Western Sydney University has been honoured with a SAGE Cygnet Award for its groundbreaking work in advancing Indigenous priorities and fostering a culturally safe environment for Indigenous staff.

Transformative leadership driving deadly change

The award acknowledges Western Sydney University’s sector-leading Indigenous Strategy (2020–2025) and the visionary leadership of Professor Michelle Trudgett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership. Under this leadership, WSU has taken a culture-centered approach to making structural and systemic change across the University. This change has included:

  • establishing a robust strategic framework to drive Indigenous priorities, with the University’s first Indigenous Strategy (2020 – 2025) at the centre of that framework
  • elevating senior Indigenous leadership in the core governance of the institution;
  • embedding cultural recognition in policy, process and place-making;
  • nurturing, rewarding and promoting Indigenous excellence;
  • building community, connection and cultural safety for Indigenous staff, students and community.

These efforts have been instrumental in achieving significant milestones, including:

  • becoming the first Australian university to implement both immediate and long-term Indigenous strategies;
  • becoming the second Australian university to hold both DVC and PVC Indigenous leadership positions;
  • surpassing Indigenous employment targets ahead of schedule, with significant increases for both academic and professional staff;
  • securing $78.5 million for a landmark Indigenous Centre of Excellence.

Indigenous-led Cygnet Impact Assessment

Recognising the importance of an Indigenous-led approach to evaluating outcomes and impacts, WSU’s SAGE team developed a principles-based Collaboration Framework that aimed to centre Indigenous research methodologies and amplify Indigenous staff voices in a collaborative evaluation of the University’s progress.

The resulting Gathering Insights and Embedding Workplace Improvements for Indigenous Staff at WSU report charts many successes and highlights a critical opportunity to embed culture change for the future.

The team behind this report recently received WSU’s prestigious Excellence in Indigenous Research Award.

Shaping a culturally safe environment

The Gathering Insights report and WSU’s Cygnet Award application detail Indigenous staff views about the University’s progress in advancing Indigenous equity. Results highlight many positive impacts. For example, among surveyed Indigenous staff:

  • 100% agree Indigenous excellence is more visible at the University;
  • 88% recognise meaningful progress in advancing Indigenous priorities;
  • 80% agree that WSU is committed to equity for its Indigenous community.

WSU’s Indigenous staff view the Indigenous Strategy (2020 – 2025) as a significant driver for change and a signal of increased cultural value at the University. As one Indigenous staff member expressed:

“The Indigenous Strategy has been a driving force to not just bring Indigenous staff together but to set a common mission for the entire University. It has changed the fabric of how Indigenous business is done at Western, both now and into the future.”

Strengthened senior Indigenous leadership was also seen as core to WSU’s successes, where the cohering of Indigenous priorities, enhancing of career opportunities, and a more culturally inclusive leadership approach is building more culturally safe environment, a feeling of belonging at WSU, and a feeling of ‘family’ among Indigenous staff. Said one Indigenous staff member:

“I believe there has been buy in across the University from Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff as well as external stakeholders. But I think the greatest achievement that has grounded all other elements of the Strategy has been bringing Indigenous staff together. We are a more unified, united and collegial team (across the whole University) that work together for the betterment of our Indigenous University community, and broader Indigenous communities.”

Building on success

WSU’s impact evaluation also identified several areas for continuing improvement:

  • recognising and reducing colonial load;
  • strengthening School/Institute commitments to advancing Indigenous priorities within local contexts;
  • enhancing non-Indigenous staff engagement with Indigenous priorities;
  • increasing non-Indigenous staff cultural competence;
  • continuing to increase Indigenous employment and Indigenous governance positions across the University.

Find out more

This is Western Sydney University‘s third SAGE Cygnet Award. When they reach five Cygnet Awards, they will become eligible to apply for Silver Athena Swan Award – the next step in SAGE’s equity, diversity and inclusion framework.

Access this downloadable PDF summary of their progress and impact to find out all about the barrier they were tackling, their actions, outcomes, impacts and next steps.

You can also read their full Cygnet Award application for all the details on what they did.