First Nations Australia
Working alongside Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in support of their aspirations to live and thrive on Country Read our RAPEWB Australia recognises and acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first engineers and scientists of this nation, caring for Country sustainably for over 65,000 years.
Despite being one of the world’s oldest civilisations with a rich and proud history and culture, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people remain some of the most disadvantaged. Since Australia was colonised by European settlers, Australia’s First Nations people face discrimination, inequality, mistreatment and cultural disconnection – many Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience a poor quality of life and restrictions to self-determination.
years gap in the average life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women compared to non-Indigenous women
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households live in a dwelling with at least one major structural problem
times higher rate of unemployment of Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people
times more likely for Indigenous Australians to have severe or profound disability than non-Indigenous Australians
* Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, ABS Census 2016, Australian Law Reform Commission.
Our Work
Our Engineering on Country (EoC) program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to pursue their aspirations to live and thrive on Country. Since 2009, EWB has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across
Australia on a range of community-identified projects. These have mostly taken place through long-term partnerships developed directly with communities and through pro bono support from our corporate partners.
EWB works with communities to design a provide access to appropriate and sustainable community infrastructure, which can include water & sanitation facilities, energy systems, housing, and other technology and services that improve people’s quality of life and ability to pursue education, employment or income generating opportunities. We also work with communities to help design solutions that enable cultural connection.
Our Pathways Outreach program engages volunteers who are trained to deliver Introduction to engineering modules in primary schools, high schools and community centres in cities and in regional areas across Australia, through our chapter network and our industry partners. These programs aim to inspire youth to pursue a career in engineering and STEM, with a particular focus on engaging and increasing the participation of First Nations young people and others who are less represented in the engineering sector, such as women and girls.
Our Impact
To date, EWB Australia has supported more than 15 projects with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Explore some of our project case studies.
Our Partners
We currently work with the below partners to create positive social change for Australia’s Indigenous people.
Woolkabunning Kiaka Aboriginal Corporation
Reconciliation Action Plan
Over the past few years, EWB Australia has been developing deeper connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations, and the Country they call home.
This is a great privilege. It provides an opportunity for our staff, our partners and our volunteers to listen and build our understanding of what has gone before, and what is needed now, and into the future. We have learnt so much, and we continue to listen and learn more.
Our Innovate RAP builds on this, bringing conscious reconciliation in all actions and across every part of EWB.
Stories of Indigenous Engineering Series
Inspiring the next generation of First Nations children to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
From authors to archeologists, civil to environmental engineers, students to academics – hear the stories of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander professionals who work or intersect with the engineering sector, in our Stories of Indigenous Enigneering series.
ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs.
How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years?
When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.
We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country.
Stories of First Nations collaboration
Announcing our 2025 EWB Challenge community partner – WaterAid Australia 18 February, 2025 - Since 2009, Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB Australia) has worked alongside communities in Timor-Leste to develop sustainable solutions to the unique social, economic, and environmental challenges they face. Through long-term… read more
Navigating the tides: Saibai Island’s battle against climate change 17 June, 2024 - In 2024, the First Nations context for the EWB Challenge will be delivered in partnership with Torres Strait Island Regional Council. Torres Strait Island Regional Council is Australia's most northerly… read more
Announcing our 2024 EWB Challenge community partner – Torres Strait Island Regional Council 30 January, 2024 - Each year, over 10,000 first-year university students across Australia and New Zealand participate in the EWB Challenge. Students work in teams to develop a solution to challenges identified by EWB… read more