Time to Listen

Cape York Partnership

Ever since the Federation of Australia, a plethora of politicians, academics and media personalities have opined and commentated on Indigenous Australian affairs. But amongst the discourse, whether it be formalised debate or discordant blither, one voice has been notably absent: the collective voice of First Nations people. As of 2020, First Nations peoples comprise just 3.3% of the Australian population. Yet they represent 29% of the incarcerated Australian population, including an estimated 46% of the incarcerated juvenile population. First Nations children also represent approximately 37% of Australian children in foster care. They suffer a suite of disparate mortality statistics and morbidity factors in comparison to the non-Indigenous population. They also enjoy far less participation in home ownership, education attainment and leadership positions, and even as all these gaps begin to show signs of narrowing, other contemporary socioeconomic gaps begin to yawn. Are First Nations voices being heard on such matters? Have you heard them? This is Time to Listen, a podcast that gives a space and a platform to the First Nations voices of the Cape York Peninsula, and wider Australia. Whether you are passionate about racial equality, or simply curious about First Nations culture (and anything in between) this is the podcast for you. Want to know more about the diversity of Indigenous Australian languages? Think you understand Native Title? How have First Nations communities educated their children since before colonisation, and how are these methods being rediscovered? And which terminology is respectful and correct for which occasion, First Nations, Indigenous, or Aboriginal Australian? Realising true harmony between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian people and culture requires opening a space and raising a platform for First Nations peoples themselves. By taking the time to listen, you have already taken a very important step towards reconciliation.

  1. How a health clinic on a school campus is improving Indigenous health

    24/04/2022

    How a health clinic on a school campus is improving Indigenous health

    An Introduction to Ngak Min Health with Charmaine Nicholls, Melanie Dunstan and Matthew Carson Indigenous Australians have an average life expectancy 19 years below that of wider Queensland and an unparalleled lack of access to healthcare services.  And the health gaps start early.  So what if we could improve early intervention by opening a holistic health clinic on an Indigenous school campus?  Introducing Ngak Min Health, a clinic co-located on the grounds of Djarragun College in Gordonvale, just south of Cairns. On this episode of Time to Listen, we speak with Ngak Min Health General Manager Charmaine Nicholls, Nurse Practitioner Melanie Dunstan and Doctor Matthew Carson. Being located on a college campus helps Ngak Min reduce inequalities in health outcomes by developing health-seeking behaviour and giving control to the students and families to make decisions about their own health. Of the student population who attend Ngak Min, 10% already have a chronic diagnosis and more than 75% did not have a health check in the 12 months before their enrolment. "The advantage for us working in this space is that we have a school here, so we can screen the school kids and pick up things before they even get sick. We have the opportunity to do health promotion so we can teach kids how to brush your teeth, how to cough, how to a clean your ears, how to look after your skin... We've got a great opportunity to change lives and change lives early," says Mel, Ngak Min Health Nurse Practitioner. Thank you for taking the time to listen. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like to learn more about the Ngak Min Health? Check out their website: Ngak Min Health Support the show (https://capeyorkpartnership.org.au/donate/) Support the show

    46 min
  2. Fact or Fiction | Debunking Common Economic Myths Around First Nations Peoples

    14/03/2022

    Fact or Fiction | Debunking Common Economic Myths Around First Nations Peoples

    Do Indigenous Australians get more welfare than non-Indigenous Australians?  Should the Commonwealth Government stop funding welfare?  What can be done to close the employment gap?  Is there a viable replacement for Community Development Programs (CDP)?  Why haven't employment programs in Indigenous communities led to the empowerment of community members? How can the Commonwealth Government increase individual agency, responsibility and community participation of unemployed community members? We explore these questions and more with Cape York Institute Head of Policy Prue Briggs in this episode of Time to Listen.  Prue speaks about the difference between employment programs and full employment and where government expenditure would be best directed. Prue also addresses the historical economic exploitation of Indigenous peoples, universal basic income versus a jobs guarantee, the affordability of a jobs guarantee, productive work versus working for the dole, and sources of erroneous economic assumptions and criticisms leveled at Indigenous employment interventions. As a passionate reformist, Prue has over 15 years of experience in public policy having worked for three premiers, ministers and at the executive level of public service. Prue has an extensive background in political strategy and public policy specialising in strategic coalition building, policy reform and campaign management.  Thank you for taking the time to listen.  Support the show

    43 min
  3. (part 2 of 2) Culturally Considerate Innovation of the VET Sector | Djarragun College Academies of Excellence

    21/12/2021

    (part 2 of 2) Culturally Considerate Innovation of the VET Sector | Djarragun College Academies of Excellence

    The National Centre for Vocational Education and Research has published its student equity in VET data tables. It revealed an eleven percentage point gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous completion rates of VET qualifications. In their report, Indigenous Participation in VET: Understanding the Research, NCVER revealed that the VET sector needed to improve and adapt to better engage Indigenous students with VET. More successful engagement, they said, is built on community ownership, genuine partnerships with communities, respect for cultural knowledge and local capabilities, integration of cultural knowledge into training, and alignment of education and training with aspirations and, in the case of remote areas, local employment opportunities.  So what if educational institutions designed and delivered VET programmes with cultural awareness accompanied with a likelihood of employment in the communities students plan on returning to? Introducing Djarragun College's  Academies of Excellence - a recent and profound innovation providing VET learning and qualifications to its predominantly Indigenous student body. In part two of this episode of Time to Listen we speak with Mandy Ross, Djarragun's Dean of Academies of Excellence and Noel Mason, Djarragun's Dean of Academy of Creative and Performing Arts.  "To improve the attraction and retention of our Indigenous students in VET programmes it really is all about the cultural connections. It starts at the beginning when the students are being informed about the VET opportunities or the courses that are available to them. We need to see Indigenous people in the marketing material. We need to see them and we need to hear their voices. When students are watching a clip with Indigenous people, they will sometimes know them and immediately the engagement goes off the scale. It's a relative or, you know, someone even closer to them that they know from their own community. And it's very exciting to watch the engagement. They also need the face to face contact from Indigenous people who are working in those areas. So here at Djarragun, we try to take the students out at least once a term to industry and connect with Indigenous people working in those areas. We have made connections with a couple of employers in the Cairns community and they do provide time for their Indigenous staff to come in and speak to our students and we really appreciate that. They're the sort of experiences that our kids need to keep involved and be reminded that the end goal is is really worth it," says Mandy, Djarragun's Dean of Academies of Excellence. Thank you for taking the time to listen. --------------------------------------------------------------- Find the NCVER data here: Student equity in VET: participation, achievement and outcomes (ncver.edu.au) Find their report Indigenous Participation in VET: Understanding the Research here: Indigenous participation in VET: understanding the research (ncver.edu.au) Find out more about Djarragun College here: Djarragun College - Cape York Partnership Support the show

    34 min
  4. (part 1 of 2) Engaging Indigenous Students in VET | Djarragun College's VET program

    15/12/2021

    (part 1 of 2) Engaging Indigenous Students in VET | Djarragun College's VET program

    The National Centre for Vocational Education and Research has published its student equity in VET data tables. It revealed an eleven percentage point gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous completion rates of VET qualifications. In their report, Indigenous Participation in VET: Understanding the Research, NCVER revealed that the VET sector needed to improve and adapt to better engage Indigenous students with VET. More successful engagement, they said, is built on community ownership, genuine partnerships with communities, respect for cultural knowledge and local capabilities, integration of cultural knowledge into training, and alignment of education and training with aspirations and, in the case of remote areas, local employment opportunities. In this episode, we explore Djarragun College's approach to VET provision. We speak to Taro Morrison, Djarragun's COO, and Lachlan McDonald, Djarragun's VET Coordinator. We speak about Djarragun's extensive VET program and how it is culturally considerate. We also speak about how successful it has been in engaging its predominantly Indigenous student body with VET, and the duty that Djarragun has to providing its students with pathways beyond high school education. Thank you for taking the time to listen. --------------------------------------------------------------- Find the NCVER data here: Student equity in VET: participation, achievement and outcomes (ncver.edu.au) Find their report Indigenous Participation in VET: Understanding the Research here: Indigenous participation in VET: understanding the research (ncver.edu.au) Find out more about Djarragun College here: Djarragun College - Cape York Partnership Support the show

    42 min
  5. A Chat With an Indigenous AFL Legend | Aaron Davey

    29/11/2021

    A Chat With an Indigenous AFL Legend | Aaron Davey

    "I'm living the dream at the moment. Working here at Djarragun College is my dream job. I get to work with young Indigenous men and women and see them grow as both students and people. The school is amazing because of the amount of different Indigenous communities represented here." - Aaron Davey On this episode of the Time to Listen podcast, we get to sit down and have a good old-fashioned chat with Indigenous AFL legend Aaron Davey. Aaron played 178 games for the Melbourne Demons Football Club, who are the reigning premiers, and he kicked more than 170 goals. He is now the AFL Head Coach as part of the Academies of Excellence program at Djarragun College. He is also the Head Coach of the North Queensland and Cairns City Lions teams, which are both reigning premiers of their respective competitions. But Aaron's primary vocational concerns sit outside of football: he wants to see young Indigenous men and women realise their potential and lead good, healthy lives. He relishes the opportunity of being a role model and mentor to the Indigenous students at Djarragun College. On this episode, Aaron talks about his early life and his journey into the AFL. He explains how he idolised his late father, and adored his mother, and explains their respective roles in inspiring and nurturing his dreams. He then talks about his current role at Djarragun College, and gives his perspective on how to best engage Indigenous students with their education. Thank you for taking the time to listen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you listened to Time to Listen episode 6 where we introduce Djarragun College? Find it here: Intertwining Culture, Academics and Vocational Potential - with Allison Halliday and Michael Barton (buzzsprout.com) To find out more about Djarragun College, find them on Facebook @djarraguncollege Or check out their website: djarragun.qld.edu.au Support the show

    28 min
4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Ever since the Federation of Australia, a plethora of politicians, academics and media personalities have opined and commentated on Indigenous Australian affairs. But amongst the discourse, whether it be formalised debate or discordant blither, one voice has been notably absent: the collective voice of First Nations people. As of 2020, First Nations peoples comprise just 3.3% of the Australian population. Yet they represent 29% of the incarcerated Australian population, including an estimated 46% of the incarcerated juvenile population. First Nations children also represent approximately 37% of Australian children in foster care. They suffer a suite of disparate mortality statistics and morbidity factors in comparison to the non-Indigenous population. They also enjoy far less participation in home ownership, education attainment and leadership positions, and even as all these gaps begin to show signs of narrowing, other contemporary socioeconomic gaps begin to yawn. Are First Nations voices being heard on such matters? Have you heard them? This is Time to Listen, a podcast that gives a space and a platform to the First Nations voices of the Cape York Peninsula, and wider Australia. Whether you are passionate about racial equality, or simply curious about First Nations culture (and anything in between) this is the podcast for you. Want to know more about the diversity of Indigenous Australian languages? Think you understand Native Title? How have First Nations communities educated their children since before colonisation, and how are these methods being rediscovered? And which terminology is respectful and correct for which occasion, First Nations, Indigenous, or Aboriginal Australian? Realising true harmony between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian people and culture requires opening a space and raising a platform for First Nations peoples themselves. By taking the time to listen, you have already taken a very important step towards reconciliation.