Step 1: Remuneration
There is a very long history in this country of unpaid Indigenous labour and stolen wages.
At Swinburne University we are committed to reconciliation and to the authentic and appropriate inclusion of Indigenous peoples, cultures, perspectives, and knowledges.
Reciprocity is also a core component of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
As a principle, reciprocity should be central when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
in an academic situation, when knowledge is given, remuneration ($) must be given in return.
Each school can and should include Indigenous guest lectures in their school sessional budgets and factor these into teaching costs. Please speak to your Head of Department or Discipline Convenor on how to organise this.
Rate of Pay
Indigenous guest lecturers should be paid at the 'specialised' casual rate, as Indigenous knowledge is a specialised field, that often only an Indigenous person can deliver appropriately.
Step 2: Recording Vs. Live Lectures
Many Indigenous guest lecturers will prefer to give live (in person or online) guest lectures and prefer NOT to be recorded. If an Indigenous guest lecturer prefers to not be recorded – this must be respected. Many UCs wish to record guest lectures so that the School only has to pay for the session once, but this is not appropriate for Indigenous knowledges.
For too long, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's knowledges have been stolen, reprinted and repurposed without acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples. This has contributed to a denial of Indigenous data and knowledge sovereignty. This is a serious issue in academia, where Indigenous guest lectures are re-used each year, rather than employing an on-going Indigenous academic, or re-engaging an Indigenous Guest Lecturer.
Indigenous guest lectures should be re-engaged each semester, and paid each time.
Step 3: Protecting the Cultural Safety of Indigenous Guest Lecturers
While we like to think that all our students are culturally safe individuals – the reality is that some may not be. Or more likely: the student may be ignorant in their assumptions or questions, and unintentionally cause offense. Prior to an Indigenous Guest Lecture, the UC should ensure all students have completed the Student Cultural Competency Modules on Canvas. For best practice, the UC and teaching team should also confer with students ahead of time about appropriate and culturally safe behaviour, correct terminology (Refer to the: MTC Terminology Guide) and appropriate ways to ask questions. Better still, is for questions to go to the UC/Tutor/Lecturer through Canvas messaging, so that that inappropriate questions can be removed. It is the teaching team's responsibility to protect the cultural safety of the Indigenous Guest Lecturer in the classroom; all efforts should be made to ensure this.
Looking for aN Indigenous Expert to Guest Lecture in your unit, but don't know where to start?
If you are interested in engaging an Indigenous expert in your unit but don't know how to go about it, or if you want some guidance on how to protect the cultural safety of guest lecturers in your units (or anything else related to Indigenous Teaching and Learning at Swinburne) – please reach out to the MTC. You can contact Emma Gavin (egavin@swin.edu.au), until the end of November 2022) and then, Mat Jakobi (mjakobi@swin.edu.au), from December 5th, 2022 onward.