, Nunukul/ Bigjara, Yankunytjatjara/ Anangu/

Pitantjatjara, Torres Strait Islander, Anaiwan, Murri,

Mimga Wajaar, Noongar, Narungga, Kungarakan/

Gurindji/ Larrakia, Ngarrindjeri, Bardi/ Indjarbardi,

Goreng/ Boonthmurra/ Koombumberri, Shadforth

family, Kairi, Gungarri/ Kunja, Boonerung/

Mannalagenna, Gangallida/ Yanyuwa, Trawlwoolway,

Yadhiagana, Ngarigu, Kungarakany, Murrawarri,

Bardi, Eualyai/ Kamillaroi, Goenpul/ Nunukul.

AIMS 1. Establish a regenerative undergraduate to postgraduate pipeline of new

researchers across institutions, the nation and fields of critical research

importance.

2. Connect Indigenous researchers across disciplines, nationally and

internationally, to develop a culturally supportive inclusive research

environment which enables the cross fertilization of ideas and a platform for

new Indigenous multi-disciplinary research.

3. Develop an on-going integrated research program of collaborations with

partner organisations through ARC, NHMRC, government, industry, community

and philanthropic grant funding.

4. Achieve national and international recognition as a leading network of

Australian Indigenous research expertise, knowledge and innovation.

5. Initiate the Indigenous research agenda by applying Indigenous knowledges

and expertise to multi-disciplinary collaborative projects of pressing research

need to inform community and government policy and program delivery.

6. Establish a quality program of capacity building initiatives to support aspiring,

post-graduate and early to mid-career, Indigenous researchers to form a skilled

qualified research community.

Hub and Spokes Relational

Model

Law

Node

Health

Node

History

Culture

Politics

Indigenous

Knowledges

Sociology

The

Hub

Indigenous Knowledges and

Sociology Node Leaders

Associate Professor Maggie Walter

University of Tasmania

Professor Steve Larkin

Charles Darwin University

Law Node Leaders

Professor Larissa Behrendt

University of Technology

Sydney

Dr Asmi Woods

Australian National University

Dr Mark MacMillan

University of Melbourne

History, Culture and Politics

Node Leaders

Professor John Maynard

University of Newcastle

Associate Professor Jaki Troy

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)

Health Node Leaders

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks

Central Queensland University

Professor Kathleen Clapham

University of Wollongong

Professor Pat Dudgeon

University of Western Australia

Supervision Research

projects

Website

www.nirakn.edu.au

International

eJournal Critical

Indigenous Studies

Research

Capacity

Building

workshops

NIRAKN

Capacity Building

Program

Indigenous

Methodologies

Master class

Seminar

Series

Visiting

Scholars

Program

Annual

Symposium

Non Indigenous

Supervisor

Sessions

Postgraduate

Student

recruitment

Postgraduate

Network

6

9

27

14

9

11

8

2013 Sample NIRAKN Program of Events by popularity

A Level Workshop

NIRAKN Symposium

NIRAKN July Capacity Builder

Lecture Series

Masterclass

CRG

Post Graduate Expo

11%

17%

12%

12% 6%

6%

12%

6%

6%

6%

6%

2014 Total Number of Post Graduates attending A level Workshop and Masterclass:

JCU

QUT

ACU

UTS

ANU

CSU

UoN

UWS

UNSW

CDU

Batchelor

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Number of Post Graduates who have accessed NIRAKN Programs

Postgraduate Capacity Building

Sessions

Seminars and Workshops E.g. Ethics Workshop 28 April 2014

Node Specific Activity E.g. Health Node 5 & 6 May 2014

NIRAKN National

Symposium

2013, CQUniversity

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGES NETWORK

(NIRAKN) RESEARCH CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT

ISLANDER STUDIES, (AIATSIS) CANBERRA 15 -19 JULY 2013

Monday 15 July

9. am Welcome to country

Director’s address

housekeeping

Tuesday 16 July Wednesday 17 July Thursday 18 July Friday 19 July

9.30m Research Ethics

Workshop

9.30 am Research Ethics

Workshop (R) *

9.30 am Scholarly

publishing workshop

9.30 am Career

Development

Workshop

9.30 am Critical and

Creative Thinking and

Reading workshop

Morning tea 10.30am – 11

am

Morning tea 10.30am – 11

am

Morning tea10.30am- 11 am Morning tea 10.30 am -11

am

Morning tea 10.30 am- 11

am

11 am – 12 noon

Research Ethics

Workshop

11 am – 12 noon Research

Ethics Workshop (R)

11 am – 12 noon Scholarly

publishing workshop (R)

11am – 12 noon Career

Development workshop

11 am – 12 noon Critical

and Creative

Thinking and Reading

workshop

12 – 1pm lunch 12 – 1pm lunch 12 – 1pm lunch 12 – 1pm lunch 12 – 1pm lunch

1pm - 3pm Copyright

Australia Limited

Workshop

1pm – 3pm

Scholarly publishing

workshop

1pm – 3pm

Indigenous Quantitative

Methods workshop

1pm – 3pm Indigenous

Quantitative Methods

workshop (R)

1 pm – 3pm

NHMRC presentation

Road Map

3pm-3.30 pm afternoon

tea

3pm-3.30pm afternoon tea 3pm-3.30pm afternoon tea 3pm-3.30pm afternoon tea 3pm-3.30pm afternoon tea

4.00 pm shuttle transfer to

hotel. 5.30 pm and 5.45

pm transfer from hotel to

launch

3.30pm – 5pm

ARC Indigenous Discovery

Grants presentation and

Excellence in Australian

Research presentation

3.30pm – 5pm

Indigenous Quantitative

Methods Workshop

3.30pm – 5pm The Office

for Teaching and Learning

(DIISRTE) presentation

3.30 pm – 5 pm

NIRAKN News and

Feedback Session

6pm NIRAKN – Official

Launch

Capacity Building Intensive

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

2013 Total Number of Post Graduates attending NIRAKN July Capacity Builder:

Macquarie University

UniSA

Curtin

ANU

Newcastle

Canberra

Flinders

UTS

QUT

UoW

RMIT

ECU

Murdoch

Publications & Grants

Several books are in production and numerous other

capacity building writing projects are underway.

E.g. Odette Best and Bronwyn Fredericks (eds). 2014. Yatdjuligin:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwifery Care.

Cambridge University Press: Melbourne.

Advisory

Board Aunty Valda Coolwell Aunty Joy Murphy-

Wandin

Sam Faulkner Terry Dunbar Henrietta Fourmile Angela Leitch

Peter Buckskin Russell Taylor Yvette Roe

Partner Organisations

Over the next four years aims of NIRAKN to:

•Establish a quality program of research capacity

building

•Establish a regenerative undergraduate to

postgraduate pipeline

•Connect Indigenous researchers across-

disciplines, nationally and internationally

•Develop an on-going integrated research program

•Achieve national and international recognition

•Initiate the Indigenous research agenda

What are you going to do to:

•Support Indigenous research / researchers in

your university, department, organisation?

•Foster Indigenous research development?

•Support NIRAKN activities?

•Add to the effort and impact?

•Add to the nation’s research effort?

Aileen Moreton-Robinson

a.moreton-robinson@qut.edu.au

&

Bronwyn Fredericks

b.fredericks@cqu.edu.au