Geoscience Australia has established an inaugural First Nations Advisory Group. Photo: GA.
The Commonwealth’s geographic and geological data agency, Geoscience Australia, has for the first time appointed a First Nations Advisory Group to help inform decisions.
The group’s first meeting is today (23 September), and the group will continue to meet either in-person or online at least twice a year.
Geoscience Australia says the appointment of the group marks an important step in strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and will create collaborative opportunities and support informed decision-making and self-determination.
The First Nations Advisory Group’s inaugural membership is: Dennis Ah-Kee, Mitchell Baum, Sharon Cavanagh-Luskin, Craig Molyneux, Kado Muir, Michael O’Keefe, Amy Rust, and Professor Deen Sanders OAM.
CEO Melissa Harris said the group was now an integral part of Geoscience Australia’s broader work to strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement.
The aim is for it to ensure the agency’s priority programs and projects deliver purposeful and effective outcomes for First Nations people and communities.
“The establishment of the First Nations Advisory Group marks a significant step forward in our commitment to respectful and sustained relationships with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Ms Harris said.
“Geoscience Australia is committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to share knowledge and perspectives on geoscience to deepen a shared understanding of our land, sea and sky Country.
“We look forward to listening, learning, and working together with the inaugural members of the advisory group to ensure our work is guided by the voices, knowledge, and lived experiences of Australia’s First Peoples.”
Geoscience Australia is a statutory agency of the Federal Government, with a remit to conduct geoscientific research.
The agency is also the government’s technical adviser on aspects of geoscience, and serves as the repository of geographic and geological data collated by the Commonwealth.
It has six strategic priority areas:
- building Australia’s resource wealth to maximise benefits from Australia’s minerals and energy resources, now and into the future
- ensuring Australia’s community safety so that Australian communities are more resilient to natural hazards
- securing Australia’s water resources to optimise and sustain the use of Australia’s water resources
- managing Australia’s marine jurisdictions to maximise benefits from the sustainable use of Australia’s marine jurisdiction
- providing fundamental geographic information to understand the location and timing of processes, activities and changes across Australia to inform decision-making for natural and built environments
- maintaining geoscience knowledge and capability to maintain an enduring and accessible knowledge base and capability to enable evidence-based policy and decision-making by government, industry and the community.
The government’s Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative has enabled Geoscience Australia to establish the First Nations Advisory Group.
Chief of the agency’s Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division, Andrew Heap, said the group would work closely with Geoscience Australia to improve accessibility, discoverability and use of geoscience data and information.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have deep understanding and an enduring connection to land, sea and sky Country,” Dr Heap said.
“There is immense opportunity for traditional custodians and Geoscience Australia to work together to strengthen connections, build partnerships and support the responsible management of the nation’s shared resources.”
The advisory group’s inaugural membership was decided following an open selection process and brings together First Nations leaders with expertise across science, governance, policy, business, cartography, community leadership and STEM engagement.
The group’s establishment contributes to the Priority Reforms under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities, including elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems.
The agency’s newly released Shaping Our Future: Geoscience Australia Strategy 2026—2036, highlights whole-of-organisation commitments and goals for delivering benefits to all First Nations Australians.
The strategy states, in part, that Geoscience Australia will, through respectful and meaningful engagement, learn from First Nations knowledge systems and foster understanding of geoscience to support informed decision-making.
“Our approach to engagement includes partnership and co-design models and knowledge-building across our geoscience and geospatial programs and activities …” the statement says.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have thousands of years of continued connection to Country, bringing unique perspectives, knowledge and skills to Western scientific frameworks.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
