Koorie Department
The Koorie Department provides support and assistance to all Koorie students
enrolled in SuniTAFE. Koorie Liaison Officers (KLO) are based at each Campus to
assist students with all aspects of their studies including arranging tutors if
required. Centre staff also work in their communities to raise awareness of
SuniTAFE and programs available.
SuniTAFE offers Koorie specific courses at each campus with programs developed
in consultation with the Koorie unit and the local Koorie community.
Situated at the Mildura Campus, the Dulka Yuppata Koorie Cultural Centre
incorporates a gallery displaying students’ art work and a library of Indigenous
resources. The Manager Koorie Department, Koorie Liaison Officer, Koorie Project
Officer and Koorie Admin Assistant are all based in the Centre. The Swan Hill
KLO is based in the Swan Hill Campus Koorie Unit.
A bus pickup is provided for all Koorie students attending the Mildura and Swan
Hill campuses. Arrangements can be made through the KLO at either campus.
The Institute also has its own Koorie Advisory Committee which provides advice
on all aspects of Koorie education delivered through SuniTAFE.
The Koorie Department has developed a number of strong partnerships with
stakeholders in their relevant communities. An example is the Mildura Koorie
students' partnership with the Langtree Mall management. This has included
installing art work demonstrating mall retail outlets onto rubbish bins situated
throughout the mall.
In October 2009, Koorie students and staff from the three campuses organised
a 20/20 cricket match against the Vic Police Koorie trainees & staff and the
Department of Sustainability Koorie trainees and staff. The day reflected
SuniTAFE's commitment to its community engagement and partnership initiatives
under the Wurreker Strategy.
The “Once Upon a Koorie Time” book project, run over 5 years was developed to
address the lack of existing literature regarding local cultural stories. The
books were designed and written by students in the Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander (ATSICA) arts program. The books are dedicated to the Koorie people of
Victoria, in particular, Mildura and are an affirmation of the continuum of
Koorie cultural tradition and community identity.
The books are available for purchase from the
SuniTAFE bookshop at $5 per copy.