Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support

The University of Notre Dame is committed to providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with the highest quality educational experience. Hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have graduated from Notre Dame and gone on to work in medicine, nursing, education, law and many other professional areas. Notre Dame offers a range of services and support to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in their transition to university and success once they’ve settled in. This includes dedicated Indigenous Student Support Officers, an Indigenous mentoring program, scholarships, admissions pathways, private and small-group tutoring, and placement opportunities, among other support.

Notre Dame is proud to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the lands upon which our campuses sit. The Fremantle Campus is located on Nyungar Whadjuk Country, the Broome Campus on Yawuru Country and the Sydney Campus on Gadigal Country. The video below, produced by our former National Director of Indigenous Education, Associate Professor Clive Walley, illustrates the importance of the land on which Notre Dame campuses are situated. The video features Whadjuk Nyungar Elders describing the significance of the Walyalup area, today known as Fremantle.

• Indigenous Student Support Officers

  Dedicated Indigenous Student Support Officers work to make your time at university as smooth as possible. They will contact you prior to your commencement to make sure that you are properly prepared and support you throughout your degree. You can contact your Indigenous Student Support Officer about anything, including but not limit to:

  • Enrolment
  • Scholarships
  • Indigenous accommodation
  • One-on-one and small group tutoring
  • Mentoring and traineeship programs
  • Academic support
  • Financial difficulty and Abstudy
  • Cultural support
  • Personal issues affecting your study
  • Any other question that you might have

  Sydney
  Level 5, NDS5 140 Broadway
  Chippendale, NSW, 2007
  E: indigenous@nd.edu.au

  Fremantle & Broome
  Cindy Barrie
  ND7, 50 Mouat Street
  Fremantle, WA, 6160
  P: (08) 9433 0699
  E: indigenous@nd.edu.au

  Sydney (Medicine)
  Frankie Merritt
  NDS12, 160 Oxford St
  Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010
  P: (02) 8204 4456
  E: frankie.merritt@nd.edu.au

  Fremantle (Medicine)
  Denise Groves
  ND18, 38/40 Henry St
  Fremantle, WA, 6160
  P: (08) 9433 0721
  E: denise.groves@nd.edu.au

  Manager, Indigenous Student Engagement and Success
  Kymberley Oakley
  ND7, 50 Mouat Street
  Fremantle, WA, 6160
  P: (08) 0439 968 820
  E: kymberley.oakley@nd.edu.au

• Academic Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

  Notre Dame students are offered a range of study support services, including:

  • One-on-one sessions with an Academic Advisor on queries related to study, time management, academic writing, essay structure, referencing, procrastination and more.
  • Regular study skills workshops on a range of topics designed to develop and enhance students’ academic skills.
  • Academic advice and support from experienced academics in each School.

  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are also eligible for ongoing, one-on-one or small group tutoring through the Indigenous Student Success Program (ISSP). Tutoring is free of charge and qualified tutors can be arranged in any discipline.

  For more information, please contact the Indigenous Student Support Officer on your campus:

  • Sydney: (02) 8204 4645 or sydney.indigenous@nd.edu.au
  • Fremantle: (08) 9433 0864 or indigenous@nd.edu.au

  If you would like tutoring in the ISSP tutoring program, please complete the Tutoring Student Application and send it to the appropriate Indigenous Student Support Officer.

  If you would like to tutor in the ISSP tutoring program, please complete the Tutor Expression of Interest form and send it to the appropriate Indigenous Student Support Officer.

• Scholarships

  A number of scholarships are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. You can visit the scholarships page for information about scholarships available in your School, or follow the links below to find scholarships available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

  View Scholarships

• Indigenous Student Employment

  There are occasionally opportunities for students to be employed by the University in the following areas: events, hospitality, food preparation, student panels, high school visits, front counter, data entry/filing. To be considered for such roles, please complete the Employment Expression of Interest Form.

• Opportunities

  Alternative Entry Pathways into University
  At Notre Dame we know that you're a person, not a number. We consider who you are, what you have done and what you want to do with your life. So if you are looking to study at the University there are a number of entry pathways available to you. Check out the alternative entry pathways webpage.

  Alternative Entry into Medicine
  The Notre Dame School of Medicine provides an alternative entry pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study Medicine. For more information, please visit the Pathways to Medicine page.

  Notre Dame Indigenous Students Society
  The Notre Dame Indigenous Students Society (NDISS) is run by and for Indigenous Notre Dame students. As well as representing Indigenous students on a range of University committees, the Society runs regular events which are a great way to connect with other Indigenous students on campus. Want to learn more about the Society? Sign up by completing the Member Registration form and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

  CareerHub
  Don’t wait until your final year to compete with thousands of other graduates. Learn what you need to do now to guarantee your professional work opportunities. Check out CareerHub. For more information about Careers and to speak with a Careers Advisor, Career Service page.

  CareerTrackers
  CareerTrackers links Indigenous university students with employers for paid, multi-year internships. Each student completes internships in uni breaks with one of CareerTrackers’ excellent partner organisations, matched to their career aspirations and their degrees. For more information, see the CareerTrackers website.

  Indigenous National University Games
  Once a year, Indigenous uni students come together to battle it out for sporting supremacy. Mixed teams compete in four sports: ​​touch football, basketball, netball, and volleyball. All Indigenous students are welcome, and no experience is necessary! For more information, check out the UniSport website or contact Notre Dame’s Sports Coordinator at fremantle.sports@nd.edu.au| sydney.sports@nd.edu.au.

• Mentoring Programs

  All commencing students at Notre Dame are automatically placed in the Student Peer Mentoring Program which links new students with personal student mentors. The program aims to smooth the transition from school (or work) to university.

  In Sydney, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are given the option of participating in the Indigenous Student Mentoring Program. This program includes support from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander student mentor and several opportunities to meet other first-semester Indigenous students.

• Nulungu Research Institute

  The University of Notre Dame Australia is committed to providing strong support for the process of Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. To promote and integrate the mission of Reconciliation across all campuses, the University established the Nulungu Research Institute in 2008.

  Located in Broome, Nulungu provides an Indigenous research and academic focus for the entire University – including the Fremantle and Sydney Campuses – and operates at local, regional, national and international levels.

  While Nulungu focuses on the core research themes of Country (land, saltwater, freshwater, and desert), Health and Wellbeing, and Education, research expertise covers a wide range of disciplines.

• Manjaree Aboriginal Student Place

  In November 2017, Artist in Resident Juanetia (Neta) Knapp and a group of Aboriginal Students created a mural ‘Manjaree Mia Kaart’ (meaning place of learning, a place of history and a place of spiritual journey and knowledge).  The artwork is designed to bring to life the colours symbols and stories of the land and Notre Dame Aboriginal Students across Australia and to assist them in feeling connected to each other and the University.

  The Manjaree Place is a meeting place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students and is used for student cultural and educational gatherings, study, recreation and get-togethers, it is located on the Notre Dame Fremantle Campus in Bateman Court (ND9 104).

  Events

  The Manjaree Aboriginal Student Place in Bateman Court holds a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events throughout the year.  See our 12610 for more information. Manjaree is also used to hold Tutor and Student Inductions and Staff Cultural Awareness Training.

• Significant dates

  Throughout the year a number of Aboriginal events are recognised.

• Contact us

  Fremantle & Broome
  Visit us: ND7 50 Mouat Street, Fremantle
  Email us: indigenous@nd.edu.au
  Call us: 08 9433 0699

  Sydney
  Visit us: Level 5, NDS5 140 Broadway
  Email us: indigenous@nd.edu.au
  Call us: 02 8204 4362

The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle uses the term Aboriginal peoples for the many Aboriginal communities and language groups within WA. This demonstrates respect to the Aboriginal community in Western Australia and most accurately acknowledges the diversity of Aboriginal peoples within this state. This is consistent with the approach of State government departments such as the Department of Health (Government of Western Australia Department of Health). In using the term Aboriginal people, no disrespect is intended to Torres Strait Islander people and their communities.