Link, Sonia --- "Stirrings: National Indigenous Legal Curriculum Development Project" [1997] IndigLawB 84; (1997) 4(5) Indigenous Law Bulletin 22

• National Indigenous Legal Curriculum Development Project

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National Indigenous Legal Curriculum Development Project

The Office of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, is responsible for the implementation of Recommendation 212 of the Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.[1]

The ability of indigenous peoples to protect their legal and human rights is greatly dependent on their ability to understand and utilise government services and mechanisms for the protection of human rights.

In order to implement Recommendation 212, the Commission established the National Indigenous Legal Curriculum Development Project (NILCDP- 'the Project'). The Project, formally known as the National Aboriginal Legal Field Officer Training Program, has now developed the first national, accredited legal training courses addressing the legal and human rights of indigenous peoples. It is expected that these courses will provide much-needed high quality training and education in law and human rights for Field Officers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

The Project also aims to increase access to information and resources which address human and legal rights, for clientele of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

Representatives of legal services from around the country have been instrumental in the development of this Project, particularly where the work of Field Officers would be affected.

Significant achievements of the Project Particular achievements have been:

• the successful development of national accredited Vocational Education and Training Sector Courses, namely CNAIC 008 Certificate III in National Indigenous Legal Studies, CNAIC 009 Certificate IV in National Indigenous Legal Studies, CNAIC 010 Diploma of National Indigenous Legal Studies, and
• the development of a Bachelor of Indigenous Legal Studies degree, and a strand in the Masters of Indigenous Legal Studies, offered through the Faculty of Law, University of Technology, Sydney.

The courses have been developed and written to take into account the whole spectrum of adult community education, that is, from the community and TAFE (Technical and Further Education) sector to the university sector. Successful implementation of the courses has commenced already. For example, Tranby Aboriginal College, Glebe, now offers the Diploma of National Indigenous Legal Studies to students, and eventually plans to make the courses available locally, in communities such as Moree.

Other Independent Aboriginal Community Colleges such as the Institute of Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs, as well as Taoundi Aboriginal College, Adelaide are seeking to offer the Diploma.

Where community colleges are not available, negotiations have taken place for other learning centres, such as TAFE and universities, to offer the courses. For instance, it is hoped that Murdoch University, Western Australia, will consider running the Diploma of Law. In Queensland, TAFE is considering offering courses through Open Learning, which would enable remote communities to have the opportunity to enrol and study within their communities. Other learning centres considering the use of modules developed are Batchelor College, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Education Program, Brisbane, which are seeking to use modules where applicable. The Office of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is encouraging indigenous community based organisations to consider offering some of the modules, in the form of development and training.

Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Dodson, emphasises the value of the Project. As he says, 'This Project has been of enormous importance to me. I am particularly proud of all those, particularly my staff, who have put so much hard work into it. For the first time there will be an opportunity available to study law from the perspective of indigenous peoples, in our culture, following our aspirations, and within our own social and political context.'

For further information contact Sonya Link, Project Coordinator, National Indigenous Legal Curriculum Development Project, HREOC, Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], email: [e-mail]

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[1] Commonwealth of Australia Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, AGPS, Canberra, 1991. Recommendation 212 states: 'That the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and State and Territory Equal Opportunity Commissions should be encouraged to consult with appropriate Aboriginal organisations and Aboriginal Legal Services with a view to developing strategies to encourage and enable Aboriginal people to utilise anti-discrimination mechanisms more effectively, particularly in the area of indirect discrimination and representative actions'.