Universities have historically underperformed against their obligations to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Enrolments have been low, attrition rates high and Indigenous staff remain few.

In the last decade there have been notable improvements. Participation rates, in particular, are tracking upwards. Individual universities are steadily implementing internal policies, plans and programs to lift participation and attainment by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and are taking steps to make the university environment a welcoming one. The Commonwealth Government, too, is contributing to improvement by opening up universities to all academically capable students and increasing flexibility in dedicated Indigenous funding programs.

What has been missing up to now is a coherent sector-wide initiative that binds all universities together with common goals. This strategy is designed to fill that gap.

Universities Australia, as the peak sector body, builds on previous work, notably the 2012 Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and the 2011 National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities.

The strategy outlines Universities Australia’s response to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It acknowledges that universities have responsibilities to Australia’s Indigenous people, and to reflect the right of self-determination by working in partnership with Indigenous communities.

Universities Australia also recognises the benefits that universities and the country will accrue through increasing Indigenous involvement and attainment in higher education.