Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2024
  4. arrow_forward_ios 09
  5. arrow_forward_ios ACER and Jumbunna: creating partnerships for social change

ACER and Jumbunna: creating partnerships for social change

27 September 2024
Group shot of Jumbunna staff and ACER representatives siting in a circle in lounge chairs smiling and looking at the camera

Pictured (left to right): Lachlan McDaniel- Associate Dean of Research, Jumbunna, UTS; Dr James Beaufils- Senior Research Fellow, Jumbunna, UTS; Dr Rebecca Taylor- Senior Research Fellow, ACER; Dr Daniel Edwards- Head of Division, Education Research, Policy & Development, ACER; Lindon Coombes- Director Jumbunna Research, Jumbunna, UTS.

A new generation of First Nations researchers is emerging from a significant philanthropic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney. The partnership is driven by a generous legacy and a dynamic collaboration aimed at igniting critical social and systemic change.

After receiving a bequest of $1,000,000 from the late John Farrant and Lesley Patricia Farrant to establish an education fund, ACER has partnered with Jumbunna to support emerging First Nations researchers. The relationship is valuable for the advancement of First Nations research methods, which challenge the concept of neutrality in research, and the development of First Nations researchers skilled in facilitating positive change within their communities.

The partnership has already generated a successful bid for a research grant and provided 18 talented PhD students with the financial support required to complete their research studies. Over the next 3 years, through the philanthropic fund, ACER expects to support a total of 125 higher-degree First Nations researchers as they head towards the end of their PhDs. This is a critical time when students require a financial boost to complete work that is often costly– including travelling to conferences or accessing vital records and research materials.

“Funds such as these can make someone’s PhD,” says Jumbunna Director, Professor Lindon Coombes. “After long hours, having extra eyes, ears, and funds to get your thesis over the line can be a crucial lifeline for many. These researchers can go on to change the world.”

Gemma Sentance, a Wiradjuri student whose PhD has been completed thanks to the philanthropic funding, says: "The back end of the PhD is extremely stressful, and the funding was able to take a lot of that stress away. Securing additional funding for an editor gives you the opportunity to find the right person that aligns with your process. This really allows you to honour the work that you have put into the thesis."  Gemma’s PhD thesis is titled, ‘Exploring the Experiences of First Nations law graduates within colonial legal institutions’ which adopts a decolonising approach to research that seeks to explore deeply the experiences of First Nations people engaging within colonial legal institutions.

Beyond the crucial cash injection for PhD students, ACER and Jumbunna have collaborated on a successful bid for a research grant through the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success. “Building understanding of First Nations students’ progression through university”, led by ACER researcher’s Dr Daniel Edwards and Dr Rebecca Taylor, and UTS’s Senior Research Fellow Dr James Beaufils, will explore data on entry, progress, experience, and completion of university, and conduct interviews with First Nations university students.

The goal of this research is to foster successful outcomes for First Nations university students, who continue to be the most under-represented cohort in higher education, by promoting changes in policy and practice and providing support. The research project will identify examples of best practice in supporting university pathways and retention, and success stories of First Nations students – building on the philosophy ‘if you can see it, you can be it.’

Dr Edwards says, “ACER deeply values this tremendous and rewarding collaboration. It’s wonderful to see the bequest providing support to Jumbunna research students at exactly the time they need it most, and we hope the research we’re undertaking will enable more First Nations people to attend and complete university.”

Jumbunna and UTS are home to the largest number of Indigenous professors in Australia. They operate throughout Australia, with staff working in communities in Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, and collaborators in all states and territories. Operating in the domestic and international spheres, the team prides itself on frank and fearless research and advocacy driven by the Indigenous communities it serves, promoting, supporting, and embodying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty and self-determination.

ACER is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that has been improving learning for more than 90 years. ACER promotes better outcomes for all learners by identifying evidence-based policies and practices that can shape strategic decision-making at all levels, from the early years to post-compulsory education. 

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to News

Related News

  • Three people sitting in front of green plant background.
    New partnership to preserve First Nations cultural heritage
  • Pictured left to right: Maree Graham UTS, Cassandra Tratt Woolworths Group, Clint Johnson Woolworths Group
    Powering First Nations Ambition and Excellence
  • A Brave Heart for a Better Tomorrow Beyond partnership, a pact for change

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility