Picture 1 – Foyer of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies (CAS) at Curtin University, Western Australia.
The following is the focus of a paper currently being written.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are recognised as one of the oldest civilisations on earth inhabiting Australia for over 60,000 years. The resilience of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people and culture have been tested over the centuries, surviving colonialism, systemic racism aimed at marginalising, isolating, and disempowering.
In spite of the opportunities, digital technologies adds new social and economic challenges for Australian Indigenous populations. This includes the inappropriate practices in how digital technologies are made available and used to project a form of colonisation onto Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
For example, the emergence of COVID-19 forced organisations, including Australian universities, to increase use of digital technologies to deliver information and services. This reinforced an advantage to a dominate culture that may result in reinforcing racism and further embed stereotypical views in of Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islanders. COVID 19 shed light on how the lack of digital technologies can have on those that are already disadvantaged.
However, academic research is relatively silent on the importance of digital technology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying at university. A failure to address this socio-technical problem may alter and potentially have a negative influence on the well-being and self-esteem of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander students and communities.
The research paper being written considers a model developed while I was undertaking my PhD research. The model that may help to address this challenge by considering actions that may guide how universities adopt digital technology in a manner this is inclusive and respectful of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders. This can result in significant impact on the wellbeing on future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Being Arthur 