Catherine Burgess | Service & leadership | The University of Sydney

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Associate Dean, Indigenous Strategy & Services

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Orcid identifier0000-0002-0580-7191 (opens in a new tab)⁠

Associate Dean, Indigenous Strategy & Services
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

cathie.burgess@sydney.edu.au (opens in a new tab)

Leadership positions

2025 Associate Dean Indigenous Strategies & Services

2024 Leader Aboriginal Community Collaboration

2019 Convener Master of Education: Leadership in Aboriginal Education

2016-2017 Director Indigenous Education Programs

2013-2019 Convener Indigenous Research Collaboration Network

2009-2021 President Aboriginal Studies Association

Keynote Presentations

2024 NSW Secondary Principals Association. The Ripple Effect. Making a Difference One Student and School at a Time. 11 June 2024. Presented with Aboriginal Author Kylie Captain

2023 Australian Teacher Education Association. Moving beyond partnerships: micro-treaty making with Aboriginal communities. 14-16 July, 2023. Presented with Aboriginal Community Facilitator Julie Welsh

2019 Aboriginal Voices: Developing a research informed model of Indigenous Education. International Symposium on Leading Culturally Nourishing Schooling. University of Sydney, Sydney School of Education and Social Work, 15-16 October 2019

2018 Leaders, Leading and Leadership. Leadership in Aboriginal Education Conference. University of Sydney, Sydney School of Education and Social Work and Aboriginal Studies Association NSW. 21 September 2018

2017 Leading for Change. Leadership in Aboriginal Education Conference. University of Sydney, Sydney School of Education and Social Work and Aboriginal Studies Association NSW Conference. 20 October 2017

Awards

2024 TUH Teacher Educator of the Year Award, Australian Teacher Education Association https://www.culturallynourishingschooling.org.au/leadership-aboriginal-teacher-education

2023 Colin Marsh Award, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Best Journal article for 2023, Learning from Country to conceptualise what an Aboriginal curriculum narrative might look like in education.

2020 Thompson Fellowship Equity Award $50,000

2019 Colin Marsh Award, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Best Journal article for 2019, The intellectual quality and inclusivity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in the NSW Stage 5 History syllabus

2019 Life Membership Aboriginal Studies Association

2018 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Award

2014 Membership (Associate) NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group

2013 Faculty of Education & Social Work Teaching Excellence Award - Koori Centre Team

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MEDIA
Community Voices – “When we work together” (opens in a new tab)⁠
30 Nov 2025
2025 Learning from Country Project
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
Kinchela Boys Home - “Carrying the Legacy” (opens in a new tab)⁠
30 Nov 2025
2025 Learning from Country Project
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
What’s good for Aboriginal students, is good for all students (opens in a new tab)⁠
30 Nov 2025
2025 Learning from Country Project
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
When a Saltwater Girl meets a Freshwater Girl (opens in a new tab)⁠
30 Nov 2025
2025 Learning from Country Project
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
Aboriginal curriculum enactment: Stirring teachers into the practices of learning from Country in the city. (opens in a new tab)⁠
4 Aug 2025
In this episode, interviewer Sally Windsor talks with Cathie Burgess who, along with co-authors Katrina Thorpe and Christine Grice, wrote a chapter about the arrangements that enable and constrain early career teachers as they apply Aboriginal curriculum and pedagogies. The teachers in the study completed Aboriginal community-led ‘Learning from Country’ (LFC) electives at university. Teachers focused on strengths-based learning approaches and developing relationships with Aboriginal communities, creating solidarity between local Aboriginal communities and the teachers. For more, read Chapter 13: Aboriginal curriculum enactment: Stirring teachers into the practices of learning from Country in the city by Katrina Thorpe, Cathie Burgess and Christine Grice
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
2025 Aboriginal Studies Association Teacher Conference (opens in a new tab)⁠
19 May 2025
Aboriginal Studies Association NSW
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
Be That Teacher who makes a difference (opens in a new tab)⁠
27 Nov 2024
Listen to Kylie talk about Cathie Burgess, the teacher who changed her life around, and their leadership journey together as educators in Aboriginal education.
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
Aboriginal curriculum enactment: Stirring teachers into the practices of learning from Country in the city (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 Jan 2024
Podcast interview: A World Worth Living In. S2 Episode 12
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
From Country to the classroom: building relationships that empower teachers, students and communities (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 Jan 2024
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
The impact of Learning from Country on teachers' understandings of place and community: insights from the Culturally Nourishing Schooling project (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 Jan 2024
CNS publication: Coombs, D., Langdon, S., Jabir, Z., Burgess, C., & Amazan, R. (2024) The Australian Educational Researcher. Promoted to a wider audience due to the significance of this strategy for school reform
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AWARDS AND PRIZES
TUH Teacher Educator of the Year Award, Australian Teacher Education Association (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 Jan 2024
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
AWARDS AND PRIZES
Colin Marsh Award, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, for -‘Learning from Country to conceptualise what an Aboriginal curriculum narrative might look like in education', Curriculum Perspectives, 42 (2) . C. Burgess, K. Thorpe, S. Egan & V. Harwood
1 Jan 2023
MEDIA
Building Relationships (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 May 2022
2022 Learning from Country in the City This video presents the Learning from Country in the City teaching and research project at the University of Sydney from the perspective of Aboriginal community-based educators who presented the experiences, preservice teachers (students in the teacher education program) and early career teachers who did these courses during their teacher education training. This video focuses on relationship building.
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
Learning From Country Experiences (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 May 2022
2022 Learning from Country in the City This video presents the Learning from Country in the City teaching and research project at the University of Sydney from the perspective of Aboriginal community-based educators who presented the experiences, preservice teachers (students in the teacher education program) and early career teachers who did these courses during their teacher education training. This video focuses on the Learning from Country experiences and the impact they have.
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
What is Learning from Country and why is it important? (opens in a new tab)⁠
1 May 2022
2022 Learning from Country in the City This video presents the Learning from Country in the City teaching and research project at the University of Sydney from the perspective of Aboriginal community-based educators who presented the experiences, preservice teachers (students in the teacher education program) and early career teachers who did these courses during their teacher education training. This video focuses on what Learning from Country is and why it is important.
MORELEARN MORE (opens in a new tab)
MEDIA
2017 Aboriginal Studies Association Conference (opens in a new tab)⁠
26 May 2020
This video gives a snapshot of the Aboriginal Studies Association conference held each year for teachers
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MEDIA
EDUF3135 Aboriginal Community Engagement (opens in a new tab)⁠
26 May 2020
2017 The Learning from Country journey begins This video introduces the first Aboriginal Community Engagement course at the University of Sydney where Learning from Country experiences are central to the course and assessment
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FELLOWSHIP
Thompson Fellowship
1 Jan 2020
AWARDS AND PRIZES
Colin Marsh Award Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Best Journal article for -The intellectual quality and inclusivity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in the NSW Stage 5 History syllabus - Amy Morris, Cathie Burgess
1 Jan 2019
RECOGNITION
Life Membership Aboriginal Studies Association
1 Jan 2019
AWARDS AND PRIZES
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Award
1 Jan 2018
RECOGNITION
Associate Life Membership NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group
1 Jan 2014
AWARDS AND PRIZES
Faculty of Education & Social Work Teaching Excellence Award - Koori Centre Team
1 Jan 2013
MEMBERSHIP
Aboriginal Education Council
OFFICE HELD
Aboriginal Studies Association
President

ProfessorCatherine Burgess

SERVICE & LEADERSHIP SUMMARy

SERVICE & LEADERSHIP