Cultural Security and Social Justice
The final core theme of Nulungu is ‘Cultural Security and Social Justice’. This theme embodies the spirit of applying The Nulungu Way to our research process and ensuring that a culturally-secure framework is employed in all areas within which research is undertaken; whilst simultaneously addressing the deficit discourse that often impacts the involvement of Aboriginal people across research disciplines and within the political sphere.
If we consider first ‘Cultural Security’, this speaks to the obligations of those working with Aboriginal people and communities to ensure that there are policies and practices in place so that all interactions adequately meet cultural needs. This equates to a culturally safe and secure environment - one where Aboriginal people feel safe and draw strength in their identity, culture and community. Cultural safety is incorporated within this and encapsulates the relationships that we need to foster in our communities, as well as the need for Aboriginal cultural renewal and revitalization. The concept of cultural safety is drawn from the work of Maori nurses in New Zealand and can be defined as:
[A]n environment that is safe for people: where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience of learning, living and working together with dignity and truly listening.[1]
In terms of social justice, this is an extremely important theme within which Nulungu has delivered applied research outputs and outcomes through numerous avenues. Nulungu as an institute is committed to research that encourages restoration of social justice to Aboriginal people, particularly of the Kimberley region. Social Justice is an outcome of both equality and the recognition of Aboriginal diversity and difference. At present, Aboriginal people of the Kimberley suffer from a lack of equality with non-Indigenous residents in terms of health status and life-expectancy, employment and education opportunities, and disproportionate engagement with the criminal justice and child custody systems. Aboriginal people further suffer from struggling to have their unique cultural and linguistic circumstances recognised, and belated and inadequate legal recognition of their deep historical and cultural attachment to their lands held under Native Title. Nulungu researchers are committed to working in partnership with the Aboriginal people of the Kimberley, and under their overall direction following cultural protocols, to produce research that provides social justice outcomes over this range of identifiable research needs.
Examples of Education and Learning research:
- Judiciary Conference
- ARC-funded Reciprocal Accountability and Public Value in Aboriginal Organisations (2016-2021)
In September 2019 the Nulungu Research Institute hosted 25 Judges from the District and Supreme Courts of WA on a 3-day cultural immersion and conference on Yawuru and Karajarri Country. The program aimed to provide the Judges with important cultural context and practical information to support them in their work with Aboriginal people in the courts. The judges attended sessions with Aboriginal specialists in relevant fields including family and domestic violence, trauma, healing, child development, and communication and using interpreters. They experienced an overnight trip to Karajarri Country, 2-hours south of Broome, including a visit to the Bidyadanga Aboriginal community, where they discussed with community their experience of the justice system. This was the second program that Nulungu has coordinated for the WA Judiciary; the first was held on Noongar country in 2016 and was attended by 20 judges and magistrates from across the jurisdiction.
Aboriginal organisations throughout Australia are the main sites for representation of Aboriginal identity and for the delivery of vital services that all Australians agree Aboriginal people have a right to receive. But how much should Aboriginal identity and values affect the way that services are delivered and the kind of services delivered? Will this affect the quality of services? What are the best ways of assessing whether identity and values are being preserved and whether service is of high quality?
Post Graduate and Doctoral Researchers Working in the Broad Education and Learning Space:
- to be confirmed
Previous Projects
- Remote Service Delivery and Cultural Governance Project Evaluation (Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) (2014-2015)
Nulungu was commissioned to conduct an evaluation of a Cultural Governance Project being conducted by the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC) and funded by Woodside Energy Ltd. This project focused on the formal recognition of cultural governance in the Bardi and Jawi traditional owner communities of Ardyaloon, Djarindjin, and Lombadina. The evaluation process commenced in August 2014 and concluded in Jun 2015. The project report can be downloaded here: - WA Police Academy Cultural Security Audit (WA Police) (2017-2018)
In 2017 the Nulungu Research Institute was commissioned by the WA Police Academy in Joondalup to conduct an audit of all cultural and diversity training programs and policies. The audit was conducted at the end of 2017 and the project report handed to the Commissioner of Police in March 2018. This project evaluated the cultural training programs offered at the WA Police Academy to Police Recruits, Transitional Officers and Auxiliary Officers. It involved a desk audit of training materials and policy documents, and interviews were conducted with approximately 20 staff across all levels of the agency. The audit used Juli Coffin’s Cultural Security Scale as the methodology. Although the scope of the project was specific to training, interviews revealed a number of issues relating to the historical relationship between Aboriginal people and Police and therefore the report provided a number of recommendations that fell outside of this area. A number of impacts have resulted from this report, including an apology by the Police Commissioner in June 2018 for historic police injustices towards Aboriginal people, the establishment of a community reference group, a Reconciliation Action Plan and a new Aboriginal department within the agency. The WA Police Academy has also funded a number of scholarships for senior police officers to undertake Notre Dame’s Graduate Certificate in Aboriginal Studies.
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