Mawambul support(s) the Sustainable Development Goals:
The project embeds Indigenous knowledges into university curriculum, directly supporting SDG target 4.7 on education that fosters appreciation of cultural diversity.
Its focus on building staff capability rather than relying on individual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff or students also supports SDG 10, by reducing the unequal cultural load often placed on Indigenous people within institutions.
Project overview
The Newcastle Business School engaged Mawambul to support the embedding of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, being and doing into its curriculum.
This work builds on the University of Newcastle’s broader commitment to Indigenous education, innovation and engagement, alongside existing strategies including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education and Research Framework, Cultural Capability Framework, and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocol.
The project recognises that responsibility for delivering on these commitments sits across the whole University, with a need to build capability and confidence among staff to embed Indigenous perspectives into teaching and learning.
Our approach
Our approach is grounded in capacity building, supporting staff to develop the knowledge and confidence required to embed Indigenous content into their courses.
We work collaboratively with academics, recognising their expertise while providing guidance, resources and support to integrate Indigenous perspectives in a way that is meaningful and appropriate.
This approach moves away from transactional models of engagement, instead supporting long-term capability and ownership within the Business School.
Cultural approach
A key focus of the project is managing cultural load and ensuring the work does not place additional burden on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students or community.
Cultural load can arise through repeated or unstructured engagement, lack of awareness of cultural protocols, and reliance on individuals to provide knowledge without appropriate support.
Our approach addresses this by:
Supporting staff to build their own knowledge and capability
Embedding structured processes for curriculum development
Ensuring engagement is respectful, consistent and appropriately supported
This positions cultural capability as an ongoing process, rather than a one-off activity.
Collaboration
The project is delivered in close collaboration with Newcastle Business School staff.
The work is intentionally participatory, supporting academics to be active contributors in the process rather than recipients of change.
This includes workshops, one-on-one engagement and ongoing support throughout curriculum development, ensuring a shared understanding and ownership of outcomes.
Outcome
The project supports the development of curriculum that more meaningfully reflects Indigenous knowledges and perspectives.
By building capability within the School, the work contributes to more sustainable, long-term change enabling staff to embed Indigenous content into teaching in a way that is informed, confident and culturally appropriate.