Cultural competence is built on knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, and contemporary life. The cultural competence of professionals can be a powerful basis for overcoming disadvantage for Indigenous people.
Australia holds citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, the anniversary of the day Britain claimed sovereignty over Australia in 1788.
This subject was originally developed in keeping with the recommendation in the 1991 Royal Commission of Inquiry into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) for the adoption of a ‘within culture’ or cultural competence approach to the training of all professionals. Throughout its inquiry the RCIADIC questioned the standard and appropriateness of professional services provided to Indigenous Australians. The Commission argued that non-Indigenous professionals in this area generally had little knowledge or understanding of Indigenous cultures, worldviews, histories and contemporary situations, and that this limited their effectiveness. Furthermore, the Commission argued that professionals generally lacked practical skills and strategies for working effectively in Indigenous contexts and that this ultimately resulted in poor outcomes.
As we have seen, over two decades after the RCIADIC tabled its findings and recommendations, there is overwhelming evidence that the high levels of socio-economic disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians have changed little over time and indeed have worsened in some areas.
Consequently, over the past weeks you have developed your knowledge and understanding of the nature and diversity of Indigenous cultures, the impact of invasion and subsequent colonization of Australia on Indigenous peoples and cultures, and have encountered a number of the issues of concern which shape the daily reality of life for many Aboriginal people today. This knowledge and understanding is considered to be the foundation from which to build cultural competence as a citizen and as a professional.
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