Janet Mooney - Director

Ms Janet Mooney is currently the Director of the Koori Centre, University of Sydney. She is a Wandandian person from the South Coast of NSW. She has had many years of working in Aboriginal Education, as a Secondary Teacher, Education Officer, Consultant in Aboriginal Education, Lecturer in the Aboriginal Education Assistants Program at the Koori Centre and then as the Coordinator of that program. She is an Indigenous academic who has dedicated her career to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal people; she believes strongly that education is a tool for social justice and therefore actively promotes exemplary and innovative educational practice. Hence, in all of the positions she has held she has kept abreast of sound educational practices for Aboriginal learners, but has strived to create an understanding for non-Aboriginal people of the practices and principles of attitudinal change that can only produce a more cohesive community of Australians.

She is highly regarded as an academic with specialised knowledge in Aboriginal education. She is currently Chair the Board of Studies in Indigenous Studies, and is an Ex-officio member of the Academic Board, and a member of Faculty of Education and Social Work and its Undergraduate Studies Committee. Other associations include membership of the Academic Board of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association, the Aboriginal Education Council, the National Indigenous Higher Education Association, the NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Network, and the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. Previously she has served as a member of the NSW Fulbright Selection Committee, 1997- 2001; Visual Arts and Dance Curriculum Implementation Coordinating Group Department School Education; TAFE, Arts and Media Aboriginal Arts & Cultural Practices Accreditation Committee; Visual Arts and Dance Curriculum Implementation Coordinating Group Department School Education; and Years K-6 Creative Arts Syllabus Committee Board of Studies NSW; and 11-12 Aboriginal Studies Syllabus Committee Board of Studies NSW.

She is a beginning research member of the SELF Research Centre’s research team for 2 prestigious externally funded grants from DEST’s Higher Education Innovations Programme, and 1 grants from DEST’s Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Program. She has also been a chair and/or member of steering committee’s for several research projects: Chair, National Priority Reserve Fund Project, ATSI Perspectives and Input into Environmental Education and Training. Member steering committee for: National Priority Reserve Fund Project, Culturally appropriate Course Design and Delivery in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education; Commonwealth Staff Development and Training Project, Research Skills for Indigenous Australian Staff of the University of Sydney; Aboriginal Night Patrol – Support and Evaluation for the Attorney General’s Department and the Ngarra Project, InterNet-Based Training in Research Skills for Staff in Indigenous Higher Education Centres.

Commissioned National Reports:

• Craven, R. G., Halse, C., Marsh, H.W., Mooney, J., and Wilson-Miller, J. (in press). Teaching the teachers core Aboriginal Studies: elucidating successful strategies and overcoming barriers. DEST. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
• Craven, R. G., Halse, C., Marsh, H.W., Mooney, J., and Wilson-Miller, J. (in press). Teaching the Teachers Core Aboriginal Studies: Impact on Postgraduate Teachers' Ability and Commitment to Teaching Aboriginal Studies in Australian Schools. DEST. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

Refereed Conference Papers:

• Rhonda G. Craven, Herbert W. Marsh. (2003) Teaching preservice teachers Aboriginal Studies: what really works? Presented at the AARE. New Zealand 20 November – 4 December 2003.
• Mooney, J., Halse, C., & Craven, R. (2003) Teaching the Teachers Aboriginal Studies: Illuminating Successful Strategies. Presented at the AARE. New Zealand 20 November – 4 December 2003.
• Mooney, J., Halse, C., & Craven, R. (2003) Postgraduate Teachers’ Commitment to Teach Aboriginal Studies in Australian Schools. Presented at the AARE. New Zealand 20 November – 4 December 2003.
• Asmar, C. Blanchard, M. & Mooney, J. (2003) Metaphorically speaking: rejecting the extinction of 100,000 years of knowing: nurturing Indigenous Australian knowledges and traditions on the historical landscape of western supremacy within a tertiary institution. Presented at the Third International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations. University of Hawaii, 13-16 February 2003
• Craven, R. G. & Mooney, J. (2000) Teaching the teachers to understand and teach Indigenous Australian Studies: New models, teaching strategies and resources to empower and educate a nation. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association conference, New Orleans, 24-28 April. ERIC.

Unrefereed Conference Papers:

• Mooney, J. & Blanchard, M. (2002) Change? Friend Or Foe: An Indigenous experience. Presented at The 6th World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education 2002.
• Mooney, J. (1999). Higher education is where Indigenous Australian people excel. What is the long-term meaning of the changes to ABSTUDY! Was equality and self- determination truly an issue? Collected papers of the ninth annual conference of the Aboriginal Studies Association held at the College of Indigenous Peoples, Southern Cross University, Lismore, October, 1999.
• Mooney, J. (1999). Crisis in Indigenous Australian higher education: A critical analysis of the impact of recent government policies. Reconciliation Conference. University of Sydney 23 October, 1999.
• Mooney, J. (1999). The crime of two centuries; Australia you have the right to remain silent… Plenary Address. Hate Crimes Conference, University of Sydney. 9-10 December, 1999.

Unpublished Scholarly Works:

• Mooney, J. (1998). Crisis in Indigenous Australian higher education: A critical analysis of the impact of recent government policies. A long essay submitted to The University of Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education.

Contributions to Other Publications:

• Member of the Steering Committee, (1996) Pedagogical issues in Indigenous higher education & training underpinning the development of culturally appropriate module-based education programs. National Priority Reserve Fund Project.
• Member of the writing team for the Teachers' handbook, (1989) Aboriginal Vision Contemporary Aboriginal Art. NSW DSE.
• Coordination and research (1989) Aboriginal Perspective's to Industrial Arts. NSW DSE.
• Member of the writing team for the 2 Unit Aboriginal Studies Syllabus, Years 11-12, 1987 – 1989. NSW Board of Studies.
• Editor for Metropolitan East Region Koori News. (1988-1989) NSW DSE.
• Coordinator for Teachers' handbook, (1987) Boomalli: Five Koori Artists. NSW DSE.
• Review and recommendations for teachers resource booklets, (1986) Aboriginal Arts in Transition; Visual Arts. NSW DSE

Contact Details:

Phone: (02) 9351 4859
Toll Free: 1800 622 742
Fax: (02) 9351 6923
Location: Room 223 Old Teachers College
Email: