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Murdoch University launches Australian higher ed's first dual-pathway First Nations training framework
In a first for the Australian university sector - Murdoch University has launched a dual-pathway training framework centring First Nations Cultural Leadership alongside non-Indigenous cultural capability.
While most training frameworks focus on increasing the cultural understanding and capability of non-Indigenous staff, students and community, they lack investment in the futures, wellbeing and leadership of First Nations peoples.
Senior Training and Engagement Manager First Nations Elisha Jacobs-Smith said the framework recognised that cultural capability and cultural leadership were not the same journey, but that they must be walked together.
“This is not an add-on or a training sequence. It is a structural shift in how leadership, learning and accountability are understood within a university setting,” he said.
It acknowledges that cultural safety is achieved when First Nations leadership is visible, supported and resourced – not when cultural labour is extracted or shared without care.
Both pathways follow four steps before meeting in the middle:
Keny (1) Awareness
Koodjal (2) Accountability
Dambart (3) Responsiveness
Koodjal koodjal (4) Reciprocity
c0d91fe2dcaa4870b083f462704b73b8.jpg?sfvrsn=e873572a_1 "Kyanna Hansen and Elisha Jacobs-Smith.")
The First Nations pathway travels inward to outward, moving through all facets of Culture, Community, Truth-Telling, sharing cultural Knowledge and stepping into leadership.
“The cultural leadership pathway exists to honour truth, and to ensure our mob are not positioned as learners of our own cultures, but as leaders, knowledge holders and agents of change,” Mr Jacobs-Smith said.
For non-Indigenous people, the pathway begins outward and moves inward – starting with learning about systemic barriers, historical contexts of the Countries where Murdoch University operates, accountability and introspection, and building culturally safe and respectful relationships.
After these four steps, both paths meet in the middle at Maar (5) safety.
dbf45db4dbc640db87ce06b0a1c315c7.jpg?sfvrsn=6321da8_1 "First Nations Training Framework by Elisha Jacobs-Smith.")
Pro Vice Chancellor First Nations Professor Chanelle van den Berg said the framework aimed to create a strong and respectful environment where First Nations students could thrive and where all members of the University community could understand the role they played in advancing reconciliation and equity.
“Importantly, cultural capability is not about perfection. It is about curiousity, humility, and a willingness to listen and learn,” Professor van den Berg said.
It requires us to reflect on our histories and systems, to challenge assumptions and to build relationships grounded in respect.
Associate Professor Jenna Woods, Dean of the School of Indigenous Knowledges (SIK), said the multi-level, comprehensive training framework also supported non-Indigenous academic staff to respectfully integrate Indigenous Knowledges into curriculum and research.
“The framework supports staff to deepen their understanding of Indigenous worldviews and the responsibilities that come with teaching them.”
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Murdoch University launches Australian higher ed's first dual-pathway First Nations training framework
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