'The School of Indigenous Studies (formerly the Centre for Aboriginal Programmes) at The University of Western Australia began in 1988 in historic Shenton House, which is situated on Noongar land opposite Derbarl Yerrigan, the Matilda Bay section of the Swan River.
'This marked the beginning of a dynamic partnership between the University and the Aboriginal community. Western Australia’s oldest university, UWA, whilst steeped in western traditions of learning is also focused on the future and on national leadership in teaching and research. When it joined with the Aboriginal community to establish the Centre for Aboriginal Programmes, it invited Aboriginal people to patriciate in its traditions and its vision for the future. In return, The University of Western Australia has been enriched with an Aboriginal perspective.
'In 2002, the Centre for Aboriginal Programmes became the School of Indigenous Studies. The School’s Aboriginal Orientation Course has been offered since 1988, providing an alternative pathway into tertiary studies. The School has been at the forefront of education initiatives in Australia from the introduction of the first Pre-Law Course in 1994, and in 2014, the Advanced Diploma in Indigenous Legal Studies as pathways into postgraduate law. The School course offered in Albany, the transformative undergraduate major in Indigenous Knowledge, History and Heritage and, in participation with UWA’s Faculty of Arts, the Indigenous Australian heritage specialization in the Masters of Heritage Studies.
'The School of Indigenous Studies (SIS) provides a range of support services and recourses for Indigenous students on campus. Schools and community programmes to encourage Aboriginal people to undertake further study are also a very important part of the School of Indigenous Studies’ activities.' (https://www.uwa.edu.au/about/schools/sis/bilya-marlee
