Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Liaison

The objective of this project was to employ an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Liaison who would:

• act as a conduit between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A&TSI) communities and project member
• liase with A&TSI communities in order to facilitate involvement of these communities in identified research projects.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Liaison Research Assistant (A&TSI RA) was appointed at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) from 26 July 2017 to 10 July 2019. The A&TSI RA worked with the School Years Program Director, the Research Associate and the Program researchers across various projects. The primary responsibility of the role was to act as liaison with community elders, leaders and members of school communities. This included working with students and staff on the QUT Indigenous Vacation Research Experience Scheme (IndigiVRES); with students at Autism CRC project schools, and facilitating communications with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team at Positive Partnerships and community organisations.

The partnerships resulted in the Autism CRC school years research that was inclusive, productive and engaging for the benefit of Indigenous students, families, teachers, educators and education staff more broadly.