Recording available here

Overview:

In this seminar, Associate Professor Bill Fogarty will be in conversation with Professor Valerie Cooms discussing the highly successful Learning on Country Program running in the Northern Territory. The seminar will cover the program's history, the role of research and development, recent work on monitoring and evaluation and the program's underlying pedagogic principles. The conversation will be wide ranging and canvass larger issues of Indigenous education and development at the National level. 

About the Speakers:

Professor Valerie Cooms is a Quandamooka woman and is the Director of CAEPR. Professor Cooms has had many years' experience working in Indigenous affairs, within the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the then Departments of Education Employment and Training, as well as Social Security delivering services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. More recently Professor Cooms was the CEO of Queensland South Representative Body Aboriginal Corporate and Queensland South Native Title Services, as well as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal. Professor Cooms is currently the Chair of the Quandamooka Yoolooburabee Registered Native Title Body Corporate and is the Deputy Chair of Aboriginal Hostels Limited and also the Chair of the Aboriginal and Islander Independent School in Brisbane for five years and set up the Wadja Wadja High School in Woorabinda Aboriginal community.

Associate Professor Bill Fogarty is the Director of Education at CAEPR and has lived and worked in remote communities for over 25 years and has extensive experience in research on Indigenous education, employment policy and service provision. He has qualifications in anthropology, communications, social research methods, education and applied development. He has qualifications in anthropology, communications, social research methods, education and applied development. He has worked on projects with a diverse range of organisations concerned with Indigenous Australia such as the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Aboriginal Affairs NSW, National Indigenous Australians Agency, Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, the Northern Land Council and the Northern Territory Government. He has published widely both domestically and internationally and is currently conducting research projects on Indigenous Issues in New Zealand, Norway and Canada. Over the past decade Associate Professor Fogarty’s work has been instrumental in the development of the highly successful Learning on Country program in the Northern Territory and he has previously worked on a number of high-profile research projects funded by the Australian Research Council.