Bachelor of Community Service

This subject provides students with a critical understanding of the diverse, rich, and enduring cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples—Australia’s Original Custodians. It emphasises the distinctiveness between these two cultural groups, including differences in language, geographic location, kinship systems, gender roles, cultural protocols, laws, and spiritual practices. Students will engage with precolonial histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and examine the profound and ongoing impacts of colonisation, including policies of protection, segregation, assimilation, and the transition to self-determination and reconciliation within the Australian nation-state. The subject provides a historical and contemporary analysis of how these policies have shaped social, political, and economic realities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Particular attention is given to the role of community services in these histories and current relationships. Students will critically examine the implications of community work practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts, including the legacy of institutional practices and the need for culturally safe and responsive approaches. Through self-reflective practice, students will develop the knowledge and skills required to work respectfully and collaboratively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, and communities. This includes an understanding of kinship systems, cultural resilience, and the central importance of listening, partnership, and cultural humility in effective community work practice.