The National Reconciliation in Education Forum 2025 is an exclusive gathering of education leaders from across the country to discuss the barriers and enablers to progressing reconciliation efforts within the Australian education sector and to celebrate excellence in reconciliation in education.
Here is a list of references to accompany the panel sessions and support active engagement in table discussions.
Please visit the Narragunnawali Terminology Guide to support these important conversations.
Session 1 – Reckoning with the Truths of our Education System
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, pedagogies and perspectives have been systematically excluded from Australian education systems. While reckoning with the legacy of education being a tool of colonisation, how do we undertake First Nations led, placed-based truth-telling to transform our education systems into instruments of reconciliation?
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NIYEC – The School Exclusion Project Research Report
The National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition’s School Exclusion Report documents some of the ways in which government schools across the Australian continent, from the nineteenth-century to the present, have excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition (NIYEC) backs the voice and agency of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and students to assert their collective rights to education. The NIYEC National Dream Design Summit served as a platform for First Nations youth to share their insights and contribute to the Dream Design Collective Agreement 2024.
The action report Claiming Space and Shifting Narratives: Weaving co-agency, belonging and relationships through First Nations learning, written by Learning Creates Australia in partnership with NIYEC explores three interwoven threads – co-agency, belonging and relationships – as foundations for transformative change.
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Yoorrook Justice Commission – Focus Area Education
The Education Focus Area page been adapted from the Yoorrook Justice Commission reports and unpacks educational inequality impacting First Nations peoples in Victoria since colonisation.
Yoorrook Justice Commission was the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices against First Peoples in Victoria.
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NSW Department of Education – Truth-telling
The NSW Department of Education has commenced a formal process to document its role and impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and educational outcomes in NSW. The need for truth-telling was identified through the consultation process that informed the development of the department’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.
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Narragunnawali Awards Alumni – Kellyville Public School
Kellyville Public School was a finalist in the Narragunnawali Awards 2023. It was recognised for its work on truth-telling related to the Stolen Generations and a commitment to educate its students and wider community about the history of the Marella Mission Farm in Kellyville. Watch their Awards film and read about their reconciliation journey here.
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Reconciliation Australia – First Nations Voices in Education professional learning resource
The First Nations Voices in Education professional learning resource explores six short films. It is accompanied by an extensive guide shaped by the hard work and actions of five committed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education champions who understand the power of truth-telling and cultural integrity in education.
The Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program has tools and resources for schools and early learning services to take action towards reconciliation between non-First Nations Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Culture is Life – The Australian Wars Education Resources
Culture is Life's Australian Wars Education Resources analyse the three-part documentary series exploring the ongoing impacts of colonisation and highlight historical perspectives.
Culture is Life is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit organisation that aims to deepen young people’s experiences of culture as a protective factor through thoughtfully designed programs, projects, resources and campaigns.
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Reconciliation Australia – Education in Australia Timeline
The Education in Australia timeline provides an overview of some key events and policies relevant to both the exclusion and inclusion of First Nations histories, cultures and peoples within the Australian education system, and reconciliation between non-First Nations and First Nations people. This resource sits in the First Nations Voices in Education professional learning resource.
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The Healing Foundation – Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students
The Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students offers a strengths-based approach to educating all students about the experiences of the Stolen Generations and the impact of intergenerational trauma, using facts, real examples and stories.
The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that provides a platform to amplify the voices and lived experiences of Stolen Generations survivors and their families.
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Reconciliation Australia – Truth-telling Resources Hub
The Truth-telling Resources Hub promotes practices that respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture and are informed by research and ongoing learning from community.
The Community Truth-telling Pathways provides information and practical resources to support communities undertaking truth-telling and to enable non-Indigenous Australians to better understand how to participate.
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Common Ground – Weaving Truths
Weaving Truths is a truth-telling series and learning resource for secondary schools created by Common Ground in collaboration with three First Nations storytellers.
Common Ground builds on existing community power to strengthen the stories we tell ourselves and others, so we can reimagine stronger futures.
Session 2: Building a Culturally Responsive Education Sector
Cultural responsiveness is a core part of reconciliation and is essential to building safe, inclusive, and just education systems. Expectations around cultural responsiveness have become much more explicit in recent years. Australian schools and early learning services are being called to move beyond compliance and embed cultural responsiveness as a core marker of quality teaching and learning. How are these expectations shaping practice and what will it take to build a truly culturally responsive education sector?
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AITSL – Building a Culturally Responsive Teaching Workforce
The Indigenous cultural responsiveness toolkit provides resources to support the cultural responsiveness of teachers and leaders to enhance their teaching practice.
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) inspires, empowers and educates by sharing knowledge, guidance and resources with teachers and leaders to enable maximum impact on learning in all Australian schools and early childhood settings.
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Australian Education Research Organisation – Cultural Safety Practice Guide
The cultural safety practice guide helps teachers understand how to develop cultural responsiveness by engaging in reflexive practice to build relationships of trust with students, their families and community.
Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) conducts research and shares knowledge to promote better educational outcomes for Australian children and young people.
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Narragunnawali Awards Alumni – Forbes Community Preschool
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Narragunnawali Awards Alumni – Winterfold Primary School
Winterfold Primary School won the Schools category fin the Narragunnawali Reconciliation in Education Awards 2023. It was recognised for its whole-school commitments to anti-racism and cultural responsiveness. Learn more about Winterfold’s reconciliation journey here.
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Stronger Smarter Institute
The Stronger Smarter Institute works with educators from across the country as ‘partners in change’ to enact the Stronger Smarter Approach in their schools to drive high expectations, build authentic relationships with students, families, and local communities, and establish quality environments for learning.
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In My Blood It Runs – Professional Learning Resource
To support engagement with the documentary film In My Blood It Runs and its themes, Reconciliation Australia collaborated on the development of this professional learning resource for teachers.
Following the release of the In My Blood It Runs film, the key goal for the multi-year impact campaign is to make Australian schools more culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
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AIATSIS – Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources
The Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources assists non-Indigenous educators, and others to critically self-reflect on history and the effects that this has on pedagogical practices today.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) is an Indigenous-led, national institute that celebrates, educates and inspires people from all walks of life to connect with the knowledge, heritage and cultures of Australia’s First Peoples.
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Reconciliation Australia – 2024 Australian Reconciliation Barometer Snapshot: Young Australians
The Young Australians Reconciliation Snapshot, shows that young Australians (aged 18-34) have more positive attitudes towards unity, cultural understanding, and the importance of truth-telling than older Australians. The Australian Reconciliation Barometer is the only survey in Australia tracking reconciliation progress between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
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ACECQA – Cultural Responsiveness Information Sheet
The Cultural Responsiveness Information Sheet links to the National Quality Standards and guides early childhood educators in creating culturally responsive spaces.
Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) supports all governments and the education and care sector to realise the benefits of the National Quality Framework.
Session 3: Guiding and Driving Reconciliation Practice
Reconciliation in education must be guided by First Nations voices, but the heavy lifting must sit with non-Indigenous educators who make up 98% of Australia’s teaching population. When should non-Indigenous educators and professionals step up to take responsibility for driving reconciliation and when should they step aside?
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NATSIEC Formal Partnership Agreement – NATSIEC and the Australian Government Department of Education
The Formal Partnership Agreement – NATSIEC and the Australian Government Department of Education sets a new foundation for how the department works with NATSIEC and SNAICC to strengthen education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and communities, from early childhood through to higher education.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC) is Australia’s peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education body. -
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Principals Association
The purpose of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Principals Association (NATSIPA) is to support, develop and build capacity to promote quality First Nations education leaders and be the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school principals to add value to the national education agenda.
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Collaborate Research Summary – Reconciliation in Education
AITSL partnered with Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali program and their evaluation partners at the Australian National University’s Centre for Social Research to develop this Collaborate Research Summary. It details important findings regarding reconciliation in Australian education settings. It provides information about the support and resources available to teachers and school leaders to help develop culturally responsive teaching practices and to engage meaningfully with reconciliation alongside their students.
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ECA – Reconciliation Action Plan and other Resources
Early Childhood Australia (ECA)’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2023 – 2026, Winanggaay: Look, Listen and Learn builds on previous work towards reconciliation and commits to amplifying the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. It includes a greater commitment to, and focus on, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, such as a commitment to collaborate, support and resource First Nations advocacy and to increase opportunities for representation and leadership across their networks, and across the early childhood sector.
ECA has also developed a comprehensive list of resources and online information for early childhood educators covering supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators, cultural awareness, events, celebrations, relationships with families and creating culturally welcoming spaces. As the national peak body for early childhood, Early Childhood Australia is a regular and trusted contributor to the public policy debate on all matters affecting young children (birth to eight years) and their families.
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AERO – First Nations Charter
This First Nations Charter underpins the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)’s ambition to make a positive contribution to the success of First Nations children and young people. It establishes the foundations and mechanisms through which the organisation will pursue reconciliation efforts and confirms AERO’s commitment to First Nations peoples through the work that it performs and the operations enabling that work.
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The Australian Primary Principals Association
The Cultural Load – What it refers to Explainer is a collaboration between APPA and NATSIPA and unpacks the cultural and colonial load often sitting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and educators.
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) was established in 1974 and is the national voice for Australian primary principals. As peak national professional body, it represents over 7,600 primary school principals in government, Catholic and independent schools.
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Reconciliation Australia – Reconciliation Toolkits
The Reconciliation Toolkits contain comprehensive guides and core resources to support conversations and reconciliation action. Whether you're a school or service leader, First Nations staff or community member, teacher or educator, student, or parent or carer, your role is important within the reconciliation in education community of practice and there is a toolkit to support.
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Ngarrngga
Ngarrnga’s innovative curriculum resources and professional development resources are created by educators, for educators, in collaboration with First Nations knowledge experts.
Informed by a design-based research methodology, Ngarrngga, a signature project at the University of Melbourne, strives to support educators to be confident in showcasing First Nations knowledges within their teaching and learning. Ngarrngga’ resources and approach provides opportunity for all Australian students to learn about the contributions and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society through a practical and sustained approach.
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Sharing Stories Foundation – Jajoo Warrngara: The Culture Classroom
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SNAICC: National Voice for our Children – Resources page
SNAICC’s resources page offers an extensive collection of resources including research, guides and community-driven insights.
SNAICC is a national peak body Aboriginal community-controlled organisation that works to improve outcomes and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and strengthen the capacities of families across Australia.
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Australian Reconciliation Network
The Australian Reconciliation Network (ARN) is comprised of state and territory reconciliation organisations that run as separate entities to Reconciliation Australia.
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ACARA – FIRST Framework
The FIRST framework is a guide to assist teachers and schools to engage with their local First Nations communities to support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is an independent statutory authority with a vision to inspire improvement in the learning of all young Australians through world-class curriculum, assessment and reporting.
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Australian National University Research Paper – The importance of Reconciliation in Education
This paper summarises existing evidence and new analyses that shed light on the role of reconciliation in schools and early learning services in particular, and in education more broadly. The authors present the first analysis in Australia of the relationship between racism/discrimination and cognitive development among the Indigenous Australian population, showing a negative and statistically significant longitudinal relationship. They discuss the policy implications of these findings, as well as the implication of the broader literature on reconciliation in schools and early learning services.
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Burraga Foundation – Storylines
The Storylines platform provides local community members, schools, organisations and the broader community with a culturally safe online environment to share and celebrate Aboriginal, non-secret, non-sacred stories of history, culture and achievement.
The Burraga Foundation is an Aboriginal not-for-profit charity organisation who champion a better understanding of Aboriginal Australia for all Australians by promoting cultural awareness, community engagement, education and employment opportunities.