Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples micro-credential

What you will learn

Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.

As Victoria and other Australian jurisdictions engage in the early stages of treaty negotiations, the parties involved must have a fundamental understanding of the treaty process.

This micro-credential explores the important role international law plays in shaping contemporary treaty negotiations between Indigenous peoples and settler societies.

It's ideal for private, public and not-for-profit sector professionals, as well as First Nations, who will be engaged in treaty processes in the coming years.

• Explore how the concept of lawful relations influenced contemporary treaty negotiations
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of treaty negotiations between Indigenous peoples and settler states. Analyse and critique past government legislation on Indigenous affairs, and learn how contemporary treaty negotiations are guided by the principles of lawful relations.
• Understand Indigenous sovereignty through the prism of international law
• Examine key legal frameworks that govern relations between Indigenous peoples and settler states, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the UNDRIP in progressing relations, and compare the key differences between lawful and unlawful relations.
• Engage with important legal concepts, integral to treaty negotiations
• Explore critical concepts in treaty negotiations, including the legal right to self-determination and the principle of free, prior, and informed consent. Understand how the right to give or hold consent empowers Indigenous people in treaty negotiations.
• Understand how international law is shaping new treaty processes in Australia
• Discuss the emergence of the treaty processes in Victoria and other Australian jurisdictions. Consider how the core principles of Indigenous sovereignty, as defined by international law, could help inform treaty in Victoria today.

This course covers the critical knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to work at the interface between government and First Nations and self-determining Indigenous organisations.

It is delivered by the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne; a multi-disciplinary research unit devoted to exploring the challenges that lie at the heart of relations between Indigenous and settler Australians.

Learning is tailored to the needs of those who are preparing to engage in the treaty process in the near future.

To enrol in this course, you need:

• A bachelor's degree
• Or
• A minimum three years' work experience (paid or voluntary) related to Indigenous politics and policy, or roles such as community and stakeholder management, or communications and public relations
• Or
• To be an Indigenous person interested or engaged in the treaty process.

It is recommended that you complete Treaties and Other Agreements as the first course in the series, before undertaking this one.

This micro-credential is ideal for private, public and not-for-profit sector professionals, as well as First Nations, who will be engaged in treaty processes in the coming years.

By the end of this micro-credential, you'll be able to:

• Compare the key differences between lawful and unlawful relations between Indigenous peoples and settler states
• Analyse and apply knowledge of the relationship between international legal frameworks and the emerging treaty processes in Victoria and other Australian jurisdictions

This micro-credential runs over 6 weeks.

Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:

• 6 hours of directed learning, including webinars and workshops
• 12 hours reading tasks
• 12 hours of self-directed study, including online exercises
• 12 hours of assessment tasks.

Assessment:

• Lawful and unlawful relations: table or Venn diagram comparing lawful and unlawful relations between indigenous peoples and settler states, accompanied by a 200-word statement outlining the implications of this analysis (30%).
• Contemporary treaty negotiations: Summary statement analysing how the concepts of self-determination or free, prior, and informed consent shape contemporary treaty negotiations (70%).

Once you've successfully completed this course, you will be awarded your Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples micro-credential. This digital certificate will warrant the achievement of knowledge, skills and capabilities outlined in the learning outcomes. It may also include artefacts (such as videos and written material) related to both experiential and work-integrated learning, including translatable assessment that is practical to your professional life. You can also share your micro-credential digitally and via social media by adding it to your personal platforms, such as LinkedIn. See example certificate.

Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples can be taken as a stand-alone course or complemented with any other micro-credential in the Reshaping Australia's First People-State Relations series to deepen your knowledge and skills.

The series includes:

• Treaties and Other Agreements
• Indigenous and Other Sovereignties
• Recognition, Reconciliation, Refusal
• Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples

To get the most out of this course, we recommend taking Treaties and Other Agreements first.

The Reshaping Australia's First People-State Relations series provides learners with a pathway to the Professional Certificate in Treaty.

Learners who have completed all four micro-credentials in the Reshaping Australia's First People-State Relations series, and the course Indigenous Governance Principles, will be awarded the Professional Certificate in Treaty.

This course includes both guided and self-directed learning, to provide both flexibility and support.

Learning activities include pre-recorded videos, panel discussions, and interviews, plus facilitated discussion through synchronous webinars. You'll be provided with essential reading and media that bring key concepts to life.

You'll also contribute to the online discussion board and receive valuable guidance and feedback from your course facilitator throughout the course.