First Nations people working in Australia’s emergency, land management and resilience sector may carry a heavy workload to provide Indigenous expertise in their field, and may also experience a conflict between what they know is culturally right for Country and communities, and the agenda of agencies.
Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre)-funded research will lead the way to better understanding these issues and develop recommendations to foster safer, inclusive and welcoming workplaces within the natural hazards sector.
The Colonial load and cultural conflict project will improve our understanding of the causes of, and contributing factors to, cultural conflict and load for First Nations staff and volunteers within the Centre’s partner organisations.
It will specifically focus on causes that are industry specific.
The project was proposed and is supported by AFAC, with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), the Queensland Fire Department, New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service, and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions of Western Australia DBCA also Participant supporters.
The research is led by A/Prof Bhiamie Williamson and Zoe Schultz from National Indigenous Disaster Resilience (NIDR) based at Monash University, who are working with three case study agencies – NSW RFS, FRV and DBCA – to find out more about the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and volunteers in each organisation.
Ms Schultz said while we “know Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are working and volunteering in the sector, and that there are challenges sourcing, recruiting and retaining skilled First Nations staff and volunteers First Nations staff and volunteers,” there are many unknowns.
“What we don’t yet understand is what Indigenous employee and volunteer experiences are like in the sector,” Ms Schultz said.
She explained that ‘colonial load’ is a term to describe the extra workload placed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, that is above and beyond what is outlined in their position description, to educate, guide or support their workplace on Indigenous history, culture and reconciliation.
Ms Schultz said the other term – ‘cultural conflict’ – describes instances where Indigenous ethics, morals and values misalign, are not known or respected, or are disregarded in non-Indigenous workplaces.
“For example, an Aboriginal person working as an agency firefighter may be instructed to protect a remote asset (such as a hut) instead of a nearby culturally significant site (such as a canoe tree), creating a conflict between agency duty and cultural responsibility,” she said.
The research team will host interviews and group discussions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and volunteers in each case study agency.
“We would like to hear about why people joined their agency, what people enjoy about their work, and what challenges people experience. This will give us insight into experiences of colonial load and cultural conflict,” Ms Schultz said.
“As a researcher, I'm looking forward to hearing about what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and volunteers enjoy about their work, and stories of reconciliation and collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across these agencies and the broader sector,” she said.
“I'm also looking forward to developing actionable, solutions-focused recommendations on ways to reduce colonial load and cultural conflict, and improve Indigenous recruitment, retention, leadership, and wellbeing across the sector.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the sector can participate in the research in other ways – an anonymous, online survey will open to those 18 or older with experience working or volunteering in Australia’s emergency, land management and resilience sector.
The survey will be opened later this year with links to be available on the Colonial load and cultural conflict project page and NIDR website.
Project end-users are similarly excited about the research – Stephanie Andrade from AFAC said the ultimate goal of partnering on the study is to promote “more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to work in the fire and emergency services sector, caring for Country, and the communities our members collectively serve, in a way that feels culturally safe, respectful and truly collaborative”.
“From the outset, it was essential that this project centre the voices, experiences, and practises of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and that the process of sharing their experiences would be culturally safe and trauma informed,” Ms Andrade said.
“This principle has been applied to all aspects of the project, from the research proposal, to the research team, led by Bhiamie Williamson (a Euahlayi man), and to the design of the research methodology which prioritises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of being and doing,” she said.
Ms Andrade said at a practical level, there are aspects of colonial conflict that are unique to the fire and emergency services sector.
“While the methodology, language, and science may differ, our members and First Nations peoples have a shared purpose in the care for Country and communities. What we need to understand better is how to minimise conflict between those different approaches for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the sector,” she said.
She said truth-telling is “such an important part of reconciliation,” and by sharing and seeking to understand the experiences of colonial load or cultural conflict experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have or do work in the sector, we can “acknowledge where we have got it right or where we could have done things differently, to help us move forward collaboratively”.
“On a personal level, it’s not lost on me that we are asking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to share their experiences, so that we can learn from them – in itself, this is a form of colonial load, even if we hope it is serving the greater good. Given this, it’s even more important that we treat this generosity of those taking on this load of educating with the respect it deserves, by making the process as culturally safe as possible, and by using this information to support cultural safety across the sector long term.”
To read more about the Colonial load and cultural conflict project and to keep track of research updates, visit our website.