Australia has the potential to be world leaders in Indigenous social policy reform because of the Centre’s focus on Indigenous inequity and developing and maintaining a critical mass of Indigenous research capability and productivity.

Our Centre will create an enduring legacy of Indigenous-led knowledge development and innovation in social research to shape policy, programs, institutions, and our own communities, aligned with the intent of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap 2020, which states, “that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a genuine say in the design and delivery of services that affect them, better life outcomes are achieved. It recognises that structural change in the way Governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is needed to close the gap”.

Strategic Objectives 2024-2030

1. Design and deliver an exceptional and internationally renowned program of Indigenous relational transdisciplinary research to reveal the complex mechanisms, processes, and conditions that perpetuate Indigenous intergenerational inequity.
   
   
2. Work collaboratively with community organisations, government, relevant industry stakeholders, community end-users and researchers in other sectors to deliver ground-breaking cross-sectoral policy reform and models of best-practice directly related to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap 2020 four Priority Reform areas.
   
   
3. Provide unprecedented relational transdisciplinary cross-sectoral research focusing on the interconnections between legal, education and health contexts and build new networks with relevant international research programs.
   
   
4. Establish a national (and international) Indigenous Knowledge Infrastructure (NIKI) for Indigenous futures, including cross-sectoral measures, models, data systems and adaptive structures.
   
   
5. Support Indigenous researchers at all career stages by providing training, mentoring and career opportunities.
   
   
6. Foster the future generation of the most promising Indigenous Australian researchers trained through the Centre’s comprehensive Indigenous leadership, mentoring and capacity building program.
   
   

Our research will facilitate a paradigm shift in the way government organisations and practitioners design and deliver services transforming the societal and economic outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Policy-making based on transdisciplinary research and best-practice models has the capacity to;

• transfer power and resources to Indigenous communities through co-design, co-delivery and senior leadership appointments within organisations;
• identify systemic and daily racism and impart concrete processes to eliminate it,
• promote cultural safety and elevate the cultural capital of Indigenous histories, identities and practices within organisations’ boards, staff and working environments,
• focus on cross-sector socio-economic transformation for Indigenous peoples.