Lawful Relations with Indigenous Peoples
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.
More from this series
Take multiple courses to deepen your knowledge or stack towards a full degree.
The Reshaping Australia’s First People-state relation series
This series covers the critical knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to develop meaningful relationships between First Nations and governments or organisations, with the goal of progressing and transforming treaty negotiations.
Explore more from the Reshaping Australia’s First People-state relation series:
- Treaties and Other Agreements (Micro-credential)
- Indigenous and Other Sovereignties (Micro-credential)
- Recognition, Reconciliation, Refusal (Micro-credential)
- Nationhood and Self-determination (Micro-credential)
- Stolen Generations, Truth-telling and Treaty (Micro-credential)
Course details
Want to know more about micro-credentials? Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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%).
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 Relationsseries 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.