CLOSING THE GAP

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Indigenous innovation
through Flint programme 1
The Indigenous Digital Excellence
Flint Program is sparking the
interest, ideas and talent of young
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
through digital technology.
The non-government partnership
between the Telstra Foundation and
the Redfern-based National Centre
of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE)
provides in-kind support for regional
Indigenous communities through
hands on workshops for young
people, skills development for local
facilitators as well as equipment
and educational resources.
“Technology is being embraced
in our communities in all kinds of
ways. We know that smart phones
for example, are in heavy use in
our communities but when you
move into coding, robotics or 3D
printing you’re really talking about
quite new technologies,” said
Kirsty Parker, CEO of the National
Centre for Indigenous Excellence.
The Flint Program encourages
excitement and a thirst for
knowledge in remote communities
where both young people and
Elders can participate. As part of the
program, local facilitators receive
technical training to deliver digital
workshops and communities receive
a range of world class equipment
to foster hands on learning.
“We wanted to establish
programs and support
infrastructure that strengthens
Indigenous participation,
practice and entrepreneurship
in the digital economy.”
Kristy Parker, CEO NCIE.
Fish River combining
local knowledge to care
for country
Fish River is a property in the
Northern Territory that was
purchased in 2010 through a
collaborative partnership between
the Australian Government’s Caring
for Our Country Program, the
Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC)
and conservation organisations,
including The Nature Conservancy,
Greening Australia and the Pew
Environment Group. It is currently
owned and managed by the
ILC and will be transferred to
Traditional Owners in the future.
By combining traditional burning
knowledge with fire management
practices grounded in the latest
science, the ILC earns carbon credits
for the emissions they avoid.
Fish River is home to a savanna
fire management project, under
the Emissions Reduction Fund. The
project has seen the introduction of
traditional early dry-season burning
practices, which has reduced the late
dry-season fires significantly, thereby
reducing carbon emissions. The
project is also improving biodiversity
at Fish River – feral animals are
being more effectively controlled
and threatened species conservation
measures are being applied.
•78• CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017