Employment

Joel

Joel

Home State

Victoria

University

Australian Catholic University, Melbourne

Qualifications

Bachelor of Exercise Science

Background

Having grown up in Victoria with a family that was obsessed with sports and the outdoors, I was lucky enough to be exposed to some great opportunities to see some of the better parts of Australia. My Dad, being an Aboriginal man, from Alice Springs, would take us up to the red centre every year to visit family and relatives. Seeing this part of the country helped me develop a passion for the environment at a very young age. I have always been heavily involved in sport, whether it was, Aussie Rules, Cricket, Touch Football, Boxing & Surfing. I finished high school in 2001, and started my degree - Bachelor of Exercise Science (Human Movement and Physical Education) in February 2002. During my time at University, my elective was Outdoor Recreation, complementing my enjoyment of the outdoors. After completing my degree, I started my Dip Ed in Secondary Teaching. Unfortunately, I didn't see myself as a P.E teacher, so I decided to move on from University, and pursue my passion for the environment. It was not long after this, that I gained employment with the local government in my area, as the Indigenous Park ranger. I found this position highly rewarding, and found particular interest in Indigenous Land Management techniques. After working with the local government, I applied for a job as a Fire fighter, with the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), in Bairnsdale, and was offered a position on their crew. I saw this is a great opportunity to enhance my skills not only in land management, but in fire suppression and control burning techniques. It was great experience working out in country Victoria, in both state and national parks, and have the opportunity to see parts of the country most people never get to experience. Following the fire season, I applied for the DEWHA grad program, and later in the year, was lucky enough to be employed with the graduate program.

Placements

First Placement

Indigenous partnerships Section, Indigenous Policy Branch

The Indigenous Policy Branch is the initial point of contact for whole of government Indigenous issues as they relate to environment. It is responsible for coordination of Indigenous policy issues across portfolio and the first point of contact for Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination and Indigenous Coordination Centres in whole of government framework and the coordination of Bilateral Agreements on Indigenous Affairs. It is also responsible for the delivery of the Working on Country program.

The Indigenous Policy Branch has five sections which are responsible for the following key work:

My role in this branch included:

Second Placement

Indigenous Languages and Culture, Arts Division

The Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records (MILR) program addresses the steady erosion and loss of Australia's estimated 250 original Indigenous languages by providing support for the maintenance and revival of these languages.

The MILR program supports a broad range of projects, including documentation and recording of Indigenous languages and the development of language resources and language databases to assist with the development and delivery of programs through language centres.

During my time with MILR I was involved in researching the many different Indigenous languages, (which is a personal interest to me as I am currently learning my own language - Arrernte), and also developing data spreadsheets to help us gain an understanding of how many Languages we support Australia wide, how many are endangered/not endangered etc. I found this very rewarding work, as my main professional goals centre around Indigenous cultural revival, Language revival, and Land Management.

Third Placement

Booderee National Park, Parks Australia South Division

'Booderee' is an Aboriginal word from the Dhurga language meaning 'bay of plenty' or 'plenty of fish'.

Booderee is owned by the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and has always been a significant place for Koori people. It has provided sustenance and shelter for its Indigenous inhabitants over hundreds of generations

During my time down at Booderee National Park, I was involved with the Monitoring and Evaluation of the effectiveness of the park management plan. I was also involved with outdoor work/activities and labour intensive work. I found all parts of the work I completed down at Booderee, very enjoyable, and this was a great place to work.

Final Placement

Qld, Tas & WA Section, Water Efficiency Division

The Australian Government is working to improve the efficiency and productivity of on farm irrigation water use and management. The On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program is part of the $5.8 billion Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure component of Water for the Future.

My final placement requires me to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our program within the Qld, Tas & Wa funded projects. This is a highly academic role that I am finding to be quiet challenging and time consuming. However, it is a highly corporate role, with good opportunities to attend high level meetings, and gain an understanding of how our department deals with Australia's water crisis.


'the best thing about working for us ... is the environment'

Graduate program

After the graduate year

About the Department