Inquiry into economic self-determination and opportunities for First Nations Australians

August 2024

Prepared in collaboration with the ANU Crawford School for Public Policy and Centre for Indigenous Policy Research

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We make this submission to draw attention to breadth and depth of care work undertaken by First Nations women.  It draws on the Australian National University’s Caring about Care Report (2024) (‘ANU Research’). This submission quotes and paraphrases from these sources. The ANU research was conducted in partnership with Aboriginal organisations in five sites across Australia.

This submission also draws on discussions of unpaid care in the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Report (2020) (‘WYUT Report’), Implementation Framework (2022), and Change Agenda for First Nations Gender Justice (2024) (‘The Change Agenda’), which were each developed through direct and ongoing engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, girls and gender-diverse mob. The Change Agenda emphasises the need for systemic reforms to address the intersectional nature of care work and its cultural significance, advocating for policies that honour and integrate First Nations’ perspectives on care and justice. We encourage consideration of the recommendations provided in these documents.

Institute Updates

Your Stories:

We know First Nations women, girls and gender-diverse people are doing incredible things every day. We’ll be highlighting these stories in our newsletter. Have you got a story you'd like us to share? Let us know via wyut@anu.edu.au

Spending time with our Ways of Working

Come on the Journey to designing a First Nations gender justice workplace with us! As an Institute, we strive to embody First Nations gender justice principles in our workplace culture, employment conditions, policies and practices. As we develop this approach, we hope to be able to support other individuals, groups and organisations to become safe, non-discriminatory, inclusive, creative and meaningful working environments which enhance wellbeing and drive change. The way in which we are constructing this model at the Institute is by embedding into our work process, and embodying in our actions, our Ways of Working, Measurement, Evaluation and Learning approach and systems change practices.
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The Ways of Working outlined in our Change Agenda are more than principles—they are living practices that guide how we foster connection, respect, and transformative action. These practices are grounded in the ancestral knowledge, cultural protocols, and lived experiences of First Nations women, girls, and gender-diverse peoples.

Impact Opportunties

We are highlighting opportunities across Australia for First Nations women, girls and gender-diverse mob to engage a variety of opportunities to amplify their voices. If you know of more opportunities available, please share them with us so we can highlight them in our next newsletter. You can also find opportunities posts on our Instagram and LinkedIn.
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Please note: These opportunities are not affiliated with the Institute. We are highlighting them in an independent capacity.
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