Indigenous Engagement

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which UQ operates. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.

2021 – what a year...

Despite another year of uncertainty and disruption, we never wavered in our goal to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and perspectives at UQ and in our communities.

Student engagement

We found new and exciting ways to engage with and support current and future Indigenous students.

A student with brunette hair and a white shirt smiling at the camera in front of a sandstone building.

Kiara Bowater, recipient of the NRMA Insurance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship

A group of high school students wearing black shirts with AIME written in white.

AIME Day, partnering Indigenous high school students with university programs and mentors.

A large group of students cheering in athletics wear.

Indigenous Uni Games – The Goorie Goannas

A smiling man wearing glasses and a maroon suit.

NAIDOC Ball Best Dressed - Harry Reuben

A group of IT professionals smiling at the camera.

Denzel Strauss, inaugural recipient of the Baidam Solutions Scholarship, from an Indigenous-owned ICT business

Three students in tailored suits in a courtroom.

Winners of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students' Moot competition

Staff achievements

Our staff had an amazing year too...

Professor Anita Heiss had an amazing year, with her novels Manhattan Dreaming and Paris Dreaming released as audio books, while novel ‘Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray River of Dreams’ was shortlisted for the Historical Novel prize.

Professor Anita Heiss had an amazing year, with her novels Manhattan Dreaming and Paris Dreaming released as audio books, while novel ‘Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray River of Dreams’ was shortlisted for the Historical Novel prize.

Dr Marnee Shay (right) from HASS, pictured here with Aunty Denise Proud, was awarded a **UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award** for her co-edited book *Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures*

Dr Marnee Shay (right) from HASS, pictured here with Aunty Denise Proud, was awarded a **UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award** for her co-edited book *Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures*

Renowned ATSIS Unit academic, interdisciplinary artist, curator, activist, cultural educator and creative thinker Dr r e a Saunders has been awarded a UQ Postdoctoral Award to enhance a range of research projects, including work on Country.

Renowned ATSIS Unit academic, interdisciplinary artist, curator, activist, cultural educator and creative thinker Dr r e a Saunders has been awarded a UQ Postdoctoral Award to enhance a range of research projects, including work on Country.

Professor Heiss' book 'Tiddas' was turned into a theatre production by La Boite Theatre with QPAC.

Professor Heiss' book 'Tiddas' was turned into a theatre production by La Boite Theatre with QPAC.

Jenny Fraser exhibited her art at the JAALA International Art Exchange Exhibition in Tokyo as part of global exhibition

Jenny Fraser exhibited her art at the JAALA International Art Exchange Exhibition in Tokyo as part of global exhibition

Dr Katelyn Barney (left) and Professor Tracey Bunda launched a new podcast series called *'Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it’*.

Dr Katelyn Barney (left) and Professor Tracey Bunda launched a new podcast series called *'Indigenous Success: Doing it, Thinking it, Being it’*.

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson was awarded the ANU Indigenous Alumna of the Year for 2021, and has given several keynote lectures, including at Cornell University.

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson was awarded the ANU Indigenous Alumna of the Year for 2021, and has given several keynote lectures, including at Cornell University.

“The teachers here are very passionate – they care about what they are teaching us, and they care about how well it will prepare us for the workforce.”
Courtney Moy (Bachelor of Wildlife Science)

Talented alumni

And let's not forget about our talented alumni...

UQ alumnus, Professor Megan Davis, spoke at the UQ Global Leadership Series: What's it all about? Constitution, treaty, voice.

Megan was also on hand to accept the Sydney Peace Prize for the Uluru Statement from the Heart with Noel Pearson, Pat Anderson AO, and UQ’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) Professor Bronwyn Fredericks.

Professor Megan Davis – UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, Professor of Law and Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law – worked with Pat Anderson AO and Noel Pearson to deliver the landmark Uluru Statement in 2017, which was awarded the 2021 Sydney Peace Prize.

Professor Megan Davis – UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, Professor of Law and Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law – worked with Pat Anderson AO and Noel Pearson to deliver the landmark Uluru Statement in 2017, which was awarded the 2021 Sydney Peace Prize.

Megan Davis is Pro-Vice-Chancellor Indigenous at UNSW. She also delivered a Statecraft lecture on ‘The Uluru Statement’ and Constitutional Reform in 2021.

Torres Strait Islander architect and artist Kevin O'Brien.

Torres Strait Islander architect and artist Kevin O'Brien.

Torres Strait Islander architect and artist Kevin O'Brien earned an Indigenous Community Impact Award, as part of The University of Queensland 2021 Alumni Awards.

Special mention also goes to:

Architects Georgia Birks and Andrew Lane
Doctor Sherice Ansell
Journalist Amy McQuire
Energy specialist Ashley Hughes
Bond Uni Provost Professor Keitha Dunstan
Author and Fulbright Scholar Graham Akhurst
Defence Industries technologist Anna Holland

and many more...

Community outreach

We maintained strong ties with our mob through strong community outreach.

Netball Queensland’s Diamond Spirit program

Diamond Spirit Netball Camp

Diamond Spirit Netball Camp

We welcomed senior high school netballers from Ipswich, Darwin and Alice Springs as part of Netball Queensland’s Diamond Spirit program.

Keeping in touch

We stayed in touch using:

The Yarning e-newsletter
Alumni and ATSIS Unit social media channels
The ATSIS Unit Weekly Bulletin e-newsletter.

Giving Day

With Giving Day donations from over 170 donors – matched by UQ – we have raised more than $130,000 to fund Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholarships for the future.

Kev Carmody House

Kev Carmody (front seat) with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Bronwyn Fredericks and Professor Tracey Bunda

Kev Carmody (front seat) with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Bronwyn Fredericks and Professor Tracey Bunda

We welcomed UQ alumnus and all-round star Kev Carmody to campus, to proudly give him a tour of the brand new, state-of-the-art Kev Carmody House residential student accommodation.

Kev Carmody (centre) and wife Beryl Carmody with the Vice Chancellor and construction workers of the Kev Carmody House.

Kev Carmody (centre) and wife Beryl Carmody with the Vice Chancellor and construction workers of the Kev Carmody House.

Digital marketing campaign

We also launched our very first digital marketing campaign specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students!

Jemma Mi Mi – Indigenous Australian netball player, playing for the Queensland Firebirds.

Jemma Mi Mi – Indigenous Australian netball player, playing for the Queensland Firebirds.

The campaign featured curated content by UQ staff and alumni, and some special UQ friends – Jemma Mi Mi from QLD Firebirds and Scott Prince and others from the Brisbane Broncos.

'A Guidance Through Time' created by Quandamooka artists, Casey Coolwell and Kyra Mancktelow

Reconciliation

2021 saw a number of Reconciliation initiatives and events across the UQ community.

We celebrated the launch of the UQ Reconciliation Action Program (RAP) Network, with an incredible 64 staff and students joining already!

UQ Reconciliation Action Program (RAP) Network launch event.

UQ Reconciliation Action Program (RAP) Network launch event.

Related events throughout the year:

Five book swaps to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation
The BLOOM Festival, which included three Bush Foods Bloom Lunches to acknowledge native flowering plants and their properties
National Reconciliation Week – 19 events, reaching more than 28,000 people online and in person
UQ NAIDOC Festival
The Deadly Noize music concert

The Deadly Noize concert featured a line-up of Australia's hottest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

The Deadly Noize concert featured a line-up of Australia's hottest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Other noteworthy projects

UQ was privileged to host Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton AM (UniMel Assoc Provost and Foundation Chair of Indigenous Australian Studies) who delivered UQ's 2021 Teaching and Learning Week Keynote Presentation.

Associate Professor Sandra Phillips, Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, led the Momentum – First Nations First  conversation at QPAC, plotting a path to gender and racial equality and thriving Indigenous communities by 2031.

Professor Tracey Bunda, Acting Director of the ATSIS Unit, led a university-wide project in 2021 to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into UQ curricula.

The UQ Library boosted visibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources across its general and special collections.

A project team, co-chaired by Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and Fabby Ernesta, Director, Property and Facilities, led the development of UQ’s inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Design Framework, which aims to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into UQ’s physical and built environments. The Framework will officially launch in early 2022. This is legacy work which will extend long after we’ve all moved on.

Research and Innovation Week

Research and Innovation Week 2021 included two Indigenous events, bringing together some of the brightest minds in Indigenous research and business.

First was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and Innovation Forum.

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Adjunct Associate Professor Colin Saltmere AM, Professor Gracelyn Smallwood, John Locke, Jim Walker, Michael Aird and Professor Melissa Fitzgerald.

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Adjunct Associate Professor Colin Saltmere AM, Professor Gracelyn Smallwood, John Locke, Jim Walker, Michael Aird and Professor Melissa Fitzgerald.

This was also an opportunity to launch UQ’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and Innovation Strategy – an important milestone moment for the University in terms of its research practices.

The second event was the Indigenous Knowledges in the Academy: Premise and Practice Symposium.

Professor Brendan Hokowhitu presenting at the Indigenous Knowledges in the Academy: Premise and Practice Symposium.

Professor Brendan Hokowhitu presenting at the Indigenous Knowledges in the Academy: Premise and Practice Symposium.

Research projects

A huge number of cutting-edge research projects have been conducted by our team with Indigenous people and communities this year.

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks led an innovative new study using systems thinking to map responses to COVID-19 among Indigenous communities in Brisbane.

Deanne Minnicon, Maurice Woodley and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks – COVID-19 study

Research showing Indigenous peoples’ lands may harbour a significant proportion of threatened and endangered species globally.

Enabling Indigenous businesses from native bushfoods and ornamental plants – Adjunct Professor Dale Chapman and Professor Melissa Fitzgerald.

Native bushfoods

Archaeologists are generating a 65,000-year-old rainfall record from ancient food scraps.

Professor Tracey Bunda, Catherine Manathunga and Michael Singh published their article ‘Transcultural and First Nations doctoral education and epistemological border-crossing: histories and epistemic justice' in Teaching in Higher Education Critical Perspectives.

Professor Tracey Bunda

Historiography of Aboriginal Queensland Nurses and Midwives 1890s-1950s – Professor Tracey Bunda and Professor Odette Best.

Improving outreach strategies for Indigenous students: Increasing impact and university participation, with NCSEHE Equity Fellow Dr Katelyn Barney from UQ.

Building the evidence to improve completion rates for Indigenous students – Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Professor Tracey Bunda and Dr Katelyn Barney.

Indigenous worldviews incorporated into m-health approaches for Indigenous women and children – Associate Professor Stephanie Gilbert and Associate Professor Kym Rae.

Other Indigenous researchers at UQ had a big year also...

Researcher behind the world's first suicide intervention training program for Indigenous Australians, Professor Maree Toombs, Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement) for the Faculty of Medicine, has been recognised with a LiFE Impact Award and marked her appointment from Associate Professor to Professor.

Professor Maree Toombs

Improving the impact of high dementia rates on Indigenous Australians is the focus of a UQ-led telehealth project.

Preventive treatments reduced tooth decay for Indigenous Australian children.

Professor James Ward’s NHMRC grant for a sentinel surveillance system to improve infectious disease outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Michael Aird, UQ Amplify Lecturer, author, and Director of the UQ Anthropology Museum, received an Amplify Research Grant from Swinburne University for his research project: Connecting Indigenous community photographies: a transnational case study.

Image from 'Wild Australia' by Michael Aird, Mandana Mapar and Paul Memmott

... to name a few.

Deanne Minnicon, Maurice Woodley and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks – COVID-19 study

Native bushfoods

Professor Tracey Bunda

Professor Maree Toombs

Image from 'Wild Australia' by Michael Aird, Mandana Mapar and Paul Memmott

Employment

There are now more than 220 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed across UQ in fixed term, continuing and casual positions.

To lead the charge in the employment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, we welcomed Kombumerri and Ngugi man Chris Levinge as Indigenous Employment Manager.

Areas of focus

Challenging the whole of UQ in systems and processes to work towards a culturally safe and inclusive work environment.
Staff networking and connection with the creation of a Microsoft Teams network only for Indigenous staff.
Information sharing and promotion of Identified positions via the Deadly Post e-newsletter.
Creating more opportunities and better outcomes with a comprehensive review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy planned for 2022.

By the numbers

At the time of reporting, the number of staff identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in Academic and Professional roles (fixed-term and continuing) is 39 and 91 respectively.

The Enterprise Agreement goal has an aspirational target of 3 per cent of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employment across the University in fixed-term and continuing positions.

Currently, the figure for Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander staff in these positions across the university is 1.61 per cent.

New staff

Left to right: Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Professor Brendan Hokowhitu, Professor Gail Garvey and Professor Clint Bracknell.

Left to right: Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Professor Brendan Hokowhitu, Professor Gail Garvey and Professor Clint Bracknell.

UQ welcomed four Indigenous professors:

Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, School of Social Science
Professor Brendan Hokowhitu, PhD, Professor of Indigenous Research
Professor Gail Garvey, Professor of Indigenous Health Research in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine
Professor Clint Bracknell, Professor of Linguistics in the School of Languages and Cultures.

Plus a few more faces...

“The ATSIS Unit has created an atmosphere for us Indigenous students where we can all come in, interact, have a yarn and a laugh, and just be ourselves. As a lot of us leave our communities and our people, we can struggle to connect at times, so it gives us a really good grounding.”
Harry Reuben (Diploma of Science, pre-med)

Graduations and events

We were proud to finish the year with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sashing Ceremony – a formal presentation of a sash in cultural colours to our Indigenous graduands for them to wear at their graduation ceremony.