Leaders in Indigenous legal education in Australia, including the community of Indigenous legal academics and key collaborators, came together for a two day workshop in August 2025 to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore strategies to improve the development and delivery of Indigenous curriculum.
Together we set out to deepen our shared understanding of the skills and knowledges required to develop cultural capability in legal services settings and appropriate pedagogies to shift our institutions towards these goals.
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Workshop Materials
Workshop Report
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Resources
Further important resources on Indigenous legal education
Artist Acknowledgement
The workshop conveners are grateful to Trent “bundirrik” Lee, Larrakia Artist and educator for creating the artwork for the Keeper of Knowledge artwork for the Reckoning and Reimagining workshop. Trent is a collaborator with the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub as part of our On Country teaching, and we have benefited greatly from his teachings.
Artwork story: “Keeper of knowledge”
A sacred place where the tree of knowledge sits with roots that run deep into the heart of the country. Its branches stretch wide, carrying fruits of many colours and meanings — each one holding a different story and different lesson from all that visit the tree.
The two Owls are perched high in the tree. One faces the rising sun, the other looks toward the setting light. Though they came from a different place, both share the same purpose to - listen, watch, learn and guide. They sit in silence, learning by watching and listening to the knowledge from the ones who came before them and from land that is carried through the wind and blows the leaves in the tree passing on these lessons and each other carrying stories from there different places, their feathers are symbols of their knowledge. Teaching us to listen when someone is talking.
Etched in the bark is ochre markings, painted by the elders. These symbols hold deep meaning of strength, connection to country. — stories of creation and resilience. The tree holds knowledge that is protected, and must be respected.
Beneath the tree are roots twisted deep into the ground, firm and strong. The roots are to symbolise the importance of grounding yourself and teaches us to have the strength to succeed and survive and for us to passed down to the next generation the knowledge we hold that will make us stronger. Above them, the blue sky stretches endlessly, painted with soft, flowing patterns. These are the spirits of the elders weaving through the clouds, watching, guiding, and telling us to keep on the right path and that everything is connected — everything we see and everything we don’t.
with thanks to the
Workshop Conveners
Eddie Cubillo – Professor, University of Melbourne
Nicole Watson – Professor, University of Melbourne
Marcelle Burns – Associate Dean Indigenous (Law), University of Technology Sydney
Cassandra Seery – Associate Director of Teaching and Learning, Community Based Delivery NIKERI Institute
Jaynaya Dwyer - Lecturer, Indigenous Law and Justice Hub
Event production by Elyse Keyser
With thanks to the generosity of the Indigenous Knowledges Institute and University of Technology Sydney.
Hosted by the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub