Abstract:
This seminar by Drs. Bronwyn Frederick and Tracey Bunda is framed as a conversation with and for the intent of reconciliation. This conversation is centered around Indigenous knowledges embodied in Drs. Frederick and Bunda’s experiences and insghts as champions for the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum and their critical theoretical approaches around race and power, particulary in higher education.
The seminar will initially explore ‘The Voice’ campaign in Australia as a form of public pedagogy about Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders 60,000+ years of Indigenous democracy and then move on to explore indigenising Curriculum practices and ways to support successful implementation. There will then be opportunity for conversational exploration of these topics.
Bio(s):
Bronwyn Fredericks PhD is an Aboriginal woman from South-east Queensland, Professor, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) at the University of Queensland. She has over 30 years’ experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Indigenous health organisations, NGOs, and Government agencies. She has served on the boards of Indigenous and mainstream community organisations, representational organisations, and government. Professor Fredericks was the Presiding Commissioner for the Queensland Inquiry into servicing provision in discrete and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and Commissioner on other inquiries, including imprisonment and recidivism in Queensland.
ORCID ID – https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8120-6470
Tracey Bunda is a Ngugi/Wakka Wakka woman and the Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Queensland. She has a 4 decade career in higher education, primarily leading Indigenous education across multiple universities. In March 2025 she was honoured to receive the University Australia 2024 Career Achievement Award. Tracey is a Chief Investigator for the following Australian Research Council projects – Advancing Youth Led Climate Change Education (Discovery);Empowering Peer Parent and Family Advocacy in Child Protection (Linkage); Indigenous Futures (Centre of Excellence).
Her most recent publications include the 2023 co- authored book with Louise Phillips. Storying Social Movement, Springer and the 2024 co-authored book chapter with Katelyn Barney, Nisa Richy, Lisa Oliver, r e a Saunders and Stephanie Gilbert. Theoretical foundations for storying a knowledge basket: enhancing student engagement in Indigenous studies in the Australian context. Research Handbook on Student Engagement in Higher Education. Edward Elgar Publishing.380 396.https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035314294.00037
Tracey is looking forward to retirement in January 2026.
Submitted by, Dr. Kerry Renwick
* The Faculty of Education and UBC seek to foster an environment in which respect, civility, diversity, opportunity and inclusion are valued.