1975
Aboriginal Education Services-Koorie Education Co-ordination
Unit
- Koorie Education Development Unit
 The
Education Department of Victoria established the Aboriginal Education
Services (AES) in 1975,when they received funding from the Commonwealth
government for supplementary programs in Aboriginal education.
This funding came about because of the report by the Schools Commission.
It was the first time that Aboriginal Education became a separate
program within the Education Department, and it meant that Aboriginal
Education was given a special emphasis. AES was to provide services
to schools with Aboriginal students, with the overall aim of improving
academic performance. In order to do this, the then Supervisor
of AES, Mr Colin Bourke set about establishing the VAECG to ensure
that Koorie parents became more involved in the education of their
children.
The relationship between Koorie people and the Department of
Education was not formalised at this time and operated totally
dependent on the goodwill of the different Ministers and administrators
in the Department. In 1976, Glynn Beaton took over the role of
Supervisor of Aboriginal Education Services and worked in partnership
and collaboration with the Koorie community to ensure that Koorie
parents had a voice in the education of their children. Penny
Bamblett was employed as the Supervisor of Aboriginal Education
Services in 1983. The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association
was Incorporated in 1985 and new partnerships developed. In 1990,
the Aboriginal Education Services became the Koorie Education
Co-ordination Unit and then in 1997, the Koorie Education Development
Unit, with Angela Singh as the Manager.
Some Historical Artifacts:
The Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs
The Aboriginal Affairs (Transfer of Functions) Act, 1974, saw
the repeal of the 1967 Aboriginal Affairs Act and the Ministry
of Aboriginal Affairs was abolished. In Victoria in 1975, the
responsibility for Aboriginal Affairs came under the Department
of Aboriginal Affairs (D.A.A). The D.A.A. provided grants to organisations
to provide services in education, recreation, legal aid, justice,
health, employment and training, business, welfare and housing.
The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and the Department exercised
broad policy oversight and undertook a co-ordinating role in respect
of the activities of other Government Departments in regard to
Aboriginal Affairs.
Koorie Support Units within the TAFE Colleges 1975-2001
 Courses
were set up in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Colleges
and Technical schools so that adult Koories could be enrolled.
Courses were run at Box Hill TAFE, Mildura Technical School, Warrnambool
Institute of Advanced Education, Echuca Technical School, Jackson
School in Shepparton and Bairnsdale Technical School. These courses
led the way to the employment of Koorie Liaison Officers in the
TAFE Institutes and Koorie support units. There are now Koorie
Liaison Officers at the following TAFE Institutes: Central Gippsland,
Gordon, Sunraysia, Wodonga, East Gippsland, Casey, Bendigo Regional,
Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Textiles, VCAH University of
Melbourne, RMIT, Goulburn Murray Ovens, Kangan, Wimmera, Victorian
University of Technology, South West, Eastern, School of Mines
and Industries Institute of TAFE, NMIT, and, Swan Hill TAFE. Koorie
support units are located at: Shepparton, Kangan, Northern Metropolitan
Institute of TAFE, RMIT, Victorian University of Technology, Ballarat
School of Mines and Industries, Terang, Echuca, Gordon Institute
of TAFE, Casey Institute of TAFE, Central Gippsland Institute
of TAFE, Healesville Campus, and Sunraysia Institute of TAFE.
1976
The Victorian Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (VAECG)
| The Victorian Aboriginal Education Consultative Group was
established in 1976, as a community based and controlled organisation
by Colin Bourke, Eleanor Koumalatsos, Bruce McGuinness, Nessie
Skuta, David Anderson and Esmai Walker, with funding from
the Commonwealth Schools Commission. The aims of the VAECG
were to develop, plan, implement, coordinate and evaluate
Aboriginal education programs, services, projects and activities
at the state, regional and local level. In 1977 Bruce McGuinness
was employed as the first Executive Officer of the newly formed
VAECG with funding for this position coming from the State
government. In 1978, as a result of parent seminars that were
organised by the Aboriginal Education Services (AES), Five
Local Aboriginal Education Committees were established as
constituent units of the VAECG. |
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At the same time, the VAECG structure allowed
for the election of Specialist Representative in the positions
of pre-school, primary, secondary, TAFE, and Tertiary areas
so that informed advice could be given to the various Government
Department's. |
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In 1985, the Victorian Aboriginal Education Consultative
Group became the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association
Incorporated (VAEAI).
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Special Entry Provisions
The Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission agreement in 1976
meant that Universities were funded to take students above their
quota. This allowed entry into Universities and Teacher Colleges
for a number of Koories. The first teacher Education program was
established at Christ Church College when they admitted seven
Koorie students. Toorak Teachers College admitted one, and Burwood
Teachers College admitted one student. In 1978, these nine students
gained their Diploma of Teaching (Primary). The Special Entry
Provisions opened the way for the Koorie community to gain access
to Higher Education at both TAFE and Universities, and the numbers
of Koories enrolling in these courses has increased dramatically
since 1976.
Historical Artifact:
- Letter from L.H.S. Thompson, Minister
of Education to Mrs Esme Halden, EO, VAECG, 11th May 1979.
Aboriginal Education Sub-Committee of the Victorian In-Service
Education Committee
The Victorian In-Service Education Committee (VISEC) was a mainstream
committee that serviced the needs of teachers in the area of In-service
education. An Aboriginal Education Sub-committee of VISEC was
established in 1976 and, at its initial meeting, drew up a set
of policy guidelines for operating. The VISEC Aboriginal Education
sub- committee worked closely with the VAECG and in doing so,
ensured that the submissions were funded on the basis of how they
related to the needs and aspirations of the Koorie community.
In-services were held for teachers in the area of the Teaching
of Aboriginal Studies in the schools, and Cultural Awareness for
teachers about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
VISEC funded activities also included an Organisers' seminar,
to provide information to the Koorie community about the different
sources of funding available to them, An Aboriginal Educator's
seminar, involving all Aboriginal Educators, and the Nindeebiya
Workshop. Nindeebiya Workshop was designed as a meeting place
for local Koories where they could do leatherwork, screen printing,
woodwork, pottery, hand carvings, painting and other art and craft
activities.
1977
National Aboriginal Education Committee (NAEC)
| The establishment of the National Aboriginal
Education Committee (NAEC) was the third recommendation from
the Report to the Schools Commission in 1975 by the Aboriginal
Consultative Group. |
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| The NAEC was established in March 1977 to provide
informed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advice to the
Commonwealth Minister for Education. This advice included
the monitoring of existing policy and programs, developing
new policy and programs and promoting and underlying investigations,
reviews and studies, and, on the education needs of Aboriginal
people and the most appropriate ways of meeting these needs.
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The members of the National Aboriginal Education Committee
came from all States, the Torres Strait Islands, the Northern
Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Members shared
a range of educational experiences including traditional Aboriginal
and formal Western-style education. The Committee offered
advice to the Commonwealth education portfolio agencies and
the Department of Aboriginal Affairs on existing programs
and on the development of educational programs and policies
throughout Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people. Advice was also available to other institutions concerned
with the education of indigenous people. |
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The NAEC ceased functioning in 1988. This committee was
successful in ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people had a national voice in education. When
the committee ceased functioning, in 1989, the National
Federation of Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups (NFAECG's)
was established by the various Consultative Groups around
Australia. The NFAECG's ceased its operations in 1996 and
there has been no National Aboriginal Education consultative
organisation established to take over its roles and responsibilities.
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