Micro-Treaty
Source: https://www.indigenous.unsw.edu.au/micro-treaty Parent: https://www.indigenous.unsw.edu.au/
What is a Micro-Treaty?
A micro-treaty empowers Indigenous communities by enabling self-determination, ensuring their involvement in decisions affecting them directly, fostering autonomy, and addressing systemic barriers, promoting cultural inclusivity, and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, and communities. By establishing a micro-treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, alumni and our Aboriginal communities gain a meaningful voice in shaping the dynamics of their relationship with the University and contribute to the design and implementation of policies and programs that directly impact their experiences. This approach empowers Aboriginal peoples and communities with a sense of agency, autonomy, and self-determination.
By engaging in negotiations for a micro-treaty with the University's Aboriginal communities, UNSW would aim to exemplify values such as reciprocity, respect, genuine collaboration and empowerment while underscoring the broader goal of contributing to real societal impact through these efforts.
The Micro-Treaty process involves Dialogues within communities where they identify their priorities, needs and hopes. The community will then enter into a negotiation with UNSW representatives to create commitments (rather like the articles of macro-treaties) from the University in the form of a micro-treaty.
As a community-led process the outcomes will be varied, but commitments could include:
- acknowledging and recognising the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – crucial for establishing a foundation for equitable relationships
- cultural respect and recognition – which can contribute to cultural preservation and revitalisation
- education and research – the recognition of Indigenous knowledge and its continued contribution to society today as one of the oldest living knowledge systems in our world
- social and health development – ways that the treaty can support social, health or economic development for Indigenous communities
- reconciliation and healing – engaging in the process can be a step towards reconciliation and healing, fostering a sense of justice and fairness.
UNSW’s Indigenous Representative Council (IRC)
The micro-treaty Dialogues will be led by an Indigenous Representative Council comprising of undergraduate and postgraduate students, professional and academic staff, along with alumni and members of UNSW-connected Aboriginal communities across NSW. The IRC will advise on the implementation and representation of Dialogues that align to each representative group guided by the framework that birthed The Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is recommended that the process begins with a clearly defined education piece around what the micro-treaty is and what it may encompass, in order to avoid any unmet expectations from community. This process would be managed through consultations that would include an education component.
Initial discussions have commenced with communities from Kensington (Bidjigal), Paddington, Sydney (Gadigal), Canberra (Ngunnawal, Ngambri), Albury, Wagga Wagga, Griffith (Wiradjuri), Port Macquarie (Biripai), Coffs Harbour (Gumbaynggirr), Fowler’s Gap (Wilyakali), and Walgett (Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay, Ngayiimbaa).
Looking to the future
UNSW actively supported the process of the First Nations Voice from its early days, including through the Indigenous Law Centre and the Uluru Dialogues. The University is committed to continuing this support and working together with our Indigenous communities to create a better future.