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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives

Ensure your teaching curriculum and reading lists represent the diverse student voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

About this page

Many fantastic resources for teachers and students to diversify their practice are available from national, state and institutional archives, libraries and government agencies. A number of resources have been included in this guide, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are not limited to the examples and categories listed.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections

National and state library collections
Archives and other libraries

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
Collection of items dedicated to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.
National Library of Australia - Indigenous collection
A diverse range of material, offering a rich interpretation of Australia's past and contemporary Indigenous culture.
State Library of QLD - First Nations collections
Photographs, manuscripts, oral histories and digital stories collections of the John Oxley Library.
State Library of NSW - Indigenous engagement: Indigenous spaces in libraries
Collections prioritising Indigenous voices, and guidelines for Indigenous spaces in libraries.
State Library of SA – Indigenous collections
Specialist material relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including the Mountford-Sheard Collection.
State Library of WA – Aboriginal collections
Storylines, resources, music, Indigenous oral history and family history.
State Library of VIC – Koori Victoria
Historical and contemporary material and research guides.

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Indigenous archives collective
Connecting people working with Indigenous knowledge sources in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums.
National archives of Australia - First Australians
Learn about the experience, achievements and struggles of First Australians since Federation and their contribution to Australian life, laws and culture.
National film and sound archive Indigenous collection
The NFSA holds and preserves more than 25,000 works that document the unique place that First Peoples occupy within Australian society, and the diversity of their cultural and creative expressions.
ACU Library – First Peoples' knowledges
Culturally competent items from ACU Library collection that have been evaluated by Librarians.
Indigenous Knowledges Zotero Library
Developed collaboratively by the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Knowledges Institute
Anti-Colonial Research Library
The Anti-Colonial Research Library holds open-access articles and books, websites, and YouTube videos on Indigenous and anti-colonial research methodologies.

Journals with an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focus

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Book publishers

There are a number of book publishing companies focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content, such as:

Aboriginal Studies Press
Publishes Australian Indigenous studies that capture the unique heritage and diverse lives of Australia's first peoples.
Batchelor Institute Press
Publishing arm of Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Northern Territory, Australia.
Binabar Books
Publishes a range of colourful children’s story books which incorporate Aboriginal languages to help young ones begin to learn a traditional Australian language.
Black Ink Press
Indigenous community-based publishing venture based in North Queensland, and specialising in illustrated books for young readers.
Magabala Books
A not-for-profit Indigenous Corporation publishing children’s picture books, memoir, fiction (junior, YA and adult), non-fiction, graphic novels, social history and poetry.

Subject specific resources

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Statistical data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including health, housing, education, language and population size.
Conversations on cultural sustainability: Stimuli for embedding Indigenous knowledges and ways of being into curriculum
While Australian higher education agendas and literature prioritise Indigenous knowledges and perspectives across policy, curriculum and pedagogy, enacting this in practice remains problematic and contentious.
Embedding Indigenous perspectives in university teaching and learning: Lessons learnt and possibilities of reforming / decolonising curriculum
This paper discusses experiences of embedding Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum at an Australian university.
How a university can embed Indigenous Knowledge into the curriculum and why it matters
The Conversation article on The University of Tasmania experience of Indigenising its curriculum.
Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001 and is the lead body for reconciliation in the nation.

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Aboriginal Development Benefits Trust (ADBT)
ADBT was established under the Gulf Communities Agreement negotiated between Century Mine, Queensland State Government and Gulf Native Title groups and was established to administer negotiated funds from the Century Mine, primarily for business development and indigenous ownership/investment in business.
Australian Government, Indigenous Business
Support and assistance for Indigenous business owners to start, develop and grow their businesses.
Black Business Finder
Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Directory.
Embedding cultural knowledges and competency within a business course
An innovative Indigenous business course was designed to engage students in authentic and meaningful ways to develop their cultural competency.

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Gems and nuggets: Multicultural education for young children
Early childhood educators understand the importance of respecting, valuing and celebrating Reconciliation and Intercultural Education. The problem is How do we actually and specifically do this in our particular contexts? How can our pedagogy reflect this?
Indigenous Portal - Education Queensland
Brings together key strategies, programs and initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people across the spectrum of education.
Learning Ground Indigenous Education Research Database
Materials on Indigenous education from publishers in Australia and overseas.
Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning program
Supports schools and early learning services in Australia to develop environments that foster a high level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions.
National Sorry Day Digibook
ABC Education website.
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives resources
The QCAA has developed a range of materials to support the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the school curriculum.
Teaching with BlackWords
Encouraging Best Practice Teaching with Indigenous Stories. Content to help to provide meaningful teaching and learning resources.
Dandiiri Library
The Dandiiri Schools and Community Library helps develop informed and confident educators who are able to engage with the story of Indigenous Australia professionally and personally.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health
Resources to support the work of health professionals in improving knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health issues.
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Providing the evidence base to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - First Nations people
AIHW products that focus specifically on Indigenous Australians are captured on this page.
The Lowitja Institute
The Lowitja Institute site provides access to LIt.search which provides easy access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literature on the PubMed database.

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BlackWords
Provides access to a vast record of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and their publications.
Colonial Frontiers Massacres Map
This site contains information about acts of violence that may be distressing. There are no images of people on this website.
Early experiences in Australasia : primary sources and personal narratives 1788-1901
Provides a unique and personal view of events in the region from the arrival of the first settlers through to Australian Federation at the close of the nineteenth century.
First Languages Australia
A multidisciplinary website working toward a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language communities have full command of their languages and can use them as much as they wish to by communication, advocacy and education strategies.

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Australian Indigenous Law Library
Databases of Australian Indigenous law available on AustLII.
Native Title Infobase
Australian material relating to native title and land claims including journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, reports and press clippings. This collection began in the 1990s, although some material dates back to 1839. It also includes selected material from other jurisdictions including New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Africa and Asia.
Native Title Law Database (AIATSIS)
Comprehensive collection of publicly accessible native title case and legislation summaries in Australia.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Astronomy
Explores the many aspects of Indigenous Astronomy in Australia - how Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities perceive various types astronomical phenomena, how elders read the stars, or watch videos of animations, dances, and songs related to the stars.
Indigenous Weather Knowledge
The website is a formal recognition of traditional weather and climate knowledge that has been developed and passed down through countless generations by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. May take a couple of tries before website will load directly due to some network security website protocols.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participation Principles of Practice
This document was developed by the Indigenous Participation Community of Practice: a collective designed to foster greater coordination and collaboration across the NRM sector and initiate and drive change at a state-wide level.

National and international resources for policy, petitions, treaties, reports, declarations

Analysis & Policy Observatory - First Peoples and Public Policy collection
Brings together diverse, policy-relevant resources from a broad selection of key Indigenous policy topics.
Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse
The aim of the Clearinghouse is to promote discussion and disseminate relevant Indigenous justice information to government policy makers and those working in the Indigenous justice field.
National Indigenous Australians Agency
The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) works to influence policy across the entire Australian Government.

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Larrakia Petition
The Larrakia petition is one of the most important documents of Aboriginal peoples’ struggle for land rights in the early 1970s.
Uluru Statement from the Heart
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a call for constitutional change and structural reform in the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Australia.
Yirrakala Bark Petitions
These petitions from the Yolngu people of Yirrkala were the first traditional documents recognised by the Commonwealth Parliament and are thus the documentary recognition of Indigenous people in Australian law.

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Path to Treaty - Qld
In 2019 the Queensland Government committed to a reframed relationship with First Nations peoples looking for the way forward to treaty.
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria
The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria is the elected voice for Aboriginal people and communities in future Treaty discussions.
Barunga Agreement - NT
Memorandum of Understanding paving the way for consultations between NT government and four NT Land Council's to begin with Aboriginal people about a Treaty.
Agreements Treaties and Negotiated Settlements
ATNS provides an online portal for people seeking information on agreements with Indigenous peoples. ATNS began in 2002 as a research project focusing on treaties and agreement making with Indigenous Australians. Since then, the ATNS team has continued to investigate agreement making and maintain the ATNS database.

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Center for World Indigenous Studies
A global community of activist scholars, advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples through the application of traditional knowledge.
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research
CLEAR is a collective of researchers from a wide range of disciplines (from ocean science to filmmaking), career levels (high school students to full professors), and skillsets. A feminist and anti colonial science laboratory, that understands introductions as a way to articulate account-abilities and make relations apparent.
Freshwater Fish Futures
A collective of scientists, artists, writers, landscape architects, architects, environmentalists, journalists, and community leaders dedicated to honouring reciprocal responsibilities to freshwater fish in watersheds locally and globally.
Māori culture and heritage
Māori culture is a big part of NZ’s identity, so respecting, preserving and promoting it is vital.
Te Pūnaha Matatini
Te Pūnaha Matatini brings together ‘many faces’ – different disciplines, ways of thought, methods, and crucially, people – to define, and then solve, society’s thorny interconnected problems
The Native American Fish & Wildlife Society
NAFWS is a national tribal organization established informally during the early 1980's. NAFWS was incorporated in 1983 to develop a national communications network for the exchange of information and management techniques related to self-determined tribal fish and wildlife management.
Kia Whakanuia te Whenua: People Place Landscape
Māori-led book presents rich seam of visual essays, papers, poetry and polemics which challenge the way we think about environment, land (whenua) and landscape in a changing world.
New Zealand Conservation Authority - Te Pou Atawhai Taiao O Aotearoa
Maori customary use of native birds, plants and other traditional materials