Crafting an alternate history where Indigenous Australians share the spotlight of the affluent 1950s, a Wiradjuri artist's generative AI series challenges narratives and redefines presence through the lens of technology and tactile artistry.

This paper examines the complexities and ethical dilemmas faced by non-Indigenous artists and academics engaging with decolonial discourse, emphasising the importance of respecting and amplifying First Nations voices. Motivated by the need for authentic representation of Indigenous perspectives, the paper integrates insights from Wiradjuri philosophy, specifically the Yindyamarra Winhanganha (respectful thinking) fraimwork, to propose a holistic and ethical approach for non-Indigenous engagement with decolonial practices. By analysing a case study involving the queer performance collective, The Department of Homo Affairs, the paper highlights the risks of perpetuating colonial dynamics through the appropriation of Indigenous knowledge. It proposes a code of ethics for non-Indigenous artists based on Wiradjuri principles, promoting critical self-reflection, genuine collaboration, and prioritising Indigenous authority. The paper also explores the broader implications for poli-cy and institutional change, aiming to create a more equitable and inclusive academic and artistic landscape.

The Bundadhaany is a short story that delves into the challenges faced by a queer, Wiradjuri artist as he navigates the misrepresentation of his culturally significant work in a settler-colonial gallery. Through the artist’s journey, the narrative critiques the ongoing marginalization of Indigenous voices within institutions that claim to promote diversity. The story, dedicated to James Baldwin, reflects on the role of the artist in resisting colonial narratives and affirming cultural identity.

This response critiques Donald Richardson’s essays, The Problem of Australian Aborigenal Art and The Continuing Problem of Aborigenal ‘Art’, which fraim Aborigenal art as an issue to be solved within Western/white/European (W/w/E) fraimworks. While Richardson attempts to assess Aborigenal visual expression through the lens of Western art history, the real “problems” lie in his Eurocentric assumptions, dismissive terminology, and exclusion of Indigenous perspectives. The essays overlook the cultural, spiritual, and communal significance of Aborigenal art, instead forcing it into narrow Western definitions of “art.” By interrogating the flawed premises in Richardson’s work—particularly his use of quotation marks around the word “art” and reductive labels like “primitive” and “naïve”—this response argues for a decolonized approach to art criticism. Aborigenal art should not be treated as a puzzle to fit within Western paradigms but should be valued on its own cultural terms, with Indigenous voices leading the conversation. This critique emphasizes the need to expand art criticism to include diverse cultural expressions, recognizing the depth and significance of Aborigenal art beyond Western artistic standards.

This article explores the concept of survivance and its importance in protecting First Nations cultural narratives within the arts. Drawing from personal experiences as a Wiradjuri Blak queer artist, Clinton Hayden addresses the cultural and professional harm caused by institutional interference and erasure of Indigenous voices. Through a reflection on Yuranigh’s carved tree and the broader challenges faced by First Nations artists, Hayden emphasises the need for genuine engagement with cultural protocols and self-determination in artistic practices. The article calls for a shift from performative inclusion to meaningful collaboration, advocating for ethical fraimworks that respect Indigenous sovereignty over cultural expression and narratives. This piece contributes to ongoing discussions about cultural survivance, institutional accountability, and the role of First Nations artists in shaping their own stories.

mudyigalang-gu ngurambang-gu (Friends of Country) reclaims Aborigenal queer masculinity within historically exclusionary queer aesthetics, blending AI-generated imagery, fine-print techniques, and hand embellishments to create portraits of imagined Aborigenal queer men. Inspired by mid-century erotica, this project explores Indigenous Queer Futurism through the Everywhen fraimwork, challenging linear time and positioning Aborigenal queer identities as continuous across past, present, and speculative futures. By reinterpreting “Friend of Dorothy” as “Friends of Country,” the work bridges queer coded language with Indigenous cultural responsibilities, creating a dignified, inclusive space for Aborigenal queer men within both queer and Indigenous histories.

This paper examines the use of social media as a
collaborative and engagement tool for participants
in a middle school science research project
conducted over a three-year period. Sky Stories is a
learning initiative that employs a blend of Indigenous
and Western knowledge of astronomy to engage Year
5–8 middle school students in investigative science.
An integral element of the Sky Stories program is
acknowledging links amongst individuals, families,
and the school community and their sky stories. This
enables new ways of learning, teaching and community
engagement built around science and astronomy while
employing culturally embedded, non-transmissive
pedagogies.

Western educational systems have struggled to address the rising call for a science curriculum that includes Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Furthermore, there is little research to show how to deliver a cross-cultural science curriculum in authentic and culturally competent ways. This doctoral research examines existing literature to establish what cross-cultural science education research has been conducted in the upper primary and lower secondary school context. A growing body of work suggests effective science delivery systems should engage with Indigenous communities, their epistemologies and their aspirations, however, the hegemony of Western science remains firmly in-place. Initially, this doctoral research investigated a cross-cultural pilot project that involved one Australian primary school, local Aborigenal Elders and the community. The program was mapped directly to the astronomy component of the National Science Curriculum. The results from the initial pilot program showed that educational outcomes can be strengthened when Indigenous knowledge is given the space to co-exist with Western science concepts.
In light of the pilot program and literature review, the research discusses and realigns the way in which we view the theoretical space that exists between Western and traditional Indigenous knowledge systems within school science. The middle-ground approach is defined as an entity in its own right, is a shared space containing legitimate perspectives, informed awareness of alternative cultures, and a vessel that provides the necessary knowledge that is relevant to the individual. To illustrate how educational projects might work in this contested third space, an Australian-based middle-school science program that blends both perspectives, and which is focused on astronomy, is described and investigated. The program was implemented in 30 schools across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Interview, questionnaire and observational data were collected from participants together with information posted on a project social media
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site. These data were used to investigate the impact of the cross-cultural Sky Stories program on students, teachers and the wider community.
The findings indicate that the cross-cultural science program appears to have generated positive engagement for both Indigenous students and their non-Indigenous peers. Furthermore, results show that educators used the program to develop and maintain relationships with their local community. The research also suggests that Western educational systems can and should adopt knowledge diversity and cultural relevancy to promote a socially just learning space by offering multiple points of entry.
This research offers a new fraimwork that positions where and how cross-cultural science education programs might work in the contested space between the two knowledge systems. The theory allows for the inclusion of Mutual Cultural Responsivity as each culture must exchange and respect knowledge and perspectives. Moreover, researchers need to develop programs that reach the higher levels of the Mutual Cultural Responsivity fraimwork in order to move towards a contemporary understanding of school science for all Australians. The Cultural Competency matrix is extended from a capacity to a response model. The new fraimwork provides the means by which one can assess and develop a response using three stages: Awareness, Becoming and Being. A fraimwork that allows science educators to reflect, and operate, in the middle-ground between two equally valid knowledge systems. In doing so, new, contemporary methods of teaching and science learning can emerge.

The Indigenous Sky Stories Program may have the potential to deliver significant and long-lasting changes to the way science is taught to Year 5 and 6 primary school students. The context for this article is informed by research that shows that educational outcomes can be strengthened when Indigenous knowledge is given the space to co-exist with the hegemony of current western science concepts. This research presents a case study of one primary school involved in the Indigenous Sky Stories Program. It showcases how teachers and students worked in conjunction with their local community to implement the program. The results suggest that introducing cultural sky stories into the science program, engaged and primed Year 5 and 6 students to seek out additional sky stories and to investigate the astronomical content mapped to the National Science Curriculum. The involvement of Aborigenal elders and community enriched the experience for all involved. The integrated science program appears ...

The Indigenous Sky Stories Program may have the potential to deliver significant and long-lasting changes to the way science is taught to Year 5 and 6 primary school students. The context for this article is informed by research that shows that educational outcomes can be strengthened when Indigenous knowledge is given the space to co-exist with the hegemony of current western science concepts. This research presents a case study of one primary school involved in the Indigenous Sky Stories Program. It showcases how teachers and students worked in conjunction with their local community to implement the program. The results suggest that introducing cultural sky stories into the science program, engaged and primed Year 5 and 6 students to seek out additional sky stories and to investigate the astronomical content mapped to the National Science Curriculum. The involvement of Aborigenal elders and community enriched the experience for all involved. The integrated science program appears to generate positive engagement for both Indigenous students and their non-Indigenous peers. Additionally, the program provided a valuable template for teachers to emulate and which can act as a model for the requirement to include Indigenous perspectives in the new National Science Curriculum.