I'm a Bundjalung and Wonnarua Aboriginal person from NSW, Australia. My research interests are in Australian Indigenous Geographies. I have over two decades of experience in environmental and heritage conservation management, within government, community and corporate sectors. I worked in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, within its joint-management unit, cultural heritage division and national park operational group. I worked in the corporate sector as the project manager of the Georges River Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team. My PhD research engages with Aboriginal women and cultural burning in NSW. My PhD supervisors are Associate Professor Michael Adams, and Dr Laura Hammersley.
Aboriginal women and cultural burning in NSW Australia
<p>During the summer of 2019/20 Australia suffered unprecedented wildfires. The fires burnt across 10 million hectares, decimating wildlife, forests, agriculture and infrastructure with 3,000 homes lost. Amid the crisis, people sought for solutions to better address fire management. Attention turned to Aboriginal fire knowledge and practice. For Aboriginal people, who are the longest continuing culture on Earth, fire is an integral feature of Aboriginal culture, and is founded on a healthy respectful relationship of coexistence within the natural world. This is sometimes referred to as caring for Country.</p><p>Aboriginal people successfully cared for Country for thousands of generations prior to European colonisation. Indigenous knowledge and systems of caring for Country are now increasingly being acknowledged and valued around the globe. As part of Aboriginal peoples' self-determining action to respond to relationships with, and responsibilities to Country, as well as developments in natural hazard management, efforts are being made to maintain and reinvigorate Aboriginal fire knowledge and practice. Such efforts are now centred on the south east of the continent, where the effects of European colonisation were first experienced.</p><p>Prior to colonisation, Indigenous women were just as engaged in cultural land management as were Indigenous men. In some places, women are the knowledge keepers and hold cultural knowledge around fire. The revival of cultural burning in NSW, however, has exposed the intersectional challenges that Aboriginal women experience, and the impacts this has on their full participation in caring for Country roles and activities. In response to the underrepresentation of Aboriginal women in land and fire management, this project focuses on Aboriginal women’s engagement in cultural burning practices in NSW. In particular, the research seeks to promote the voices of Aboriginal women, and better understand how and why they want to participate, and what challenges prevent them from participating.</p><p>Drawing on Indigenous research methodologies and community protocols, the research process itself aims to empower Aboriginal women to participate in caring for Country activities (where appropriate), and to strengthen Indigenous leadership. As part of this project, I have been able to promote an Indigenous-led approach to fire management, as well as contribute to strengthening Aboriginal cultural burning communities, and their ability to influence fire management policy, and policy implementation at multiple levels. For example, through many conversations with Aboriginal women, I was able to share, represent and submit their voices as evidence to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements in June 2020. It is possible that I was the only Aboriginal female to be invited as a key witness. I was also invited to join a hearing of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry. My participation resulted in multiple interview, publication, presentation and community consultation requests from local media, national and international universities and community organisations. </p><p>Indigenous land management is critical to addressing catastrophic bushfires and ongoing caring for Country initiatives. This research continues to advocate for Aboriginal voices, in particular, those of women, so they can inform fire management policy and its implementation.</p>
<p>Significant Impact including:<br /><br /> High level policy engagement through Royal Commission, ViC and NSW Bushfire Inquiries<br /> <br /> High level of media engagements<br /> <br /> Significant publication output<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to state level policy development in NSW<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to IP and Indigenous knowledge management issues at UOW<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to Indigenous leadership and community advocacy in the NSW Indigenous Cultural Burning and NRM communities<br /><br />Vanessa made a personal submission to National Natural Disasters Royal Commission and appeared as a key witness. <br /> <br /> Vanessa assisted with the Firesticks Alliance submission to the RC, <br /> <br /> Vanessa made a personal submission to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry and participated in a hearing as a witness on cultural burning. <br /> <br /> Vanessa assisted with an appendix for the submission that analysed qualitative data from a meeting involving (approximately 50) key cultural burning stakeholders: <br /> <br /> Vanessa co-authored a chapter on a report that included material on cultural burning for the Victorian Bushfires Inquiry. <br /> <br /> <br /> Vanessa’s key meetings and presentations Sept 2019 – Sept 2020<br /> <br /> DATE Event<br /> <br /> 30 Jan 2020 interviewed by Jane Richter, for Triple U FM community radio, Nowra<br /> <br /> 5 Feb 2020 Mullumbimby Firesticks Presents (Vanessa was MC for this event as well as presenting a 10min seminar paper) <br /> <br /> 3 Mar 2020 UOW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub Conference Wollongong paper presentation<br /> <br /> 5 Mar 2020 Meeting with ACT Indigenous Rangers at Tidbinbilla <br /> <br /> 6 March 2020 ANU IWD Climate Change Panel <br /> <br /> 11 Mar 2020 Global Challenges - Disaster Resilience: the volunteer experience – Meeting with Georgia Watson to discuss fire impacts on NSW sth cst Aboriginal communities. <br /> <br /> 31 March 2020 Bushfire Hub WP5 Working Group meeting Matt Adams<br /> <br /> 3 Feb 2020 ABC Radio 97.3 Illawarra Afternoon Drive interview with Lindsay McDougall<br /> <br /> 7 Feb 2020 ABC Radio National Off Track with Ann Jones <br /> <br /> Published Good Fire Podcast with Amy Christianson and Mathew Kristoff <br /> <br /> Jan 2020 2SER Macquarie Radio (interviewed alongside Jessica Weir)<br /> <br /> 9 Apr 2020 Firesticks Alliance - Fire Circle on Empowering Indigenous leadership, cultural fire and land management practices, and First Nations people and businesses impacted by bushfires<br /> <br /> 12 May 2020 Bushfire Hub WP5 working group meeting on Zoom<br /> <br /> May 2020 NSW AA debrief planning for Jubullum NSW<br /> <br /> 18 June 2020 Witness RC with Bhiamie Williamson, Dr Tim Neale, and Dr Michael-Shaun Fletcher<br /> <br /> 19 June 2020 witness NSW bushfire inquiry<br /> <br /> 8 July 2020 Pyrolife International Symposium conference presentation<br /> <br /> 24 Aug 2020 Cultural Fire working group workshopping with Oli, Noel Webster and Jake Kindred<br /> <br /> Recorded April 2019, podcast released Sept 2020 Entanglement Lecture Podcast Series - Reigniting Connections: Aboriginal Women and Cultural Burning in NSW with Vanessa Cavanagh<br /> <br /> </p>
B Science (Hon)
in B.Sc (Hons (Class I)) Earth and Environmental Sciences,
University of Wollongong,
The NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act and the Bundjalung Aboriginal Nation
Aboriginal women and cultural burning in NSW Australia
<p>During the summer of 2019/20 Australia suffered unprecedented wildfires. The fires burnt across 10 million hectares, decimating wildlife, forests, agriculture and infrastructure with 3,000 homes lost. Amid the crisis, people sought for solutions to better address fire management. Attention turned to Aboriginal fire knowledge and practice. For Aboriginal people, who are the longest continuing culture on Earth, fire is an integral feature of Aboriginal culture, and is founded on a healthy respectful relationship of coexistence within the natural world. This is sometimes referred to as caring for Country.</p><p>Aboriginal people successfully cared for Country for thousands of generations prior to European colonisation. Indigenous knowledge and systems of caring for Country are now increasingly being acknowledged and valued around the globe. As part of Aboriginal peoples' self-determining action to respond to relationships with, and responsibilities to Country, as well as developments in natural hazard management, efforts are being made to maintain and reinvigorate Aboriginal fire knowledge and practice. Such efforts are now centred on the south east of the continent, where the effects of European colonisation were first experienced.</p><p>Prior to colonisation, Indigenous women were just as engaged in cultural land management as were Indigenous men. In some places, women are the knowledge keepers and hold cultural knowledge around fire. The revival of cultural burning in NSW, however, has exposed the intersectional challenges that Aboriginal women experience, and the impacts this has on their full participation in caring for Country roles and activities. In response to the underrepresentation of Aboriginal women in land and fire management, this project focuses on Aboriginal women’s engagement in cultural burning practices in NSW. In particular, the research seeks to promote the voices of Aboriginal women, and better understand how and why they want to participate, and what challenges prevent them from participating.</p><p>Drawing on Indigenous research methodologies and community protocols, the research process itself aims to empower Aboriginal women to participate in caring for Country activities (where appropriate), and to strengthen Indigenous leadership. As part of this project, I have been able to promote an Indigenous-led approach to fire management, as well as contribute to strengthening Aboriginal cultural burning communities, and their ability to influence fire management policy, and policy implementation at multiple levels. For example, through many conversations with Aboriginal women, I was able to share, represent and submit their voices as evidence to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements in June 2020. It is possible that I was the only Aboriginal female to be invited as a key witness. I was also invited to join a hearing of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry. My participation resulted in multiple interview, publication, presentation and community consultation requests from local media, national and international universities and community organisations. </p><p>Indigenous land management is critical to addressing catastrophic bushfires and ongoing caring for Country initiatives. This research continues to advocate for Aboriginal voices, in particular, those of women, so they can inform fire management policy and its implementation.</p>
<p>Significant Impact including:<br /><br /> High level policy engagement through Royal Commission, ViC and NSW Bushfire Inquiries<br /> <br /> High level of media engagements<br /> <br /> Significant publication output<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to state level policy development in NSW<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to IP and Indigenous knowledge management issues at UOW<br /> <br /> Ongoing contributions to Indigenous leadership and community advocacy in the NSW Indigenous Cultural Burning and NRM communities<br /><br />Vanessa made a personal submission to National Natural Disasters Royal Commission and appeared as a key witness. <br /> <br /> Vanessa assisted with the Firesticks Alliance submission to the RC, <br /> <br /> Vanessa made a personal submission to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry and participated in a hearing as a witness on cultural burning. <br /> <br /> Vanessa assisted with an appendix for the submission that analysed qualitative data from a meeting involving (approximately 50) key cultural burning stakeholders: <br /> <br /> Vanessa co-authored a chapter on a report that included material on cultural burning for the Victorian Bushfires Inquiry. <br /> <br /> <br /> Vanessa’s key meetings and presentations Sept 2019 – Sept 2020<br /> <br /> DATE Event<br /> <br /> 30 Jan 2020 interviewed by Jane Richter, for Triple U FM community radio, Nowra<br /> <br /> 5 Feb 2020 Mullumbimby Firesticks Presents (Vanessa was MC for this event as well as presenting a 10min seminar paper) <br /> <br /> 3 Mar 2020 UOW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub Conference Wollongong paper presentation<br /> <br /> 5 Mar 2020 Meeting with ACT Indigenous Rangers at Tidbinbilla <br /> <br /> 6 March 2020 ANU IWD Climate Change Panel <br /> <br /> 11 Mar 2020 Global Challenges - Disaster Resilience: the volunteer experience – Meeting with Georgia Watson to discuss fire impacts on NSW sth cst Aboriginal communities. <br /> <br /> 31 March 2020 Bushfire Hub WP5 Working Group meeting Matt Adams<br /> <br /> 3 Feb 2020 ABC Radio 97.3 Illawarra Afternoon Drive interview with Lindsay McDougall<br /> <br /> 7 Feb 2020 ABC Radio National Off Track with Ann Jones <br /> <br /> Published Good Fire Podcast with Amy Christianson and Mathew Kristoff <br /> <br /> Jan 2020 2SER Macquarie Radio (interviewed alongside Jessica Weir)<br /> <br /> 9 Apr 2020 Firesticks Alliance - Fire Circle on Empowering Indigenous leadership, cultural fire and land management practices, and First Nations people and businesses impacted by bushfires<br /> <br /> 12 May 2020 Bushfire Hub WP5 working group meeting on Zoom<br /> <br /> May 2020 NSW AA debrief planning for Jubullum NSW<br /> <br /> 18 June 2020 Witness RC with Bhiamie Williamson, Dr Tim Neale, and Dr Michael-Shaun Fletcher<br /> <br /> 19 June 2020 witness NSW bushfire inquiry<br /> <br /> 8 July 2020 Pyrolife International Symposium conference presentation<br /> <br /> 24 Aug 2020 Cultural Fire working group workshopping with Oli, Noel Webster and Jake Kindred<br /> <br /> Recorded April 2019, podcast released Sept 2020 Entanglement Lecture Podcast Series - Reigniting Connections: Aboriginal Women and Cultural Burning in NSW with Vanessa Cavanagh<br /> <br /> </p>
B Science (Hon)
in B.Sc (Hons (Class I)) Earth and Environmental Sciences,
University of Wollongong,
The NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act and the Bundjalung Aboriginal Nation