3.1 Culturally appropriate and respectful language

The Importance of Language

Activity 01

‘Aboriginal’ is a broad term that groups nations and custodians of mainland Australia and most of the islands, including Tasmania, K’gari, Palm Island, Mornington Island, Groote Eylandt, Bathurst and Melville Islands.

‘Torres Strait Islander’ is a broad term grouping the peoples of at least 274 small islands between the northern tip of Cape York in Queensland and the south-west coast of Papua New Guinea. Many Torres Strait Islander peoples live on the Australian mainland. There are also 2 Torres Strait Islander communities at Bamaga and Seisia, within the Northern Peninsula Area of Queensland.

• Use basic respectful language
• Don’t use language that can be offensive or discrimatory
• Don’t use past tense

While the term ‘Indigenous Australians’ is in common use, many First Australians may not be comfortable with it.

Make sure to:

• Use empowering, strengths-based language.
• Tell positive stories.
• Emphasise ongoing connections to community, culture and country.

The difference between 2 outcome statements above:

• The first has a strengths-based emphasis.
• The latter perpetuates a deficit discourse.

Activity 02

Close the Gap: Australia’s peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous health bodies, health professional bodies and human rights organisations operate the Close the Gap Campaign. The Campaign’s goal is to raise the health and life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to that of the non-Indigenous population within a generation: to close the gap by 2030. It aims to do this through the implementation of a human rights-based approach set out in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner’s Social Justice Report 2005.

3.2 Evaluating, selecting and deselecting

TLs need to be mindful of what is already in their collection, removing resources that could be considered harmful. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) has created a useful guide that TLs should use when evaluating and selecting resources.

Activity 03

The Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Professional Standard for Teachers 2.4 clearly outlines the responsibility of all Australian teachers when educating about Indigenous-related content.

Teachers should:

• understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
• provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and languages.

• What is my racial and cultural heritage? How do I know? Why does it matter?
• In what ways do my racial and cultural backgrounds influence how I experience the world? How do I know? Why does it matter?
• In what ways do my racial and cultural backgrounds influence what I emphasise in my teaching? How do I know? Why does it matter?
• In what ways do my racial and cultural backgrounds influence how I evaluate and interpret others and their experiences? How do I know? Why does it matter?

• What are the cultural and racial heritages of my students? How do I know? What am I going to do with this information?
• In what ways do my students’ racial and cultural backgrounds influence how they experience the world? How do I know? What am I going to do with this information?

• What is the contextual nature of race, racism, and culture in my classroom, my school, and the broader community? How do I know? What am I going to do about it?
• What systemic and organisational barriers and structures shape peoples’ experiences in school, and in the broader community? How do I know? What am I going to do about it?

1. Authenticity;
2. Balanced nature of the presentation;
3. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participation;
4. Accuracy and support; and,
5. Exclusion of content of a secret or sacred nature (QCAA, 2007, p. 2).

• Questions to ask;
• What to look for; and,
• Action to take.

3.3 Intellectual Property

Indigenous Knowledge is always evolving, with Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property recognising that there is a lack of representation for ICIP in copyright laws.