ACER and Jumbunna: creating partnerships for social change

A new generation of First Nations researchers is emerging from a significant philanthropic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney. The partnership is driven by a generous legacy and a dynamic collaboration aimed at igniting critical social and systemic change.

After receiving a bequest of $1,000,000 from the late John Farrant and Lesley Patricia Farrant to establish an education fund, ACER has partnered with Jumbunna to support emerging First Nations researchers. The relationship is valuable for the advancement of First Nations research methods, which challenge the concept of neutrality in research, and the development of First Nations researchers skilled in facilitating positive change within their communities.

The partnership has already generated a successful bid for a research grant and provided 18 talented PhD students with the financial support required to complete their research studies. Over the next 3 years, through the philanthropic fund, ACER expects to support a total of 125 higher-degree First Nations researchers as they head towards the end of their PhDs. This is a critical time when students require a financial boost to complete work that is often costly– including travelling to conferences or accessing vital records and research materials.

“Funds such as these can make someone’s PhD,” says Jumbunna Director, Professor Lindon Coombes. “After long hours, having extra eyes, ears, and funds to get your thesis over the line can be a crucial lifeline for many. These researchers can go on to change the world.”

Gemma Sentance, a Wiradjuri student whose PhD has been completed thanks to the philanthropic funding, says: "The back end of the PhD is extremely stressful, and the funding was able to take a lot of that stress away. Securing additional funding for an editor gives you the opportunity to find the right person that aligns with your process. This really allows you to honour the work that you have put into the thesis."  Gemma’s PhD thesis is titled, ‘Exploring the Experiences of First Nations law graduates within colonial legal institutions’ which adopts a decolonising approach to research that seeks to explore deeply the experiences of First Nations people engaging within colonial legal institutions.

Beyond the crucial cash injection for PhD students, ACER and Jumbunna have collaborated on a successful bid for a research grant through the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success. “Building understanding of First Nations students’ progression through university”, led by ACER researcher’s Dr Daniel Edwards and Dr Rebecca Taylor, and UTS’s Senior Research Fellow Dr James Beaufils, will explore data on entry, progress, experience, and completion of university, and conduct interviews with First Nations university students.

The goal of this research is to foster successful outcomes for First Nations university students, who continue to be the most under-represented cohort in higher education, by promoting changes in policy and practice and providing support. The research project will identify examples of best practice in supporting university pathways and retention, and success stories of First Nations students – building on the philosophy ‘if you can see it, you can be it.’

Dr Edwards says, “ACER deeply values this tremendous and rewarding collaboration. It’s wonderful to see the bequest providing support to Jumbunna research students at exactly the time they need it most, and we hope the research we’re undertaking will enable more First Nations people to attend and complete university.”

Jumbunna and UTS are home to the largest number of Indigenous professors in Australia. They operate throughout Australia, with staff working in communities in Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, and collaborators in all states and territories. Operating in the domestic and international spheres, the team prides itself on frank and fearless research and advocacy driven by the Indigenous communities it serves, promoting, supporting, and embodying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty and self-determination.

ACER is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that has been improving learning for more than 90 years. ACER promotes better outcomes for all learners by identifying evidence-based policies and practices that can shape strategic decision-making at all levels, from the early years to post-compulsory education.