Project Description

AABR National Forum 2024 – The R’s of Restoration

Consultation and community protocols- Jillian West and Uncle Shane

Guidance for protocols were detailed by Jillian

Jillian West has supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in work education and their life’s journey. Jillian wants to see her people succeed in employment and education so the world can see just how amazing they are and how living in two worlds can be achieved.

Womanjenkla  I’d like to acknowledge the traditional custodians the Worundjeri or on people thank you Mandy for your amazing speech.

Today is about a learning journey – to non indigenous people from our people

I am going to talk a little bit about cultural protocols

What I do every day is the legacy of my father. My father Japanangka errol West was born in Launceston Tasmania. He was put on a mission called Cape Barron in Tasmania. He did not finish primary school and he was in a segregated school. He became a teacher, did a Master’s in teaching, was a senior university lecturer and a doctor of indigenous philosophy. My dad passed away 24 years ago at 53 years of age, leaving seven children behind and I’m one of those children teaching his Legacy. He worked within Victoria for 20 years. He wanted culture embedded in education from foundation levels. He said ‘Jillian always teach with respect. You don’t know where people have come from, and Australia was robbed of the true history of Australia’. So every day I walk with my dad and he walks with me from the dreaming and The Dream Time

I want you to think about the loss that we have had every day when you were walking on this country and looking after our country like we always did traditionally. So when we talk about cultural protocols we talk about overusing Aboriginal people and organisations.

Consultation with community

  • All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have their own defined set of communication and consultation protocols
  • These protocols always dictate how, when and who can engage with their community
  • Community can advise on the appropriateness of topics, written resources, guest speakers or contact people
  • Consultation ensures that the information is acceptable to the local community
  • Meetings allow community to have a sense of control as to how resources will be used
  • Increases consultation, involvement and understanding is the encouraged way forward.
  • If you’re going to engage with a traditional or registered aboriginal parties (rap) traditional owner groups,  how do you know who they are.
  • In Victoria you can go to ACHRIS In ACHRIS. Type in the area or the address of the land that you are on, and it will tell you whose land are you’re on. We have to make sure we engage with the appropriate and the traditional owners of that area.

Considering Community

  • Take care not to overuse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources and contact people
  • Be sure to acknowledge the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • Allow time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to digest, consider and respond to requests
  • Explain your request clearly and have realistic expectations.
  • Make sure that the events or meetings are held at a convenient or suitable venue.

Resources

We have to make sure that we go to our resources before consulting with community. It’s really important that you consider everyday our people in everything you do. You look after trees and bushes and allow for fresh growth. That’s what we did traditionally. We all live in a western world and a cultural world and we have to navigate those two worlds every single day. When my dad passed away within two days a kookaburra visited all of his seven children. It is his spirit animal.

I don’t know if you’ve heard there’s no Tasmanian Aboriginals. That’s the rumour that’s gone around for a very long time because of the black war in Tasmania. Even though I was born on Burrerong country in Victoria, my dad’s patrilineal lines is the Palawa. So my father was Japanangka errol West – they said he stood six foot six in his boots and the only people that could stop him talking was the pointing of a finger of an old aunt. Everywhere he went he would teach. We talk about the R’s. He was about reconciliation and to teach non indigenous people who we are, where we want to go. Listening and sharing is the key to being with our people in my view.

My father always said. ‘Time is not of the essence, it is the essence.’ So with time with our people, we run on black fellow time. So we’re trying not to. He had two axioms, that I want to share you and leave you with. It’s not your right to understand, but it is your obligation to accept difference or newness. And philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom. And for those of you who are barefooted and touching the ground are at the core of philosophy. Take your shoes and socks off and touch our country as much as you can. 80,000 years of footprints from our elders and ancestors you’re walking on – usually I wear no shoes!