An array of organisations represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia, including Land Councils, Prescribed Body Corporates (PBCs), language, education and art centres, and regional organisations.
This is a list of links to key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and educator resources in Australia, compiled by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
Learning communities can browse these links to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, communities and language. As well, discover the standards for culturally appropriate professional development for educators, resources and tools to use with children and young people, and more.
In your early learning service or school, use the content from these websites to develop and share knowledge, plan actions or reflect on practice that support educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and their social and emotional wellbeing.
Remember the websites listed below are only a starting point. To share and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, invite local knowledge-holders and community organisations into your service or school so you can be sure you’re incorporating the traditions and histories of your area in a culturally appropriate and respectful way.
As you do this, also consider the contribution you can make back into the community or ask what support you can offer community members for sharing their knowledge.
Acknowledgement of Country
Be You Acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Land, sea, Country, and waterways across Australia. We honour and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
Thanks to AIATSIS
AIATSIS is Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. We acknowledge the experienced staff at AIATSIS, in particular its Education team, and thank AIATSIS for being a part of this important work.
Key organisations and resources
3Rs (Respect Relationships Reconciliation)
This project, sponsored by Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), supports educators to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in initial teacher education (ITE) courses. The resource addresses two focus areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and is structured in three modules: Know yourself; Know your students; Know what you teach.
ABC Education
Australia’s national broadcaster supports the teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures as part of the Australian Curriculum with features on languages, National Sorry Day, Dreamtime and more.
All Together Now
This not-for-profit offers resources and tools to educate Australians about racism, including racism in schools. The Kids Together Now app aims to promote positive peer relationships among students and reduce incidences of racism among children.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Education (AIATSIS)
Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the history, cultures and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. AIATSIS aims to influence what children learn at school about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia and support educators and schools to teach confidently.
Gambay: a map of Australia’s first languages
Gambay translates to ‘together’ in the Butchulla language of the Hervey Bay region in Queensland, and this interactive map on the ABC Indigenous site displays more than 780 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages from language communities around Australia. The site offers Teachers Notes.
Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program language centres list
This program currently supports several organisations, including a network of 20 language centres. While the language centres are listed here by state, language areas do not align with state borders. As such, some language centres physically located in one state could service areas in another state.
Indigenous Psychological Services
This private company founded in 1998 by Adjunct Professor Tracy Westerman of the Njamal people of the North West of Western Australia was developed to address specialist mental health services for Aboriginal people across Australia. Its services include Aboriginal mental health training, community intervention programs and cultural competency programs.
InSights: A unit outline and content for professional learning units to support teachers in meeting Focus Areas 1.4 and 2.4
Developed by AITSL, in partnership with partnership with Charles Sturt University, Edith Cowan University and Monash University, this is a guide for education services providers to develop their teacher professional development using a rights-based approach and with the full engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education experts. The guide includes guiding principles, recommended resources, teacher prompts and sample activities.
Racism. It Stops With Me
This national campaign provides tools and resources to help people, schools, services and organisations learn about racism and stand against it by acting for positive change.
Reconciliation Australia's Narragunnawali Program
Narragunnawali supports all schools and early learning services in Australia to foster knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. The free Narragunnawali online platform provides practical resources to introduce meaningful reconciliation initiatives in the classroom and the wider learning community. The Narragunnawali platform offers schools and early learning services the tools and resources to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), access professional learning and support the implementation of reconciliation initiatives via the curriculum. The Build Relationships with Community website provides guidance on how to build relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community based on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness.
SBS Learn
This public service broadcaster has a library of teacher resources linked to documentaries, news and current affairs, and other productions aired on SBS and its national Indigenous TV channel NITV. Resources are aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority.
SNAICC - National Voice for our Children
This national non-governmental peak body advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. works to protect the rights of children and ensure their safety, development and wellbeing. SNAICC has a network of members comprising of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children throughout Australia.
The Final Quarter Curriculum Resources
This resource by education not-for-profit Cool Australia address racisms, rights and reconciliation. The resource contains 52 lessons designed for Years 5 to 12 that investigate racism, privilege, truth-telling, cultural pride, resilience, values and dignity.
The Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students
This teaching resource has been developed to educate young people about the Stolen Generations. It introduces students from Foundation to Year 9 to the firsthand experiences of Stolen Generations survivors, so students have a full understanding of the history of Australia.
Victorian Aboriginal Education Association
The peak Koorie community organisation for education and training in Victoria offers a range of downloadable curriculum and education resources, policies, strategies and other publications.
What Works
Several useful resources for teachers and school leaders have come from this program, designed to help schools improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This includes The Workbook (a practical set of support materials for schools) and Successful Practice (case studies with successful strategies). The website is no longer being updated.