KJ FBH BMO1102 Manager Interview

Summary

In an interview with Karen Jackson (KJ), Director of Mandala Ballack at Victoria University, insights are shared about her role as a manager in an Indigenous academic unit. KJ discusses her management style, planning strategies, relationship with the Aboriginal community, and how she balances different responsibilities. She underscores the importance of cultural safety, diversity, community engagement, and maintaining motivation through small successes and community impact. The conversation highlights challenges faced in Indigenous academic management and the ethical considerations therein.

Highlights

• KJ shares her extensive use of a synced calendar to manage her busy schedule effectively, coordinating numerous meetings within and outside the university. 📅
• The importance of cultural safety in the workplace is underscored, with KJ emphasizing the need for a secure space for Aboriginal staff and students. 🛡️
• KJ explains the delicate balance of wearing multiple 'hats' due to her roles in management, union membership, and as an Aboriginal community member. 🎩
• Her commitment to embedding Aboriginal community concerns in academic and strategic discussions demonstrates her dedication to community-first leadership. 🌱
• KJ's long-term strategy involves not only managing the academic unit but also prioritizing her own learning with the goal of obtaining a PhD. 🎓

Key Takeaways

• KJ emphasizes the vital role of community relationships in her management approach, helping her navigate various responsibilities with ease. 🌟
• She uses her calendar extensively to manage time across numerous meetings and tasks, showcasing the importance of organization in effective management. ⏰
• Cultural safety and community engagement are paramount in KJ's management style, ensuring a supportive environment for both staff and students. 💬
• KJ's connections to her Aboriginal heritage guide her professional decisions, prioritizing community values and concerns. 🌾
• Small successes and positive feedback from the community and students drive motivation and performance in KJ's role. 🎉

Overview

Karen Jackson opens up about her journey and role as the Director of Mandala Ballack at Victoria University. She highlights the importance of Indigenous community ties and how these shape her approach to management and leadership. By leveraging her heritage and community connections, KJ effectively manages her duties and facilitates a supportive environment for Aboriginal staff and students.

KJ provides insights into her management style, which heavily relies on meticulous planning using technology like a synced calendar to navigate a plethora of responsibilities. The interview delves into her unique challenges in maintaining cultural safety and addressing the diverse needs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff and students, showcasing the complexities of her role.

Through reflective segments, KJ talks about the long-term goals she has for herself and her unit, aiming to achieve personal academic milestones and broaden the impact of her work. She emphasizes the importance of cultural understanding, ethical employment practices, and keeping the community's needs at the forefront of academic endeavors.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter begins with an introduction to Karen Jackson, who is the director of Mandala Balack, the Indigenous Academic Unit at Victoria University. Despite not being part of the original script, she expresses a desire to introduce herself to provide background and context for the students engaging with the project.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Personal Introduction and Background The chapter introduces the speaker, who discusses their personal background, emphasizing the importance of heritage and identity. They mention their great-great-grandmother Kitty Atkinson and great-great-grandfather Jack Pollock Mount Hope, reflecting their connection to the land and culture as a Yatta Yatta woman through both matrilineal and patrilineal lines. The introduction highlights the cultural significance of heritage in defining one's identity as an Aboriginal person.
• 01:30 - 03:30: Role and Responsibilities as a Manager This chapter explores the role and responsibilities of a manager. It highlights how managers can make connections and foster improvement among their team members. The conversation touches on geographical locations like Pyramid Hill, the frost, and Murray River, as well as a long-term commitment to a venue, with over 20 years of experience in Melbourne.
• 03:30 - 06:30: Preparation and Scheduling The chapter delves into the organization and planning involved in managing a workday, focusing particularly on the role of a manager using digital tools. The highlighted manager discusses planning around their digital calendar, specifically an Apple calendar, that is synchronized with their phone for efficiency. This synchronization is essential for staying on top of appointments and responsibilities, especially in senior management roles. The discussion likely continues with insights on the role of technology in management and strategies for effective scheduling.
• 06:30 - 10:30: Challenges in Management The chapter 'Challenges in Management' outlines various administrative and leadership responsibilities within and outside the university. It emphasizes the importance of keeping a well-managed calendar to handle multiple commitments, including attending numerous meetings both internally and externally, engaging with the community, and participating in multiple committees as a co-chair or member.
• 10:30 - 15:30: Planning and Strategy The chapter discusses the challenges of managing multiple meetings and roles, such as transitioning between academic boards, community meetings, and senior leadership groups. The complexity lies in being prepared for each distinct type of meeting.
• 15:30 - 18:00: Career Goals and PhD This chapter discusses the challenges of managing career goals while pursuing a PhD. It highlights the balance between preparing thoroughly and sometimes having to 'wing it' due to time constraints. The conversation touches upon time management strategies and the importance of a structured approach, though it is acknowledged that flexibility is sometimes necessary depending on the situation.
• 18:00 - 30:00: Team Management and Cultural Safety The chapter 'Team Management and Cultural Safety' discusses the varying degrees of preparation required for different types of tasks and meetings. It specifically highlights the contrast between community work and formal institutional roles. While the narrator feels comfortable engaging in Aboriginal community work without extensive preparation due to established relationships, tasks involving academic boards or senior leadership roles mandate thorough pre-reading and preparation through relevant documents or papers. This reflects on the flexibility and adaptation needed based on the nature of the task and the community involved.
• 30:00 - 39:00: Mentorship and Influence The chapter 'Mentorship and Influence' focuses on the preparation and reflection required for participating in important discussions affecting Aboriginal staff and students. It emphasizes the importance of being well-prepared and having a clear voice in academic settings, such as academic board meetings. This involves reviewing relevant issues and dedicating time in one's schedule to ensure effective participation and influence.
• 39:00 - 55:00: Ethical and Diversity Considerations The chapter discusses the preparation and considerations required for an academic board meeting. It highlights the importance of consulting with union members, who are also academic staff, to gather their perspectives and insights before attending the meeting. The speaker emphasizes the need to thoroughly read all related papers prior to the meeting, allowing time for the information to be absorbed and understood for effective representation and discussion of agenda items.
• 55:00 - 60:00: Conclusion and Reflection The chapter 'Conclusion and Reflection' appears to discuss the comparison between academic/research priorities and Aboriginal issues. The speaker seems to reflect on their personal experiences and the potential conflict between professional responsibilities and cultural/personal considerations. There is an implied need for continuous reflection and balancing of these two aspects, as indicated by the informal mention of being reminded by a phone to accomplish tasks. The chapter likely closes with the speaker contemplating the overarching balance of priorities in their roles.

KJ FBH BMO1102 Manager Interview Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 with me today is Karen Jackson who is the director of mandala Ballack the indigenous academic unit within Victoria University thank you for your time KJ know where it is if you know lovely to actually be a part of this little project so I guess what I'd like to do and I know this is not part of the script is actually introduce myself for the students to sort of understand about
• 00:30 - 01:00 Who I am so people come at KJ my great-great grandmother was Kitty Atkinson on near more relaxing than the forest and my great-great-grandfather was feeling more Jackson Pollock Mount Hope new pyramid Hill and that makes me a Yatta Yatta broke up woman through my matrilineal and patrilineal lines and as an Aboriginal person it's always really important to introduce yourself in those ways so that to others but particularly
• 01:00 - 01:30 average and people just sort of make connections so I just like to do that and hopefully your students will get a little bit better as well thank you thank you nice so so pyramid Hill and the frost oh but I thought so they're actually quite close together yes one of the Murray River and then you came to Melbourne that's right I did and you've been at venue for a long time a very long time over 20 years yes likewise
• 01:30 - 02:00 this so from your position and because these students are doing a management unit let's talk about your role as a manager how do you plan your workday my workday is planned actually around my calendar my apple cloner which is always connected to my phone because if I haven't got everything synched I just meet Salaam it to be I've because I'm also part of the senior
• 02:00 - 02:30 leadership group at the university well like that because he so I have I have many many meetings that I have to attend to so I attend meetings within the university also on a number of committees inside the university I attend meetings outside of the University as part of my community engagement and I'm also on that number of committees outside of the university where I'm the co-chair or a member and that's sort of things so if I haven't got my calendar up to date I'm
• 02:30 - 03:00 sort of in trouble for the day and that's how I manage where it is I have to be I think the tricky part about about doing that sort of management though is being able to go from one meeting say an academic board to a meeting outside in the community and then maybe back into a senior leadership group meeting and and be prepared that's that's sort of the tricky bit so some of those things I can do without having a
• 03:00 - 03:30 whole stack of papers but other things I need to do a lot of reading beforehand stick it to that space yes and so we'll come to to that or put some pick up on that point now so how do you get prepared you've got your calendar then how do you allocate your time to be prepared yes I don't do I think it's really tricky to do that sometimes I just wing it I guess which is probably not a good thing for a manager to say it depends on the context
• 03:30 - 04:00 and it depends on how deeply embedded I am in each issue and each each committee the community work I can do without being prepared because it's Aboriginal community work and I've got good relationships with the Aboriginal community and so that's easily do without having your whole staff meeting in terms of doing academic board or senior leadership then there's always papers and then come with that so I have to read them hopefully a day or two before and maybe sometimes even the
• 04:00 - 04:30 night before to refresh myself and to think think deeply about what the issues are they're being raised and how they impact on Aboriginal staff or herbs or students and then make sure I have my voice so do you then die rides terrible verb but dies that time into your calendar so that you see it there is something to be done if it's if it's something like academic board I do because there's like
• 04:30 - 05:00 wallpapers it's a step and so I have so we have a pre academic board meeting so then I have to read who is that that's mom that's with the union members who am i okay my name is board who are also academic staff so that's you soliciting their voices before you go to represent yeah just to have a conversation around what's coming up in the agenda so I have to read all the papers before that meeting but then I have to read them probably the day before for them to sort of sink in and for me to sort of then do
• 05:00 - 05:30 that comparison between what it is about academic and research and what it is about Aboriginal issues that are important in all of those papers so yes I die rise those so yeah my phone goes off and says time to really make wallpapers how exciting don't matter when you do it stuff everything else yeah so you is there a conflict between the two hats that you might sometimes try and decide are you wearing yes this
• 05:30 - 06:00 there's so many conflicts in the hats that I wear yeah because on the one hand I am I am a union member which makes it really tricky if I'm in management and then I'm also an Aboriginal person an individual but there's also there were community expectations and then there's also staff expectations that I guess my own expectations as as a manager so there's in all sorts of different spaces there's all sorts of different hats I
• 06:00 - 06:30 think I think what enables me not to flip between us hats not only thing I flip between it I think what I do is I take Aboriginal community and that stands as being the most important mm-hmm sorry the push came to shove and there was issues between management and managing an issue I would take the line of community yeah Aboriginal community or Aboriginal
• 06:30 - 07:00 issues first that's your your greatest university yes yes yeah you're prioritizing yeah um how far into the future do you plan your job I mean I know I didn't make bodies if we momily yeah but and that sort of die arises you say how far into the future do you play an activity so the the so we have a strategy um an Aboriginal strategy which is called battle Mignot living what
• 07:00 - 07:30 savanna do which means shine bright and so we have that strategy which is a three-year strategy and so that plans our work our collaborative work I think that doesn't plan all of our work that plans sort of the high-level work that we do in conjunction with other areas in the university other managers so that that outlines our work with people in culture in terms of Aboriginal employment outlines I work with senior colleges in the first year college around teaching and learning outlines our relationship with the managers in
• 07:30 - 08:00 research and now also our outlines a relationship with senior management and the vice-chancellor so there's all of those sort of managerial roles that are outlined in that mmm uh strategy over three years then I guess there's the the managing of the academic unit itself and so you gotta manage staff in those sorts of places we don't have a lot of ongoing staff so we've got to manage contracts of staff in session or staff so if you've got to do those at different
• 08:00 - 08:30 times of the years you've also got to have staff meetings at different time of the year you've got to organise sort of planning meetings and those sorts of things so it sort of varies what the what the topic is our the other thing we do is because we support students we've got to manage that process so we we've got to think about the timelines of when students enroll or when they're applying for courses a part of courses first and then what happens after enroll so we've got to manage that and plan that out what they do once they're in their
• 08:30 - 09:00 course and how we're there was a boy husband to keep it yes or some you know making sure they've got enough financial assistance so you're planning all those sorts of things oh yes top of that planning or the finance ah ah the unit of the unit is right yeah oh I don't only spend my budget that's right your career where's it going what are you doing so what I'm doing I've um I haven't really thought a lot about my career because I think actually building up moon daily Ballack
• 09:00 - 09:30 has been in my career so I've been at the university a long time to get to that space and so we now we're not given unit and we're teaching when we do research so in terms of for me because I'm getting a bit older iPhone might so it's not really Crego what my goal yeah is to have a PhD before I retire but so I've been involved in to the integrated ph.d program here for years you should aim to get to that space after your third or fourth year you'll love it
• 09:30 - 10:00 and it's working really well and yeah so I'm and one off dummys I've made a decision to do my PhD actually on the work that are doing the Aboriginal community which makes sort of perfect sense yes I could be doing my job as well as doing my PhD but because I have such good relationships with national community anyway it's sort of much easier then to have those conversations and do that work and it just means you have to write at the same time anyway
• 10:00 - 10:30 much more every one of those conversations you have with community you need to then write down and given that we're just talking before that academic board the amount of papers I have to write for that any DIYer sorts of things I'm gonna have to know her eyes reading and writing you know my PhD I know you will and so I wish you luck on that there was a very much for your time journey of six years yeah we know
• 10:30 - 11:00 you don't V you for another sis what about your um so your job what makes it difficult to achieve goals and what makes it easy someone that you've touched on it you want to expand on yeah I guess I guess the thing that actually makes managing an indigenous academic unit really difficult is that a lot of
• 11:00 - 11:30 stuff outside of the unit don't understand what it is that we do in the first instance all the students don't understand what we do but um a management a lot of management take time to actually understand what it is that we do there's this which is sort of one layer so don't kiss the bottom layer the basic layer of people knowing what is it you do in the work that you're trying to do and why it's important because you
• 11:30 - 12:00 know people don't have much knowledge around Aboriginal issues or the impact of policies or programs on medical people and why things are really difficult in terms of people to engage in university or to be employed in university spaces when they're by themselves which is why we have a team so that's sort of the basic level of that but the other thing on top of that is managing managing the notions of cultural safety mmm and cotton load so
• 12:00 - 12:30 that's complex for staff there were many too and for myself and cultural load for our staff once you could both staff and students proper safety a lot of people don't sort of understand why it's important to have you know a safe a group of average of people where students come and gather or staff coming together so that's our cultural safety and we and we feel safe and comfortable in those spaces it's a safe to the community for them yes yes yeah so it's
• 12:30 - 13:00 those sorts of things that make our work difficult for you and you're always explaining so if other managers leave and I'm the manager just over here and we get a new manager II and I have to go and have all those new conversations with everybody and explain all of those sorts of issues and you sometimes feel like a brick and McCorkle device say the same things over and over and so your hope that you do you know with grace and that you don't I think they'll have part about this phone that seems over no is to not get
• 13:00 - 13:30 frustrated and angry with people who don't understand but I'm so we do that's what stuff yeah so you know you're managing across ways within the university they of course see what you're trying to teach up with super how did you maintain your motivation then um it's any any small step forward any
• 13:30 - 14:00 small success wonderful yeah you know having so this year we employed an agile young man who started University here with us in a certificate three I think civics week course and he came through any finishes bachelors and then he worked when to beating people and culture and then we sort of we're good we're gonna find him a job so that that's a huge success and that sort of
• 14:00 - 14:30 keeps me motivated getting feedback from all students should we teach not across all the university but there's students who come and do a revision unit um the great feedback we get from those students that's that's always helps to keep you motivated and there's a challenging unit yeah extremely challenging we are the academic staff quite often say that you know for the first five weeks is all this push back home yeah students find it really difficult to understand the concepts of original history and natural politics and then
• 14:30 - 15:00 people pay they get quite your deal I get upset or frustrated and you'll have tears and then bother eighth tenth and eleventh week they also turn you maybe this is amazing so if you've got space do an FM unit they get a EK units there's a little plug for us um so that that keeps you motivated I think the university understanding that community engagement is really important that keeps me motivated yeah so managers like that the people that
• 15:00 - 15:30 manage me or the people that I work with the cross management they understand it's really important for me not to be sitting at my desk I have to be in community it is I'm engaging with people and talking with people engaging committees and making decisions that that don't actually have a direct result for the university but over the long term they do good reputation for the university yeah and we're now seeing you everything your
• 15:30 - 16:00 team I know you talk about yourselves as we mm-hm but you've still got to take control yes I do so what we do on a practical level I guess is once a month I have one-on-one meetings it's all of my staff minutes and then also includes and that's so important and I think and that's really
• 16:00 - 16:30 important because then I just I and they're not one-on-one meetings where I sit and tell stuff what it is that they should be doing it's for them to have conversations about me meeting yes yeah and so they can tell me how they're feeling how they're traveling what their what their problems are and there were where they're hitting bumps and those sorts of things and so I try to help them get through those sorts of issues so that's really important it's also important because then I get a sense
• 16:30 - 17:00 that's right yeah yeah that's true the other thing I do around leading is very specific around cultural safety which I mentioned before so it's if there's been a lot of tension or if there's been a lot of tension for academic staff and they've had a lot of pushback from students well this being
• 17:00 - 17:30 you know you've got a few deaths in the Munich was quite often we have a lot of this in Aboriginal communities or it's just been a tough semester what I'll do is go out and light the fire yes the kindling that's pumping the books in the length and so we'll go outside and like fire and we'll stand around the fire and have a conversation and we'll talk about what's troubling us or probably yes we'll talk about people who have passed and if we need to cleanse ourselves
• 17:30 - 18:00 we'll do a smoky so every as well as like fire so that's I think for me that's a great way to lead the stuff because then they feel so peaceful and it's part of our culture play yes so um it's important thing to do the university has not yet ever come and said you can't light a fire we do have to tell facilities and security that we're lighting a fire and they always poppies ladies a little so at some
• 18:00 - 18:30 obvious caps we had our our you know five get there but here we do alert in the gardens at the back of building a just under the trees it's beautiful yes then do you look for in a person who leaves you um so I guess so currently I mean there's a little bit of history behind them people who have managed to
• 18:30 - 19:00 move down the buck so when I first started we were in a crew we were called the career development support unit we were in the equity and social justice brand yeah yeah which was sort of down the bottom only didn't have much power we did a lot of great work we sort of work towards separating ourselves out of that space when we came in epidemic unit but we was then still sitting there was faculties thin and smooth and so we were sitting underneath the school so we're still so at the same level it's taken a lot of changes across senior management
• 19:00 - 19:30 and having that overarching original strategy we just sort of been able to some push our way up and now we're I report to a deputy vice-chancellor who's in charge of academic programs I think that's a title so you're sitting side by side to the yeah yeah and so we're sitting yes I've seen this on my side to research people and to the Dean's of colleges and those sorts of things and to other directors across the university even though the
• 19:30 - 20:00 sort of all software not meeting and that's made a huge difference in how we get things found because we have a voice people make decisions which is amazing and it kept me motivated to get here like this one my other motivations so and the DBC that our report truth they're they're actually something they're quite surprising so the last one was I'm Carolee Krauss and she was a
• 20:00 - 20:30 really good person to work with she came from University of Western Sydney where there was a number of agile people in so and she'd work with those groups of people she said she had some really good cultural understandings and so it was really quite cottony aware so that was great that's how I could just have a straight-up conversation with him um the new DBC now I'm working with his wonderful friends and surprisingly she's also from the University of Sydney must be simply going on there there's a or maybe there to stop the western suburbs of places maybe not so surprising that's
• 20:30 - 21:00 right we won't have that Paul said you see that were we um so and um so wondering what this is a different person she's like at first I thought she's gonna be really grass and really directive in the way that she's going to operate but then you know I've had because she does 101 means as well and so they've been quite good so she's quite good to work with so far and she's also done things like enable
• 21:00 - 21:30 me to actually attend the deans means as well there's another meeting and then papers careers and that's so managing my diary but then in the long run it's a good pick that's right yeah and so there's a there's a bit of voice yeah Aboriginal teaching and learning and getting the voice yeah into that space is and she's enabled it yeah cuz I meant that's great yes yeah who do you see as your mentors so I've got some so first
• 21:30 - 22:00 of all would be Mike rock my auntie's mm-hmm and there's a whole step abilities there's some I mean I can I have uncle William clip actually used to live in Footscray yeah and I need Margaret Tucker also used to leave in Footscray and these were staunch Aboriginal warriors I guess overt or political activists so I can walk out onto the front street of Albert Road and know that only my Kentucky's to live in a little house then there was a white picket fence and used to earn her an animal and other Aboriginal women and
• 22:00 - 22:30 you're the other women used to work in Kenya's work factory right so and I met all of those women when I was much younger and of course they all near my dad and they all back from Melbourne because my dad used to pay for welcome Ellen and so they just left me in their arms and they were my mentors I know my auntie's as well but they and they said pop romaji with me and they shared management knowledge with me and they shared how to work in white spaces with me and so there might sort of first up
• 22:30 - 23:00 mentor the other mentors are sort of also being able to walk on country which is a really good thing to say that I mentor because it's country but it's you know because they're visual people mother it's mother it's I'm being able to walk on country is really strong and it nurtures you and gives you strength and enables you to do your job and be strong about who you are and then I think it's the team moved a me but also my mentors so I've got some great people here like Gary Foley and Tony perch and
• 23:00 - 23:30 Jim cougar and parabola who are staunch average electricity in their own right researchers and writers yes yeah and so they're and they're always open to have a conversation and you can have a little conversation with them just for the students they the expression walk on country is that a particular location for you or can it be anyway with certain
• 23:30 - 24:00 features no so walking on country is about walking the arm your answer for lens or your language Brooklyn so for me that's your order mmm and so it's the Metro lineal line that's your country yeah so walking on rapper like older wrong lens it's not the same just my petrol in your line but and that's where all my aunties grew up on country which is up around the chuka along the Murray River yes that's on country you can you can I mean this many
• 24:00 - 24:30 times but I've walked around the word be refer and there's some beautiful old beat gum trees and you can find scar trees remember bring Park that's beautiful - that gives you strength I'm even married on without this so it doesn't have to be exactly where you're yeah it could give you if it's don't give you strength but it's so much you get so much more strength working on your own convention right just a back hunter alright um how you achieve goals
• 24:30 - 25:00 by working with your team does your team help you achieve your goal yes I haven't been giggle about that because it's quite often they sort of go well you're the boss you just have to tell us what to do yes that's right and then they've got to do whatever they want look so they so that's we have got a couple of two planning days each year problem before the Nostalgia semester where we have to sort of work out who's to team one who's not teaching white and so they're the
• 25:00 - 25:30 ones that you're going to the work I'm you know a bit of a figurehead I guess so they we plan together how we do our work but they also plan with me in terms of the strategic directions run of the university so I guess yes so we do do it all together and we'll have conversations around one of those words that they're putting into the strategic plan what does that really mean and so I have conversation but then what it's
• 25:30 - 26:00 supposed to be and then they go well we don't think that's going to work let's have this other conversation so doesn't mean that close that's right yeah yeah yeah which is great I think yeah um and so that's how we plan out yeah so we plan has a lot of what we do and then we basically just go and do our work and if issues arise across the year we'll just sort of gather quickly you can have a conversation so delyth face to face that's obviously important more important than email gathering face to face for us is much more important than
• 26:00 - 26:30 anymore because I can find that there's um there's some people who will participate in email and some people who participating in other one way so I've seen really long messages and so you can't actually get anything worthwhile out of that and there's uh people who don't participate so to get anybody's voice it's best to meet face to face I mean if that doesn't work you know we're always going to come I'll raise issues that are one-on-one meeting so there's different ways to do what sort of yeah
• 26:30 - 27:00 that work and that planning and how to reach people and have people do what you know matter um and then so it's a conflict they can be I mean there's always conflict when you're team between you and your team I think it depends so it depends on the different situations so there's there's situations where maybe people don't feel supported by me if particular busy
• 27:00 - 27:30 really busy times of the year when it's chaotic stuff win like you know students are in that space where they're frustrated or they're scared of their anger in their crying in class or there or they're pushing back in class and they might be actually calling out at any stuff racist and things like that so there is sort of those issues early quite traumatic yeah for staff and there's some and sometimes that can also be coupled with times I'm really busy with other university work with senior managers or other community projects and those sorts of things that we just don't
• 27:30 - 28:00 gel yeah the communication breaks yeah and so those spaces are really quite difficult I do try to you know ask people all the time how they're going happens sometimes they don't want to talk to you and if they don't want to talk to you that you can't really do anything at all they actually have that conversation with you and sometimes though stuff will go and you know have you have a gossip to other people but that's I think that's just part of anybody's nature yeah because if they don't get that stuff out here cool across a foot a
• 28:00 - 28:30 minute because it won't just be releasing a bit of new frustration it doesn't have to be the malicious XP no this promise is gold yes yes that's true no yeah so when we so we have another term when it's malicious gossip we call it natural violence which happens a lot at an Aboriginal community but doesn't know it doesn't happen not that I've noticed yeah I've heard quite a few
• 28:30 - 29:00 conversations so is that a term that is there's a reason from the indigenous community I think so yeah so there's been a lot of work around so it started around I guess family violence and community organizations and governments and power and abital people who got into those spaces around governments and
• 29:00 - 29:30 power in terms of community-based organizations and then not having been too keen base or when I think there's make the open for everybody and then that those people were empowered would then put a lot of people right who they who they who either weren't family or part of extended family or they just didn't get along with and so that was sort of a bit of a start of you know that natural violence which which used to get I think back in the August before people actually started talking about
• 29:30 - 30:00 and people doing training sessions around it that it could actually get violent like physically but what particularly my males who was all you know premium selling so yeah so there's being lateral violence has been talked about a lot in Avenel community and worked on national communities so people like Richard Franklin actually run training playgrounds on what lateral violence is and what it means and how to make place this country safe yeah yeah so ethical
• 30:00 - 30:30 issues I'm sure they arise what are some of them yeah so we have I guess as an Aboriginal unit we always have better call shoes around what we're teaching and how students react to those sorts of teaching and teaching learning how we do any pedagogy know sort of things there's also issues around research in the types of research that non Aboriginal people want to do on actual people there's lots of ethical to learn that but I guess one of them major things which I'll just talk about quickly is a around
• 30:30 - 31:00 community and who gets employed in our spaces and who they're connected to and who they're not connected to so we have to be very mindful that we have a balance on people who are employed here I mean I know there was one time when we had three I think three or your people here and we scare away the audio sisters were all around the place in the we went yeah that's not really good um if people looking from the outside they could say you know that that's a space where you know they're not being ethical they're not allowing all people from different
• 31:00 - 31:30 communities to be employed in that university so I think that's a major issue that we sort of sits in the back of our mind and is always at the front of our mind when were interviewing people and looking for people to inform well can be accused all the times yeah yeah fair yep but fair means different things that's wrong it's physically that's what about workplace diversity how important is that well I
• 31:30 - 32:00 guess that actually these form for what we're just talking about so I'm currently we have people from New South Wales you know I'll finish this and I'll tell you something else people in New South Wales somebody from Queensland who's also in Ireland are copy other people where more and more people wonder tomorrow speaking Sioux well people were a jury and another Quidditch player so there's
• 32:00 - 32:30 a nice little mix the other thing that we that we really really work towards is because of where they're located it's important for us to have people who are former southeast Australia because that's what we teach mm-hm so we teach we don't teach you know traditional stories from more than thirty because they don't belong in this face which is a bit like their own country sort of workstation and we don't yeah we don't teach about South Australia Western Australia or Queensland we teach about
• 32:30 - 33:00 Southeast Australia because that's where we're on them and that's is the right thing to do to teach but we also don't do research in those other spaces either because they're not our spaces and there's a bit or community in those spaces you can do that work so would you say then in filling that line of thought that me teaching I don't Russian history or politics would be not that's not
• 33:00 - 33:30 practical I think if you're I'm only just person and that's your field of study and that's your discipline and you've studied lots of years in those spaces then you can teach that but for everything all people our knowledge is deeply embedded into the lands and countries that we belong to so my knowledge is your your knowledge and so it would be completely wrong with me to
• 33:30 - 34:00 teach about Palo Alto just as many knowledge I could I caught I can draw on examples from those sorts of things and I can share those sorts of knowledge --is because it's Southeast Australia right but for me to actually try and tell story creation story from Northern Territory that's that's sort of completely my domain yeah I mean there's a whole conversation we're gonna have around
• 34:00 - 34:30 language groups and and dialects and the way people we're just another day across each other which makes things a bit more connected rather than what happens in Northern Territory of South Australia 20 and finally so this workplace diversity that you've described to us all those different groups what's the advantage that feeds you um or perhaps gives vu I think I think so on the one hand it gives for you an advantage because that
• 34:30 - 35:00 everybody knows that we do Southeast Australia we do the history and traditions of that area but we also talk about the political activism off that area and there's lots of changes that the original people who are involved in that era have made so the other thing the community that diversity gives us a strength because there's there's this connection okay so we're all from Southeast
• 35:00 - 35:30 Australia we're all connected in the same history and the practices and policies that have had an impact on us as a community and our my families and I my extended families my language group so that that then actually works really well for us because it's even though there's a diversity there's also a connection so the making of Wanderley balik strong then leads on to making money balance and voice strong with the university I suppose in it savvy you
• 35:30 - 36:00 becomes a better place yeah for the indigenous voice yeah yeah I think that's a good place to stop thank you KJ thank you I'm sure there's a meeting that yes how do you like the awesome paper thing this you - great thanks thank you thank you very much you