Are our universities ready for Indigenous success?
Professor Peter Anderson, Director Indigenous Research Unit, Griffith
When discussing the improvement of Indigenous success in Australian universities, it's crucial to approach it from a rights-based perspective. For too long, we've been stuck in a deficit mindset, always focusing on the "gap" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. However, that misses the point entirely.
Consider this: Indigenous peoples have inherent rights to education, self-determination, and cultural preservation, as articulated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Therefore, when considering university reform, such as the recent Universities Accord, it's essential to prioritise and centre these rights at the forefront of our thinking.
Crucially, the responsibility for driving this change doesn't rest solely on Indigenous shoulders. Non-Indigenous staff and leaders have a social and moral obligation to be at the vanguard of this work alongside their Indigenous colleagues. This is not about "helping" Indigenous people but recognising our shared responsibility in creating a more just and equitable higher education system in this country.
As of 2023, only 1.6% of university staff identified as Indigenous, and about half of universities had an Indigenous person in a senior executive role. This underrepresentation poses a significant problem in terms of decision-making and highlights a lack of institutional capability to set priorities that advance Indigenous people and Indigenous community aspirations. Non-Indigenous leaders must actively work to dismantle these structural barriers and create pathways for Indigenous leadership.
To address this, universities need to go beyond just setting targets. There must be a fundamental shift in university organisational culture, led by Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff at all levels. Universities Australia's Indigenous Strategy 2022-2025 provides a roadmap for this shift, with commitments including:
· Developing Indigenous-specific anti-racism strategies
· Providing cultural safety training to all staff
· Recognising the cultural load of Indigenous staff and students
· Ensuring Indigenous voices are represented in vital institutional bodies and processes.
Non-Indigenous staff and leaders must take an agentic role in implementing these commitments, challenging their assumptions and biases, and using their positions of privilege to amplify Indigenous voices and perspectives.
The Strategy also emphasises the need to value and embed Indigenous knowledges and value systems into university structures. This includes incorporating Indigenous content into curricula, ensuring students graduate with awareness of Indigenous values and knowledges, and recognising the benefits of Indigenous-led research. Again, non-Indigenous academics and administrators are responsible for creating space for this knowledge and learning from their Indigenous colleagues.
The Universities Accord through a rights-based lens
When we look at the Universities Accord recommendations through this rights-based lens, we see some exciting possibilities. Take the goal of improving access and participation, for example. Instead of focusing on enrolment numbers, we should create safe learning environments for all students. That might mean developing Indigenous-led/ informed outreach programs, ensuring financial support respects cultural obligations, or incorporating Indigenous knowledges, perspectives and pedagogies into the curriculum through initiatives such as the Advance HE - Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (Indigenous Knowledges) program developed by Peter Anderson and Abby Cathcart. Non-Indigenous staff must actively support and champion these initiatives.
Community engagement is another critical piece. The Accord mentions partnerships, but a rights-based approach would prioritise deep, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities. This isn't just about consultation – it's about co-designing programs and curricula, establishing formal agreements between universities and Indigenous nations, and ensuring research benefits flow back to communities. Non-Indigenous researchers and administrators are responsible for approaching these partnerships with humility and a willingness to learn.
Indigenous advancement to transform higher education and society
Ultimately, improving Indigenous success in higher education benefits Indigenous students and communities and enriches the entire university system. Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives have much to offer regarding research, pedagogy, and ways of understanding the world. Embracing this diversity of thought is critical as universities aim to tackle complex global challenges.
Of course, implementing all of this in practice is easier said than done. It requires sustained commitment, resources, and a willingness to fundamentally change entrenched systems and ways of thinking. However, the potential benefits, not just for Indigenous peoples but for the advancement of knowledge and society as a whole, make it imperative that we continue to push for this rights-based transformation of higher education.
In this journey, non-Indigenous staff and leaders must recognise their privilege and use it to drive change. They must be willing to listen, learn, and sometimes step aside to create space for Indigenous leadership. This is not just an Indigenous issue – it's a challenge and an opportunity for the entire university community to create a more just, equitable, and intellectually prosperous higher education system.
Professor Peter Anderson, Director Indigenous Research Unit, Griffith University; Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success (ACSES) First Nations Fellow.