A new partnership between two leading Australian research institutions will allow Australians to better understand, strengthen and share Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, contexts and knowledge.

The partnership will initiate activities that support AIATSIS' and University of Sydney’s National Centre for Cultural Competence’s respective roles in increasing cultural competence in research and to promote the use of appropriate approaches and methodologies when engaging with Indigenous communities.

Find out more about the partnership.

Artist Amanda King recently returned to AIATSIS to undertake conservation work on her portrait of our Chairperson, Professor Mick Dodson.

The treasured collage-style portrait has hung at the entrance to AIATSIS for many years, where it has been in prime position for visitors and staff to admire but also susceptible to the sun’s UV rays.

Find out more about how the portrait was created and Amanda's work on our website.

Unique treasures from the past can be uncovered through collections that are donated to AIATSIS, which is exactly what happened for Jodie Dowd who works in our Collections area.

Jodie excitedly recalls how she located a language book on the Palawa people amongst the collection donated by the Australian and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) when it was dismantled in 2004.

Meet Jodie in our short video.

The AIATSIS collection has been described as the “most extensive and best contextualised collection of Indigenous Australia in the world” by founding Director of Significance International, Veronica Bullock.

Veronica, who led the team responsible for an independent evaluation of the collection known in cultural heritage circles as a ‘Significance Assessment’, also described AIATSIS as “a site of pilgrimage.”

Read more about the significance assessment.
 

The special 50th anniversary edition of the AIATSIS Annual Report has been released and is a wonderful and colourful showcase of our work through 2013-2014.

A web accessible, PDF and chapter breakdown versions are all available on our website.

Head to the website to take a look.

On 29 and 30 July AIATSIS in collaboration with the newly established Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) held the successful workshop - Indigenous Governance Development: a forum to map current and future research and resource need.

Some wonderful content and resources from the forum have been published to enrich understanding of Indigenous Governance research and development including a background paper, surveys, presentations, photos and videos from the event.

Head to the page to discover more.

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