By deepening your knowledge of these frameworks, you are better equipped to create meaningful connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, embed First Nation’s perspectives in your teaching, and contribute to the cultural safety of all learners. This understanding is essential to ensuring that every child feels seen, heard, and valued in their educational journey.
National and state Indigenous education policies are designed to support and promote the educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as to embed Indigenous perspectives across the curriculum for all students. As an educator, understanding and applying these policies can have a significant impact on your teaching practice, classroom environment, and the success of your students.
Indigenous education policies provide a framework for culturally responsive teaching, ensuring that your teaching practices are inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems, languages, and worldviews. This impacts the resources you choose, the way you design lessons, and how you create a learning environment that reflects and respects the diversity of Indigenous cultures. By aligning with these policies, you ensure that Indigenous students feel represented and valued in the classroom, while fostering respect and understanding among non-Indigenous students.
Policies like the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy emphasise the importance of setting high expectations for Indigenous students and providing tailored support to help them reach their potential. For you as an educator, this means identifying the unique strengths and challenges of your Indigenous students, offering differentiated learning opportunities, and fostering an environment where they feel capable of achieving success.
Many state Indigenous education policies advocate for the involvement of Indigenous families and communities in the educational process. This impacts your role in engaging with local Indigenous Elders, parents, and community members, as well as including them in decision-making processes for Indigenous students. Collaborating with the local community also ensures that cultural knowledge is integrated accurately and respectfully in the classroom.
Both national and state policies encourage the embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contributions in everyday teaching, across all subjects. This impacts how you integrate Indigenous knowledge into various areas of learning, whether it’s science, geography, or the arts. This helps students develop a deeper understanding of Australia’s true history and supports reconciliation efforts in education.
National and state policies often require teachers to engage in ongoing professional development to enhance their cultural competence. This impacts your own learning journey, providing opportunities to build your cultural awareness and understanding, ensuring you are equipped to support Indigenous students and embed their perspectives meaningfully.
Educational policies aimed at reconciliation promote healing by recognising the past, supporting Indigenous students in overcoming systemic barriers, and educating all students about the historical and contemporary experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As a teacher, you play a crucial role in this process by using these policies to teach the truth about Australia’s history and empowering students to become advocates for equity and justice.
By understanding and applying Indigenous education policies, you can transform your classroom into a space that respects and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. It empowers you to become an active participant in the broader mission of reconciliation through education, fostering understanding and positive change for generations to come.
National and state Indigenous education policies play a crucial role in shaping the learning environment, experiences, and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as all students across Australia. These policies are designed to address historical inequalities, close the education gap, and promote a culturally responsive and inclusive education system. When implemented effectively, they have the potential to significantly enhance student outcomes in various ways.
By embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the curriculum, these policies promote greater cultural understanding and respect among all students. This increased awareness and appreciation of Indigenous histories, cultures, and contributions help to create more inclusive learning environments. For Indigenous students, this visibility of their culture in the classroom fosters a sense of pride, belonging, and engagement, positively impacting their emotional and academic well-being.
When Indigenous students see their identities, stories, and cultural heritage reflected in the curriculum, they are more likely to engage and participate actively in learning. National and state policies that emphasize culturally responsive teaching encourage teachers to incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and worldviews, making education more relevant to the lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This leads to higher levels of motivation, attendance, and retention.
Policies like the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy and state-level frameworks specifically target closing the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. They emphasize high expectations, tailored support, and differentiated learning strategies to ensure Indigenous students achieve academic success. By setting clear goals and benchmarks for Indigenous student outcomes, these policies help schools identify and address areas where Indigenous students may require additional support, ultimately leading to improved literacy, numeracy, and overall academic achievement.
National and state Indigenous education policies highlight the importance of creating safe, supportive, and culturally sensitive learning environments. When schools adopt these policies, they implement practices that protect students from racism and discrimination and promote cultural safety. This enhances the emotional and psychological well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, providing them with the confidence to participate fully in school life and contribute to their communities. A strong sense of belonging has been proven to boost student outcomes across various measures, including academic performance and social development.
Indigenous education policies emphasize the need for culturally appropriate support systems that are responsive to the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This includes providing Indigenous students with access to targeted programs, resources, and services that align with their cultural identity and educational needs. The provision of such tailored support systems—whether it be mentorship programs, language revitalization, or community engagement initiatives—helps to improve Indigenous students’ academic outcomes by addressing the systemic barriers they may face in mainstream education.
By promoting culturally safe, relevant, and inclusive learning environments, Indigenous education policies also contribute to reducing dropout rates and increasing completion rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Policies that provide targeted interventions, such as early literacy support, individual learning plans, and access to culturally specific resources, help Indigenous students stay on track and complete their educational pathways, whether in primary, secondary, or tertiary settings.
Indigenous education policies encourage schools to engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and involve them in decision-making processes related to their children’s education. This fosters a sense of ownership and self-determination, empowering students and their communities to take an active role in shaping their educational journeys. Students who feel empowered by their own communities and see their culture and voices respected in school are more likely to succeed and develop the confidence to pursue further educational and career opportunities.
At their core, Indigenous education policies are designed to promote equity and social justice within the education system. They recognize the historical and ongoing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and seek to rectify these inequities through systemic change. For all students, learning about Indigenous histories, cultures, and social justice issues fosters critical thinking, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for creating a fairer society. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike benefit from an education system that is built on principles of equity, diversity, and reconciliation.
By integrating Indigenous education policies into teaching practices, schools can transform the educational experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, ensuring that they are supported, valued, and empowered to succeed. These policies create pathways for improved academic outcomes, emotional well-being, cultural pride, and future opportunities for all students, ultimately leading to a more inclusive and equitable education system for everyone.
The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration sets out a vision for a world-class education system that encourages and supports every student to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face.
Education Ministers have agreed on a new national declaration on education goals for all Australians. Known as the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (the Declaration), it sets out the national vision for education and the commitment of Australian Governments to improving educational outcomes.
Download and read the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration here.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy (the Strategy) was endorsed by education ministers on 18 September 2015. Under the Strategy, education ministers have agreed to a set of principles and priorities that will inform jurisdictional approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education.
Recognising the different roles of governments, the Strategy includes actions that education ministers will take together to complement the efforts of individual jurisdictions. These actions build on existing national initiatives such as the Australian Curriculum and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to accelerate the rate of improvement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student outcomes.
The initial set of actions focus on:
Download and read the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy.
Closing the Gap Strategy
Closing the Gap is underpinned by the belief that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of policies, programs and services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. It also recognises that structural change in the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is needed to close the gap.
All Australian governments are working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their communities, organisations and businesses to implement the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap at the national, state and territory, and local levels.
First Steps – NSW Aboriginal Children’s Early Childhood Education Strategy 2021-2025 is a 5-year plan that solidifies the department’s commitment to ensuring the best educational outcomes for Aboriginal children aged 0-5.
The Strategy provides a clear roadmap to achieving the best educational outcomes for Aboriginal children aged 0-5, and supports renewed reform under Closing the Gap and the 10-year partnership between the department and the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG).
Footprints to the Future is a 10-year plan to strengthen education for Aboriginal learners in NSW Public Schools. Footprints to the Future supports the implementation of evidence-based practices for learners and staff to ensure the educational outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people are as good as or better than those of the general student population in New South Wales.
There are four primary focus areas within the plan:
Download and read the Footprints to the Future document here.
Strong Strides Together is a resource developed by the NSW Department of Education’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation brings together the evidence on ways that schools can contribute to the educational success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The paper outlines current policies and frameworks that should inform teachers and school leaders when working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. These policies and frameworks provide the foundation for promoting the success of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students in school.
The Queensland Department of Education released the Every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child succeeding strategy.
Following an extensive consultation process, the strategy sets the direction on how they will improve outcomes for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in state schools through 3 priorities:
In line with the department’s Advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education action plan and State Schools Strategy, these priorities recognise the importance of acknowledging and promoting culture, and supporting students to achieve through to Year 12.
Download and read the Every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child succeeding strategy here.
The QLD Department of Education acknowledges the diversity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities and the importance of engaging appropriately with them at an individual, school and corporate level, to support engaging with communities the department produced Engaging communities: empowering futures – a framework for engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The QLD Department of Education believes that sustained, respectful and inclusive engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and communities at all levels is integral to their efforts to improve early childhood and school education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and students.
Download and read the Engaging communities: empowering futures framework here.
The Marrung Strategy ensures that all Koorie Victorians achieve their learning aspirations. The Murrung Strategy covers learners from Early Childhood to Higher Education and Training.
Marrung acknowledges that learning outcomes for all Koorie learners are greatly improved with strong partnerships and connections to and with their families and communities. Success can be linked to culturally supportive and responsive learning environments from early childhood, through to school and higher education and training.
The recognition of the role of the Koorie community throughout Marrung is consistent with the Government’s self-determination agenda. This agenda will involve changing the way Government engages with Aboriginal Victorians and strengthening their voice within government policies and practices.
The Northern Territory’s Indigenous Education Strategy outlines the Department of Education and Training’s commitment to the NT Government Everyone Together: Aboriginal Affairs Strategy 2019-2029 and the NT’s commitment to national initiatives such as Closing the Gap.
The Northern Territory Government commissioned the A Share in the Future Review in 2013 to get an informed understanding of the impact of programs and initiatives and to make recommendations to optimise education and training outcomes for Indigenous students.
Download and read the strategy here.
In 2022, the NT Department of Education and Training developed the NT Education Engagement Strategy 2022-2031.
Developed through the guidance from an expert education reference group and education leaders reference group, the strategy reflects the voices heard through broad consultation of students, young children, families, community, and key stakeholders in the NT.
There is a strong alignment between the key programs of the Indigenous Education Strategy and deliverables of the Engagement Strategy, with both aiming to improve engagement in education across the NT education sector.
Download and read the NT Education Engagement Strategy here.
South Australia’s Aboriginal Education Strategy was released in December 2018 to support Aboriginal students in reaching their full potential. The strategy covers learner’s from early childhood to pathways into work.
They hope this is done through, nurturing strong foundations in the early years, building on both individual and shared strengths to sustain excellence, valuing wellbeing and enabling self-determined pathways to success.
The strategy focuses on empowering Aboriginal students as proud and confident learners on their paths from birth through to beyond school.
The strategy focuses on:
Educators, leaders and support services continue to implement the strategy at the local level, regularly communicating and collaborating on progress with families and communities.
Download and read SA’s Aboriginal Education Strategy here.
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students will have a learning plan. This plan will:
Using the Cultural Integrity Framework, the Directorate aims to implement cultural Integrity in all ACT public schools and the Education Support Office. There are three key elements to Cultural Integrity:
Read more about ACT’s Cultural Integrity Framework here.
At this time, when researching, disappointingly no current policy or plan for WA’s Department of Education could be found.
The previous Aboriginal Action Plan for WA Schools 2011-2014 was the only policy or plan to be found that focused specially on improving outcomes for Western Australia’s children.
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