Unit of competency details

Release 

TP Version 

Comments 

1

AHC10v5

Initial release

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Conduct background research and consultation with Traditional Owners, Community, Cultural Managers/Knowledge holders

1.1 Traditional ownership of cultural material  and objects  is confirmed and appropriate Owners/Cultural Managers and Communities are consulted

1.2 Gender requirements for consultations, handling of and access to materials are identified according to Aboriginal cultural protocols 

1.3 Consultation with Traditional Owner/s, Community groups and experts to determine suitable holding for materials not authorised for general exhibition is undertaken

1.4 Permissions from cultural authorities  for access and use of Aboriginal secret, sacred and ceremonial materials are sought and obtained

1.5 Consultation with Community to determine culturally appropriate approaches to handling of material and any limitations  on access to materials is undertaken

1.6 Confidentiality and neutrality in consultations and dealings with Traditional Owners and Cultural Managers is demonstrated

2. Handle Aboriginal secret sacred cultural material

2.1 Any ceremony and/or procedure associated with seeing, handling and/or moving the material is allowed for and/or carried out

2.2 Cultural material is identified, moved, stored, maintained and returned according to Aboriginal cultural requirements  and agreements entered into

2.3 Aspects of cultural material requiring repair or attention are noted and passed onto supervisor or person with relevant expertise

2.4 Action within scope of own job role is taken or referred to relevant personnel as required

2.5 Specific Aboriginal cultural requirements are communicated to colleagues

2.6 Appropriate handling and moving equipment is selected and used safely

2.7 Adherence to cultural restrictions and limitations on secret, sacred and ceremonial material is observed

2.8 The handling of cultural material in a manner that protects individual items and assists efficient loading and unloading processes if moving is demonstrated

3. Contribute to a third party storage agreement for holding secret sacred material

3.1 Arrangements for ensuring ongoing consultation and maintenance of relationships with the Traditional Owners/Cultural Managers are established

3.2 The term of the agreement for holding/storing materials is established

3.3 Specific requirements  for, quarantine procedures, condition reporting and conservation, security arrangements, cyclical auditing, environmental monitoring, database management are established and documented

3.4 An access agreement defining personnel access and conditions of access is established

3.5 Removal of material from the Keeping Place and any cultural and management protocols to be followed are defined in the access agreement and followed

3.6 Confidentiality measures for storage, access, display and use of secret, sacred and ceremonial materials are followed

4. Contribute to documenting a generational succession plan for passing on ownership of secret sacred material

4.1 Options for inheritance of ownership are discussed with Traditional Owners and/or Elders

4.2 Participate in documenting the process, guidelines and timeframes agreeable to Traditional Owners and Cultural managers for handover of ownership, control and access to secret sacred materials

Required skills include:

Ability to: 

• demonstrate respect for cultural diversity and sensitivity to social, cultural and professional values and beliefs
• use cultural sensitivity skills to be sensitive to cultural issues and respectful of different cultural practices
• build and engender trust on sensitive issues with Aboriginal people
• implement Aboriginal cultural protocols
• establish and document agreements
• identify Aboriginal cultural authorities for specific Country in culturally appropriate ways
• use appropriate Aboriginal cultural protocols for Community consultation
• recognise and administer Aboriginal ownership and intellectual property rights
• access, transfer and use cultural information and material
• use appropriate personal and social protocols
• exercise discretion and confidentiality
• enforce access and confidentiality agreements
• use technology to access written, oral or visual source material
• conduct library and internet research
• comprehend and interpret written, oral or visual source material
• exercise judgement on sensitive issues
• apply listening skills
• use oral communication skills
• relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and physical and mental abilities

Required knowledge includes:

Knowledge of: 

• Aboriginal history, cultural values and interpersonal and Community protocols
• authentic and authoritative sources for Aboriginal cultural information, material and expression able to be accessed and shared
• cultural authority identification for ceremony in a particular area or site
• ownership relationships for secret, sacred material
• genealogy
• contracts and confidentiality agreements
• selection and use of handling, storage and transport systems
• record-keeping
• organisational procedures and guidelines
• Cultural and Heritage Legislation or relevant NPWS legislation
• sustainable environmental practices
• workplace health and safety requirements

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment 

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

This unit requires the involvement and participation of the appropriate cultural authority in the training and assessment tasks, i.e. Traditional Owners and/or Cultural Manager and/or Cultural Knowledge holder and/or Custodian/s.

The delivery and assessment of this unit must comply with Community protocols and be carried out in consultation with and in participation with Traditional Owners and/or Elders and custodians of that specific Country.

In accordance with Aboriginal cultural protocols, cultural knowledge copyright considerations and Aboriginal lore/law restrictions, it is essential that this requirement be respected and implemented in the delivery and assessment of Cultural Units  to guarantee cultural authenticity and quality control around the delivery of training and assessment for Aboriginal-sites workers. Candidates must demonstrate evidence of the ability to:

• apply knowledge of issues that frame the development of cultural protocols
• consult effectively with Traditional Owners and relevant Community representatives about the handling, access to and display of cultural material
• observe Aboriginal cultural protocols, follow collection management practices and industry cultural requirements when moving, storing, displaying and maintaining cultural material

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment events must be contextualised to meet the needs of the particular group, including:

• a Community, educational or workplace setting
• involvement of people approved by Cultural managers, custodians and/or Traditional Owners for the materials in question
• access to:

• cultural material or information on material when access is not available
• information about cultural protocols

• appropriately qualified and experienced museum personnel and cultural heritage curators

Method of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess competency in working with secret, sacred materials. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• observation of the candidate working on Country or in a keeping place facility consulting and/or working with ceremonial secret, sacred materials. Prior approval and permission should be obtained for the Assessor from any Traditional Owners and/or Cultural managers involved
• direct questioning combined with third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance
• verbal or written questioning
• observation of participation in Ceremony and/or Sites work related to the knowledge and skills outlined in this unit

Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands and the needs of particular client groups (consider the requirements of different age groups, clients with English as a second language, clients with disabilities, remote library users, etc.).

Guidance information for assessment 

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• AHCILM306A Follow Aboriginal cultural protocols
• AHCASW308A Apply cultural significance to Aboriginal-sites and landscapes

Assessment for this unit should comprise a combination of theory and practical application. Both aspects of assessment are best conducted on Country and/or in a keeping place facility for this unit.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

cultural material  is defined as:

• objects, collections, artworks
• specimens, structures or sites
• archaeological material
• books and manuscripts
• built heritage
• cultural sites and buildings
• ethnographic material
• film and audio-visual material
• flora and fauna
• furniture
• photographs
• technological and industry items
• textiles
• works on paper and canvas

objects  may include

• physical objects such as stone tools, Aboriginal-built fences and stockyards, scarred trees, the remains of fringe camps
• material deposited on the land, such as middens
• the ancestral remains of Aboriginal people
• stones and stone tools
• art and artworks
• shells
• non-human bones and organic materials

Aboriginal cultural protocols  may include:

• gender roles in relation to knowledge and cultural practices
• information sensitivity and access
• appropriate information transfer
• negotiations with local Aboriginal Community about information transfer
• cultural diversity
• natural resources and their importance for economy, religion, spirituality, art, environment, values, beliefs and lore/law
• rights and responsibilities associated with cultural knowledge, story, song, Site, and ceremony
• interpersonal ways of relating
• the talking of Community politics
• repatriation of objects and human remains
• issues of ownership (clans/nations)
• ownership of intellectual property
• acknowledging participation and ownership
• communicating about cultural material
• displaying cultural material
• handling cultural material
• identifying appropriate people to be consulted
• occasions when consultation is required
• ways in which consultations should be conducted

cultural authorities  may include:

Cultural authority refers to the most appropriate senior person/s that is able to speak for particular Country, cultural objects, ceremony and/or materials in a specific place. A cultural authority could be a Traditional Owner, a Native Title Claimant, Aboriginal Culture and Heritage Body, Elder, Aboriginal Land Council, etc.

limitations  may relate to:

• access issues such as gender
• consultation with and involvement of appropriate Community members
• descriptive or explanatory writing
• fragility of material
• identification process
• interpretation method

cultural requirements  may relate to:

• access to material and associated research
• any ceremony or procedure that should be carried out around the handling and/or moving of material
• storage of material
• the way material should be transported
• use of equipment or tools
• who can describe or handle material
• who can view or be around material

specific requirements  may relate to:

• additional protection
• cultural protocols, including Indigenous protocols
• de-acclimatisation periods for sensitive items
• environmentally controlled packaging
• object moving equipment
• object support systems for moving or transfer
• preventive pest management processes
• use or non-use of certain items