The NSW Australian Mukurtu Hub is formed by members of the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the State Library of NSW (SLNSW) in Australia. We are firmly commited to establishing long-terms partnerships with Aboriginal communities across NSW and beyond. We all occupy the space of Indigenous lead research, with different expertise in digital preservation, co-design, archival collections and digital systems.
Cassie Willis, UTS
Cassie Willis (Ngemba/Yuwaalaraay, Brewarrina NSW) is a freelance graphic designer currently studying a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She also works at Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education & Research as Administration Coordinator.
Cassie is interested in the history of graphic design and visual communication from Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives and how these intersect and collide. She is also interested in curatorial activism that aspires to increase the representation of contemporary Indigenous voices and histories in cultural institutions.
Damien Webb, SLNSW
Damien is a Palawa man (from South-East Tasmania) who has worked in a number of roles at both the Western Australian and New South Wales state libraries. He previously coordinated the State Library of Western Australia’s Storylines Project and has a passion for decolonising archives and library collections. He is currently employed as the manager of the Indigenous Engagement Branch at the State Library of New South Wales, where he works with a small team of dedicated Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff.
Jenna Bain, SLNSW
Jenna is the State Library’s Digital Projects Leader and has collaborated with the Indigenous Engagement team on a wide variety of projects that have focused on providing meaningful access to heritage collections. With a passion for digital humanities, new technologies and shared cultural heritage, Jenna hopes to make a positive contribution to the preservation of Australian history by using technology to connect people and culture.
Kirsten Thorpe, UTS
Kirsten Thorpe (Worimi, Port Stephens NSW) is Senior Researcher and Cultural and Critical Archivist at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (UTS), who has led the development of protocols, policies, and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in libraries and archives in Australia. Kirsten’s professional and research interests relate to Indigenous self-determination in libraries and archives. She has been involved in numerous projects that have involved the return of historic collections to Indigenous peoples and communities, and advocates for a transformation of practice to center Indigenous priorities and voice in regard to the management of data, records, and collections.
Lauren Booker, UTS
Lauren Booker (Garigal clan, North Western Sydney) is a Research Fellow and PhD student at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, UTS. Lauren has a previously worked as the Collections Officer for PARADISEC (USYD) and has a background in Indigenous language and cultural revitalisation projects, photographic and audiovisual digitisation and archiving. Her work has involved facilitating projects with endangered language communities to digitise recorded cultural material and organise appropriate digital archives. Lauren’s current personal research focuses on Indigenous data sovereignty, repatriation, provenance and the issues of archival preservation.
Matthew Walsh, UTS
Matthew Walsh is an Anaiwan man from northern NSW. He is the Executive Manager of Research at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney.
Prior to taking on his current role, he was the manager, Indigenous Employment within the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at the University of Technology Sydney where he was instrumental in positioning UTS as a leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Academic and Professional staff employment. As an expert in institutional change and Indigenous policy engagement and implementation, Matthew has also led a number of projects in the Government, higher education, corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Matthew is a member of the Museum of Contemporary Arts Indigenous Advisory Group.
Matthew is also a member of the Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation (IPO) Network Australia, a broad coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and individuals that advocate for the promotion and protection of Indigenous human rights at the national and international level and has on a number of occasions been a delegate to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
Monica Galassi, SLNSW
Monica Galassi is an Italian researcher who has been studying, researching and working in Australia since 2010. During her studies and work, Monica has taken a keen interest in connecting with Indigenous people worldwide to discuss new and emerging projects that empower Indigenous participation in libraries and archives. Monica is passionate about finding ways to promote human rights and equality of access, in particular through physical and digital archives. Monica currently works as a Project Officer in the Indigenous Services team at the State Library of NSW. Prior to this, she was working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Archive (ATSIDA) team at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) library, researching ways to connect data held in Italian institutions related to Indigenous Australian people.