An Indigenous Education Policy within a Non-Indigenous Education System

Overview & Synopsis

Australian Indigenous education policies are formed in settler colonial systems that are structured by institutional racism. Gumbaynggirr academic Lilly Brown (2019) argues that Australian 'education was incorporated into Indigenous policy as a justification for dispossession' (p. 67) throughout the 20th century. In recent times, First Nations academics have questioned whether much has changed (Bodkin-Andrews et al., 2021; Brown, 2019; Rose, 2019). This extract examines an Indigenous education policy that operates within the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). This policy is called the NSW Aboriginal Education Policy. I point out that whilst consultation with Indigenous communities is a positive feature of this policy, more is needed structurally to support the success of Indigenous students.