"Between 1 January 1980 and 31 May 1989, ninety-nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people died in the custody of prison, police or juvenile detention institutions. They were eight-eight males and eleven females. Their approximate age at death was thirty-two years, the median age - the point above and below which half the cases fell - was twenty-nine years and the range was fourteen to sixty-two years. Their deaths were premature. The circumstances of their deaths were extremely varied. One cannot point to a common thread of abuse, neglect or racism that is common to these deaths. However, an examination of the lives of the ninety-nine shows that facts associated in every case with their Aboriginality played a significant and in most cases dominant role in their being in custody and dying in custody."

Reasons for selection:

The short section on 'History' alone makes this volume important reading. It provides a vivid and troubling account of dispossession - of land, of lifestyle and of culture - which has continuing ramifications today. The insensitive and 'petty tyrannies' which have marked race relations in this country are alluded to and exampled.

It also contains a longer section on what Commissioner Johnston describes as 'the fundamental question' - empowerment and self-determination. This too is essential reading for non-Indigenous educators.

There are short sections on schooling, but a good deal on how the needs of young Indigenous people might be met especially with relation to intersections with non-Indigenous Law and those who enforce it.

The Report has lost none of its relevance or bite for being a decade old. The problems it refers to are still all too common.

Bringing Them Home: National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families (1997)

Reasons for selection:

Another landmark official investigation of the history of Indigenous Australians. Tragic and often harrowing reading, it nonetheless fills in important gaps in the knowledge non-Indigenous teachers should have.

Working Purposefully with Aboriginal Students (1995)

The Introduction:

"In conversations with Aboriginal students, their parents and teachers, one issue occurs repeatedly: that so may teachers have never had the opportunity to gain an understanding of Aboriginal peoples and Aboriginal students in particular.

This is a situation which concerns everyone involved. They all agree that the educational prospects for Aboriginal children and adolescents could be significantly improved if teachers had a more informed understanding of their backgrounds and needs.

This text is an attempt to assist in developing that understanding, and to introduce some new models of relating and teaching which may be productive for both teachers in mainstream schools with Aboriginal students. I can't pretend that this slim work holds all the answers. I can only hope that it will stimulate debate and changes in practice which will lead to improved results for Aboriginal students.

Throughout this text the focus is on Aboriginal students and their families. many of the points raised also apply to students from Torres Strait Islander communities."

Reasons for selection:

Firmly grounded in wide experience and with many voices contributing, this short book has been found most useful by teachers who work with Aboriginal students.

Meeting the Educational Needs of Aboriginal Adolescents (1995)
Commissioned Report No. 35, National Board of Employment, Education and training: Canberra, AGPS

Abstract:

During 1994, surveys were conducted in 22 primary and secondary schools with significant Aboriginal populations, in several Australian states. The purpose of the surveys was to acquire a range of perspectives on the educational needs of Aboriginal adolescents. Information was also gathered through unstructured interviews with the young people, their parents and teachers.

The principal findings of the project were as follows.

• The developmental tasks of contemporary Aboriginal young people are identical to those of their non-Aboriginal peers. However, Aboriginal young people have a strong and growing sense of identity which, if recognised and supported by the school, can support high academic achievement.
• Schools in general are not successful in recognising and meeting the needs of their Aboriginal students.
• Schools which are successful, respect and value all of their students as individuals. They communicate with Aboriginal families and create an environment which welcomes and fosters the identity of the young people. They have a curriculum which meets students' needs while making academic demands. The best outcomes can be seen in school communities which have high levels of tolerance and strongly motivated Aboriginal students who frequently persevere to Years 11 and 12.
• Aboriginal students attributed their success to the strength of the support they received during their schooling from their own families, their mates at school and supportive but demanding teachers.

Reasons for selection:

This report is clear, comprehensive and contemporary. It remains the best resource for current ideas about its topic, central to the concerns of these materials. It is also very easy and interesting reading.

Availability:

Has been widely circulated but is now out of print. Copies may be available from Government bookshops, and will be available from many libraries. It is of sufficient value to chase up.

Australia's Indigenous Languages (1996) (book and CD)

Reasons for selection:

The contents list above indicates the scope and richness of this resource - general linguistic information and insights as well as a vast store of useful information about Indigenous languages and cultures. Very well illustrated, it can be read with great profit by anyone who teaches Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students or, for that matter any Australian.

AIEW Report: An investigation into the working conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Workers (1994) Volume One

From the first section, 'The Context of Concern':

'It is 1975 and, by now, in every State and Territory except Tasmania, there are Aboriginal Teacher Aides/ Aboriginal -Torres Strait Islander Education workers being hired as support staff to non-Aboriginal teachers. They are working with, and for, Aboriginal children in mainstream classrooms in urban, suburban and country settings and in classrooms in Aboriginal schools across the county. They provide a role model, a bridge between family, community and schooling. They often play a 24-hour role, for this is not a job that ends at 4 o'clock. They speak the community's language whether that be Aboriginal English, an Aboriginal language or Standard Australian English. …

It is 1975, and across the country many AIEWs are seen as adjuncts of teachers, to be heavily controlled by teachers and principals. Most are employed in temporary positions with no guaranteed funding to protect their employment. education systems make little effort to provide guidelines for these employees. It is usually left up to the para-professionals to work out how the relationship with teachers and principals should be enacted and how they can usefully support the education of Aboriginal students. It is 1975 and training opportunities are piecemeal and no career structure exists. …

It is 1993 and across Australia there are approximately 1,661 people filling the 1,408 (full-time equivalent although not necessarily fully-funded) AIEW positions. Most are funded by the Commonwealth from AESIP [now IESIP] allocations to State/Territory or non-government systems. Some are funded by CDEP moneys of short-term projects, and some by State/Territory funds. All are perceived as a significant part in the intention of enhancing Aboriginal education; most would be presumed to be a permanent fixture by their colleagues who would have no reason to know about their employment conditions. …

It is 1994 and AIEWs are moving towards a new definition of the para-professional within education, impacting on the experience of Aboriginal children by breaking boundaries and expectations. …

It is 1994 and many AIEWs are still employed in temporary positions with no guaranteed funding to protect their employment, with little access to superannuation and job security. Salary scales take little account of skill levels and qualifications and the demands of the job. It is 1994 and training opportunities are still piecemeal and there are still no national career structures."

Reasons for selection:

One of the sections of the Report is entitled 'It has all been said before', and it has, endlessly. These materials assert that one of the keys to increasing the success rates of Indigenous students in education and training is the presence of Indigenous adults in valued and authoritative positions. If this is the case, then AIEWs need working conditions that attract and retain suitable candidates. This Report provides an extended reflection on that issue, but also the nature of their work, their roles and responsibilities and relations with other people working in the same setting. It's a wake-up call which still has not been universally heeded.

Availability:

The report is now out of print, but as with some other documents in this section, it was quite widely circulated initially. It may be available through union offices or libraries. It is worth searching out.