“The strength of Aboriginal communities as knowledge leaders: disrupting the narrative of vulnerability” was presented at the Transforming Vulnerability Conference by

* Professor Dawn Bessarab – Director, Centre for Aboriginal Medical & Dental Health, University of Western Australia. and

*  Professor Kathleen Clapham – Professor Indigenous Health, Australian Health Services Research Institute, University of Wollongong.

 

OVERVIEW

Within the current Australian climate of dismissal of  Aboriginal First Nation’s sovereignty and the right to be  included in decision making impacting Aboriginal futures and  lives, there is now more than ever an urgent need to disrupt  the ongoing meta-narrative which keeps Aboriginal people  vulnerable and disadvantaged. Transforming vulnerability  requires courage, inclusion and the amplification of  Australian voices promoting human rights and social justice.

Aboriginal people and communities are made vulnerable  through a colonising regime that continues to apply policies  of exclusion, silencing and denial of the rights of First Nations  peoples to be included in decision making about their affairs.  If we are serious about transforming vulnerable Aboriginal  communities, Australia cannot continue to place barriers  that prevent First Nations people from having a place and a  voice at the table. There is a need to change the paternalistic  and deficit rhetoric that frames Aboriginal Australians as  hopeless, undeserving and complicit in their disadvantage to  one of resilience and strength.

This presentation explores the role of First Nations people  in disrupting the narrative of vulnerability by transforming  their own communities. Case examples from Aboriginal  community controlled organisations demonstrate the  strengths inherent in communities in building resilience  and creating sustainable futures. Real participation, inclusive  decision making and transfer of power and resources will  enable real change to happen

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Professer Dawn Bessarab is Director for the Centre for  Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health at the University of  Western Australia (UWA). Dawn is an Indigenous woman of  Bard (West Kimberley) and Yjindjabandi (Pilbara) descent.  Prior to joining the UWA, Dawn worked as an Indigenous  Health Researcher at the Centre for Health Innovation  Research Institute at Curtin University where she collaborated  with people working in the field of chronic disease; cardio  vascular, cancer and ageing. Dawn has extensive experience  across the Western Australian public sector, specifically in  the area of child protection, family violence, alcohol and substance abuse and the criminal justice system. She has  worked for the Department of the Attorney General across  courts and tribunal services, and the Department of Child  Protection (then Community Development) as a social  worker and an Aboriginal child protection worker. Professor  Bessarab is interested in the application of Indigenous  research methodologies such as ‘yarning’ and the translation  of research into policy and practice. She advocates the  importance of understanding the cultural traditions of  Aboriginal people and is engaged in research looking at  interventions and collaborative approaches to addressing  health issues affecting Aboriginal people. Dawn is a chief  investigator on a number of National Health and Medical  Research Council grants and her expertise in Aboriginal  research is highly regarded.

Kathleen Clapham, is a Professor (Indigenous Health) at  the Australian Health Services Research Institute, at the  University of Wollongong. Kathleen joined the Institute  in 2011. She holds a BA (Hons First Class) and PhD in  Anthropology and has over 25 years experience as an  academic in higher education, where she specialises in  Indigenous health research and education. Prior to joining  the Institute she was the Director of the Woolyungah  Indigenous Centre at the University of Wollongong. Kathleen  has been Chief Investigator on NHMRC and ARC funded and  other studies with an Indigenous health focus. Her research  interests include: social determinants of health; Indigenous  injury prevention and safety promotion; Indigenous child  health and resilience; and Indigenous health workforce  development.