The advancement of Australia’s Indigenous people is a core responsibility for The Australian ¾«¶«´«Ã½app University (ANU).
As the only national university in Australia, ANU hosts, supports and drives debate, dialogue, advocacy, and analysis on the relationship between Indigenous Australians and the Australian nation.
The First Nations Portfolio (FNP) was established in 2020 to enhance the University’s nation-building capacity in the context of the relationship between the Australian nation state and First Nations peoples. FNP is a branch of the University’s executive, reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor, and is responsible for ensuring that ANU makes a leading contribution to national policy in this regard.
FNP is led by inaugural Vice-President (First Nations) Professor Peter Yu. Professor Yu is a Yawuru man from Broome in the Kimberley with more than 40 years of experience in Indigenous development and advocacy in the Kimberley and at the state, national and international level.
Vision and values
The FNP vision is to make ANU the world leader on First Nations issues and contribute to the nation’s relationship with Indigenous Australians in three important elements of the national agenda:
- Democratic Participation
- Societal Equity
- Economic Opportunity.
FNP’s vision relies on two core concepts:
- ANU should be the national and international leader in First Nations issues, teaching and research, and lead national policy discourse
- Indigenous equity and engagement should be ‘normal business’ throughout ANU.
FNP collaborates within ANU and beyond to work with:
- First Nations communities
- First Nations organisations
- academia
- government
- industry.
FNP is:
- a national and international collaboration hub
- an incubator of new ideas, research, organisations, policies and structures
- a catalyst for First Nations economic empowerment and self-determination.
In July 2022, FNP hosted the Marramarra murru (Creating Pathways) First Nations Economic Development Symposium. This brought together 170 Indigenous leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs from:
- Australia
- Canada
- United States
- Aotearoa New Zealand.
The symposium highlighted the urgent need for a significant shift in Australian public policy to support First Nations economic development.
Building on this momentum with support from the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Indigenous Australians Agency, FNP delivered the six-part Murru waaruu (On Track) First Nations Economic Development Seminar Series throughout 2023. It brought together 266 participants from First Nations groups and leaders to senior public servants, academics and industry bodies.
The symposium and seminars have culminated in:
- Policy reform proposals in the [PDF, 3.4MB]
- Formation of the in 2023
- ´¡â€¯h¾±²õ³Ù´Ç°ù¾±³¦â€¯ between Canadian First Nations institutions and leading Australian First Nations groups in 2023
- Four Indigenous Data Sovereignty projects where researchers collaborate with traditional owner representative organisations across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The projects build Indigenous Data Governance capacity to support local decision making and community development planning. These groundbreaking projects have been running since 2021.
- The first ever  in 2025 between the Australian Government, the First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance, and the Coalition of Peaks.
FNP’s work has informed the Australian Government’s new approach to First Nations issues and generated a paradigm shift. That shift is changing the nature of how First Nations people interact with government and industry. It signifies a movement from a transactional relationship to genuine economic partnership.
Reference documents
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