A reintroduction to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Business is Union Business in the NTEU

Nearly 20 years ago, the first mandatory Indigenous claim was tabled at bargaining, calling on universities to adopt employment targets in the sector. Whilst a lot has changed in this time, and we have seen the number of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people more than triple in higher education, there is still a long way to go to ensure that both the union movement, and the university sector, are truly inclusive and supportive places.

With that in mind, it is an opportune moment to provide an overview of how Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander business works at the NTEU.

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Unit

The NA&TSI Unit is located in the NTEU National Office in Melbourne and consists of two staff members: Adam Frogley, the Unit Coordinator and Celeste Liddle, the National A&TSI Organiser. The Unit performs a variety of roles, including:

• Running the annual NTEU National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Forum.

• Membership recruitment and liaison.

• Assistance and information regarding bargaining.

• On-campus information and local member meetings.

• Sector analysis and broader social justice engagement.

• Member circulars and updates.

• Member surveys and driving Union policy.

As well as this, the Unit acts as a first port of call for members experiencing problems in their workplace, liaising with the NTEU industrial teams across the country to ensure members receive appropriate support. Whilst the Unit doesn’t undertake individual casework, it works in tandem with the Branches and Divisions across the country to ensure members are linked in with Union experts.

The lockdowns effected the usual organising work the Unit engages in. Members are encouraged to get in contact with the Unit and/or organise a local members’ meeting.

More information about the Unit is available at www.nteu.org.au/atsi.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander representatives

Across the country, fellow Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander members hold elected positions within the NTEU. These are a mix between designated Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander representative positions and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander members holding mainstream positions. University of Sydney Branch Committee, for example, has three representatives who are Indigenous.

To find out who your local Branch Committee representative is, visit the NTEU website and use the drop-down menus at the top of the page to navigate to your local Branch. Alternatively, if there is no Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander representative on your local Branch, contact your Division A&STI Representative, or one of the three National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Councillors.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Policy Committee (A&TSIPC) is the peak Indigenous representative body within the Union. The current Chair is Sharlene Leroy-Dyer (UQ) with Robert Anders (UTAS) as Deputy Chair. The A&TSIPC is made up of 11 positions: 8 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Division Representatives and 3 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Councillors.

The role of the A&TSIPC is to ensure Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander business is, and continues to be, union business, and that our voices are heard within the NTEU. It is therefore crucial Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander members engage with local representatives to ensure issues across the sector – for example, redundancies, casualisation, racism and lateral violence – are reported and amplified within the Union’s decision-making bodies.

The current composition of the Policy Committee can be found at www.nteu. org.au/atsi/atsipc.

Note that where a Division does not have a current elected representative, members are encouraged to touch base with the National A&TSI Councillors or consider running in the next elections.

Division Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander contacts

Finally, in addition to the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Unit, and the designated elected positions, each Division has a locally-based staff member who is tasked with working together with the members, representatives and the Unit. These Division Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander contacts are not all Indigenous Union staff but they act as a conduit between the members and the representatives/unit and work in tandem to organise events such as Division A&TSI Forums, member meetings and ensure that Indigenous work is part of the ordinary work of the NTEU at a local level.

If you are interested in contacting your local Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander contact, please touch base with your Division (State/Territory) Office.

It has been over 20 years since the NTEU decided to take a positive and post-treaty stance on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander business. Whilst there is still a long way to go, we look forward to continuing to advance this agenda for years to come. ◆

Celeste Liddle, National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Organiser

Adam Frogley, National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Unit Director