About truth-telling

The NSW Department of Education has commenced a formal process to document its role and impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and educational outcomes in NSW. The need for truth-telling was identified through the consultation process that informed the development of the department’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Truth-telling research

The Purai Global Indigenous History Centre at the University of Newcastle will be researching ‘our past, our present and our future’. It will focus on the stories of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities across NSW and aspirations for a better future. The research will be underpinned by a literature review of published and unpublished literature and analysis of a range of archival resources.

Community consultation

The department will be undertaking community consultation workshops to understand how to best engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members into the research and provide culturally safe supports throughout the process. Feedback from this process will also be used to guide the future use of the research by the department.

Aims

• enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to tell the stories they want to tell in the ways they want to tell them.

• documenting and acknowledging the impact of the department on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their culture.

• recognising the resilience, courage and strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

  
  

The department consultations will be conducted in March to May, 2024. This will commence prior to the University of Newcastle’s second stage of research and will be undertaken through community forums, yarning circles and the Have Your Say online platform.

University of Newcastle Research

The Purai Global Indigenous History Centre at the University of Newcastle commenced their research in late 2023. The first stage of the research consisted of an archival and literature review.

In April 2024 the University will commence the second stage of their research. Research methods including community workshops, yarning circles and interviews will be conducted to capture stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The aim is to understand the following:

• how the department’s past policies and practices impacted the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• current student experiences in schools and future aspirations.

• experiences of Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander parents with a student in a government school.

Register your interest

If you are interested in participating in a community consultation workshop, you can register your interest by completing the register form.

Contact us

For further information or questions about the NSW Department of Education’s Truth-telling process, please contact rap@det.nsw.edu.au