Aboriginal Task Force

The first tertiary program of its kind in Australia, the Aboriginal Task Force provided education in social work and community development for Aboriginal students from across the country.

Reflections from Professor Paul Hughes, AM, FACE
Emeritus Professor, UniSA David Unaipon College
of Indigenous Education and Research

“In the 1970s after the national referendum amending our constitution had promised more rights to Aboriginal Australians, the mood for change in Australia was pervasive. For Aboriginal people empowerment through education became central. The call was on to educate 1000 Aboriginal teachers by 1990, and a national program was set up to achieve just that with funds and support from the Commonwealth. The Aboriginal Task Force established at the South Australian Institute of Technology in 1973 provided some of the first education in social work specifically for Indigenous students in Australia and the program was like a magnet for newly political Aboriginal youth who wanted to make a difference to their communities. 

It was the first tertiary program of its kind in Australia and provided an enclave of support for its students and a path forward that encouraged careers built on education. The Torrens College for Advanced Education’s Teacher Education program for Aboriginal students established in 1978 was also significant. After being active on the National Education Committee and the Chair of the SA Aboriginal Education Consultative Committee, I was pushing very hard to win support for educational opportunities. I chaired the planning committee for the Task Force and ran that first Teacher Education Program and there was a real spirit of empowerment and achievement. It was only the third teacher training program for Aboriginal people in Australia, but our State became a leading exponent of how to do it well.
The combination of academic and cultural support and the sense of commitment to student success made it a great place to study. It’s from those roots that the University built a commitment to Indigenous education and to the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and research in UniSA’s curriculum, culture and consciousness.”

Reflections from Dr Wayne Atkinson Senior Yorta Yorta Elder,
Traditional Owner and Fellow, School of Social and Political Science,
University of Melbourne

“The Task Force is one of the most outstanding Aboriginal Education programs in Australia that produced high quality education outcomes for its period of time. Here is an example of some of the scholars that put the Task Force on the national and international map.

·      Pat Turner, CEO, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
·      Jack Ah Kit, member for Arnhem and minister in Northern Territory Government.
·      Tom Calma, Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission.
·      Freda Thornton (Glynn), co-founder of Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), Alice Springs.
·      Stephen Albert, first chairperson of National Aboriginal Education Committee; actor in the stage and film versions of Bran Nue Dae.
·      William Tilmouth, Central Australian ATSIC Regional Chair; founding chair of Children’s Ground.
·      Arnold ‘Puggy’ Hunter, inaugural NACCHO chairperson.
·      Andrew Wilson, Senior Aboriginal Access Officer, State Records of South Australia.
·      Cyril Archer, manager of Aboriginal Hostels Ltd; community leader in Derby, Western Australia.
·      Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik, PhD in education, Harvard University; dean, College of Indigenous Education and Research at University of South Australia; dean, Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at Charles Darwin University.
·      Ian Trust, executive chair of Wunan Foundation, East Kimberley region, Western Australia.
.      Dr Wayne Atkinson Principal Claimant in the Yorta Yorta Native Title Case, and Senior Lecturer and Fellow in the School of Social and Political Science University of Melbourne.

The list goes on, including those who became PhD graduates, professors, lecturers and tutors in universities, TAFE colleges and community-based education programs in Australia and overseas.  Many others achieved their chosen careers in fields such as international studies and human rights advocacy.
The Task Force was an outstanding education model that influenced many changes in Indigenous education in Australia. The calibre of its graduates speaks for itself. If left to develop at its own pace and build on those achievements however, the Task Force could have reached the level of a model First Nations education program of national and world-class status. That is the dream for me as I reflect on what it achieved and what I learned. The factors that ended the Task Force program at SAIT when it was at its best is a story worthy of reflection and recognition."

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