Checklist for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Business

Indigenous Cultural Competency and the allied implementation of Indigenisation of curriculum is a strategic priority for the University of Newcastle and also of increasing significance in the broader Australian
tertiary sector.

These innovations are aimed at contributing to the national political impetus to address the disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Given that economic participation is seen as a crucial determinant in current inequity, the disciplines in the School of Business have the potential to contribute the achievement of more equitable outcomes.

This can be achieved in three key ways:

1. Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in their pursuit
   of under-graduate and post-graduate qualifications;
2. Creating curriculum that is responsive to the needs of Aboriginal and
   Torres Strait Islander communities;
3. Ensuring that all graduates are educated to understand:
   • Historical and cultural Indigenous perspectives
   • Anti-discrimination in the workplace
   • Programs and policies to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
     equality in workforce participation

This checklist considers some of the foundational issues in embedding Indigenous Cultural Competence.

• Terminology
  • Do we have agreement on the meaning of “cultural competence”?
  • Is there a staff or institutional preference for using the term “Indigenous” or “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander”?
  • Do we recognise the Traditional Owners by name (eg: Awabakal)?
• Auditing existing inclusion
  • Is there a list of courses containing Indigenous content and perspectives?
  • Is Indigenous content and perspectives included in core courses in degree programs?
  • Is Indigenous content delivered by Indigenous or non- Indigenous staff?
  • Is Indigenous content assessed in our degree programs?
  • What courses could/should include Indigenous content?
• Staff capacity
  • Do we have staff with experience in teaching Indigenous content?
  • Are there researchers in our staff or post-graduate cohort who work could inform our Indigenous content, community or business engagement?
  • Are there Teaching and Learning funds in our School, Faculty or institution that could support a scoping study in our discipline or school?
  • How can staff be motivated to revise their curriculum to include Indigenous cultural competency?
• Community needs
  • Do individual staff have links with Indigenous communities?
  • Does our School or Faculty have formal links with Indigenous communities? If not, how can we create links?
  • What Indigenous organisations are there in our feeder communities?
  • Do these organisations have specific needs with regard to employee business skills?
  • Would our programs meet those community needs?
  • Can our programs be tailored to meet community needs?
  • Are there broader national Indigenous community needs, which we can address (eg. through online delivery or blended delivery)?
• Infrastructure
  • Do we have a database of relevant literature and web-based resources to support both staff and students in Indigenous cultural competency?
  • Does our Faculty operational plan prioritise Indigenous cultural competency?
  • Can we ‘map’ the Indigenous content across our programs to ensure inclusion, coherence and prevent repetition?
  • Do we have a staff member with designated responsibility to examine and promote Indigenous cultural competency to both staff and students?
  • Could we have targeted academic and general staff positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our school or Faculty?
  • Do we have scholarships to encourage and support Indigenous students to enrol in our undergraduate and postgraduate programs?