AEP Goal 2: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff numbers

2. Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed as academic and non-academic staff in higher education institutions.

Your response to this goal needs to address, but is not limited to, the following points:

  • An outline of your current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy including details on its current status, who has responsibility for its implementation, how is progress measured, how and when is progress reviewed or evaluated.
  • Information on your strategies for increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed in your School/Directorate. (Please provide a link to your Employment statement).
  • The number of Indigenous-specific positions at your University, detailed by occupation and level.
  • The current number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at your University and their roles across the University (including numbers in academic and non-academic roles, and by level).

Aboriginal Lecturer in the School of Rural Medicine, Ms Lisa Shipley, and Aboriginal Support Officer, Ms Shannon Smith, were appointed to develop and run the Kruki Summer School for Indigenous medical students. These short-term contract appointments were funded by a Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP) grant from the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

In late 2016, Lisa Shipley was directly appointed on a 0.5 FTE basis. With ongoing HEPPP funding, the School of Rural Medicine will continue to employ Lisa Shipley in 2017 at a lecturer level on a full-time basis to both deliver the HEPPP program and to assist with delivering the Indigenous health curriculum of the Joint Medical Program (a joint initiative with the University of Newcastle), to increase engagement with those Indigenous students enrolled in the JMP at UNE and to progress her research profile.

The School of Arts continued to engage an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Assistant on the research project, “Nourishing Culture and Developing Social Capital in a Community Garden. This project is led by Dr Katherine Wright, postdoctoral research Fellow in the School of Arts. There is ongoing opportunity for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Creative Practice Scholars in the School of Arts, to be involved in marking and teaching within units that are relevant to their expertise.

The School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences engaged a local Indigenous Psychologist to provide training for psychology students and to work closely with the Deputy Head of School and Director of the Psychology Clinical Program.  A criminology research group examining Indigenous Adult Education in Bourke NSW engaged an Indigenous research assistant. Indigenous HDR students were recruited as research assistants on natural resource management projects

Table 1 – Permanent positions

School/Directorate

Academic/Non-Academic by level

Position title

School

Academic C

Senior Lecturer

School

Academic B

Lecturer

School

Non-Academic HEO4

Administrative Assistant

Directorates

Non-Academic HEO7

Elder in Residence

Online Learning Student Engagement Officer

Student Services Manager

Senior HR Consultant (Aboriginal Employment)

Non-Academic HEO6

Student Services Officer

Systems Analyst/Programmer

Non-Academic HEO5

Client Services Officer

Non-Academic HEO4

Administrative Assistant

Student Services Administrative Assistant

Customer Service Officer

Plumber

Child Care Worker

Total

Total Academic: 2

 

Total Non-Academic: 17

Table 2 – Casual and fixed-term positions

School/Directorate

Academic/Non-Academic by level

Position title

Directorate (VC Office)

Fixed Term Academic B

VC’s Australian Indigenous Research Fellow

School

Fixed Term Academic A

Pre Doctoral Fellowship in Law

Associate Lecturer

School

Casual Academic

Casual Academic

School

Fixed Term Non-Academic HEO5

Aboriginal Support Officer

Executive Assistant

School

Casual Non-Academic HEO5

Casual General

School

Casual Non-Academic HEO4

Casual Technical Officer

Directorates

Contract Non-Academic

Director Oorala Aboriginal Centre

 

Casual Academic (ITAS)

Oorala ITAS Tutor

 

Casual Non-Academic HEO3

Casual General

Total

Total Academic: 5

 

Total Non-Academic: 9

Table 3 – Indigenous-specific positions

School/Directorate

Academic/Non-Academic by level

Position title

School

Permanent Academic C

Senior Lecturer

School

Permanent Academic B

Lecturer (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders)

School

Fixed Term Academic A

Pre Doctoral Fellowship in Law

Directorates

Fixed Term Academic B (VC’s Office)

VC’s Australian Indigenous Research Fellow

 

Contract Non-Academic

Director Oorala Aboriginal Centre

 

Permanent Non-Academic HEO7

Elder in Residence

Online Learning Student Engagement Officer

Student Services Manager

Senior HR Consultant (Aboriginal Employment)

 

Permanent Non-Academic HEO6

Student Services Officer

 

Fixed Term Non-Academic HEO5

Aboriginal Support Officer

 

Permanent Non-Academic HEO4

Administrative Assistant

Student Services Administration Assistant

Total

Total Academic: 4

Total Non-Academic: 9

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy

The UNE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy 2013–2018 (the Strategy) details the University’s commitment to increasing the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as UNE employees.

The Strategy identifies four objectives representing the key results areas of the Strategy:

  • Community Partnerships – strengthening relations between the community and UNE;
  • Career Development – building meaningful career paths for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff;
  • Becoming a Good Employer – building understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and appropriate workforce management practices;
  • Attracting and Retaining – increasing meaningful employment options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and,
  • Includes aspirational employment targets for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait peoples in permanent/continuing positions across UNE.

Responsibility for meeting these targets has been devolved to the Schools and Directorates. An exemption from the Australian Human Rights Commission (NSW) was successfully sought to increase the number of targeted positions to 30 by the end of 2018.

In 2016, the Strategy was overseen by the UNE Human Resources Directorate.

Engagement with Schools and Directorates by the Aboriginal Employment Officer facilitates identification of suitable positions and candidates for identified or designated positions. Relationships with local job agencies has also been established.

To promote a culturally appropriate workforce the University introduced a one-day cultural awareness workshop that has been attended by senior management and staff from across the University. These workshops promote an awareness and understanding of the valuable contribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community has made to UNE and to foster a strong commitment from staff at all levels to the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

In 2016 the University increased the number of Indigenous PhD candidates by awarding four fully-funded stipends for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students commencing in the 2016 academic year, with an additional four to be awarded commencing in 2017. Fully funded stipends beyond 2017 will be subject to the availability of ongoing funds. These stipends are awarded for students studying toward the achievement of a research masters/doctoral qualification. Casual engagement in academic roles has been established. Future employment in academic roles is a possible outcome for these students on completion of their studies with the potential to address the under representation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander academic staff in the future.

In 2016 UNE formed an Indigenous Governance Working Party to work on the three connected issues of increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, developing an Indigenous Employment Policy and Indigenous governance at UNE. The Working Party has representation from Schools, Directorates and senior executive. It is due to report in 2017.

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