Seminar streaming audio and podcasts: At the discretion of presenters, some CAEPR seminars are now made available through this website as streaming audio and MP3 podcasts, together with appropriate handout materials. Links will be found beneath the seminar abstract. Certain types of seminar presentation, including works in progress and thesis reports, may not be appropriate for podcast. The discussion following a presentation is not recorded.
Occasional Seminars & Lectures
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences Occasional Seminar
The Howard Government's Intervention into the Northern Territory Aboriginal Communities: The National Emergency
In this public seminar, Dr Maggie Brady, Professor Paul ‘t Hart and Professor Bryan Rodgers respond to the Howard Government's Intervention into the Northern Territory Aboriginal Communities: The National Emergency. The seminar is hosted by CASS Theme Convener Dr Tim Rowse, Research School of Social Sciences, ANU.
This seminar is a joint presentation combining the two CASS research themes: ‘Social Dynamics of Wellbeing and Human Rights’ and 'Indigenous Societies, Art and Culture'.
Professor Paul ‘t Hart
Research School of Social Sciences, ANU
Dr Hart will consider the National Emergency from the perspective of the comparative study of crisis framing and management.
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Streaming Audio
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National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU
Professor Rodgers will address the National Emergency from the point of view of research on population-based interventions against child sexual predation and other family pathologies.
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Streaming Audio
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Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU and contributor to Coercive Reconciliation: Stabilise, Normalise, Exit Aboriginal Australia. Dr Brady will discuss the National Emergency in the context of public policy regulating the supply and consumption of alcohol in Indigenous contexts.
Please note: This presentation is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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(To save the podcast to your computer, right click on the icon and select "Save Target As…" or "Save Link As…").
Venue:
Humanities Conference Room, AD Hope Building 14,
University Avenue, ANU
Date:
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Time:
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Series 2: August - October 2007
The program for this seminar series is also available as a PDF document. The program may be subject to slight change.
Please note our new venue (above).
Seminar Topics—Series 2, 2007
August 8
In the name of failure: The Howard government's generational revolution in Indigenous affairs
—Will Sanders (Senior Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: Since 2004, the Howard government has used the idea of past policy failure to introduce major new organisational arrangements in Indigenous affairs. In the name of failure, after fifteen years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was abolished and its programs were re-assigned to 'mainstream' Commonwealth departments. A Commonwealth Secretaries Group on Indigenous Affairs (SGIA) was significantly enhanced and a National Indigenous Council (NIC) and a Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs (MTIA) were established. Further down the hierarchy of Commonwealth administration, both a central Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC) and regional Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) were established and built up. Through these new organisational arrangements, the fourth term Howard government has also put considerable effort into new agreement making at State/ Territory, regional and local levels through bi-lateral Commonwealth State/Territory agreements, Regional Partnership Agreements and local Shared Responsibility Agreements. From June 2007, also in the name of past failure, the Howard government has also now begun developing its 'national emergency' response to allegations of widespread child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities.
This paper will trace the Howard government's use of the idea of past policy failure in these processes of organisational change. It will argue that such failure is not self-evident, that it is a social and political construct which builds support for contemporary organisational change in the name of past policy analysis. The paper will further argue that the changes under the fourth Howard government constitute a generational revolution in Australian Indigenous affairs. Such revolutions take time to build, and depend heavily on the idea of past policy failure. This current generational revolution has been building since the year 2000. The paper will argue that a previous generational revolution in Australian Indigenous affairs occurred between 1967 and 1976, and that this current revolution seeks to undo some of the institutional innovations of the former one. This recognition of two generational revolutions in Australian Indigenous affairs in the last forty years, pushing in different directions, could perhaps make governments a little more cautious about abandoning established ways in Indigenous affairs in the name of failure, and striking out so self-assuredly on supposedly new, more enlightened and informed paths.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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August 15
Community policing in Australasia: Lessons from the community
—Manuhuia Barcham (Director, Centre for Indigenous Governance and Development, Massey University)
Abstract: Much of the community policing literature looks at the ways in which police officers are able to more effectively interact with the community in terms of the maintenance of law and order and other policing functions. Less attention, however, is paid to the ways in which communities police themselves and how this impacts on policing more generally. Looking at the case of indigenous community policing initiatives in Australia and New Zealand this paper explores the impact that this form of policing is having in these communities. The paper ends by discussing how these types of initiatives might be usefully transferred through to other policing environments such as the Pacific Islands.
August 22
The transformation of Aboriginal communities in crisis; what does it entail?
—David Martin (Visiting Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: This seminar is set against the background of the Federal government's 'National emergency' response to the Children are Sacred report into child abuse in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. It is based as much on my personal experience of living and working in a remote community, and raising an Aboriginal son within and outside that community, as it is on my anthropological research.
There are understandable reasons why many commentators have expressed cynicism about the response, given that the matters canvassed by the report have been placed before governments for decades now. Nonetheless, the available evidence demonstrates that in many Aboriginal communities, and not just those in the Northern Territory, there is indeed a deep crisis around a cluster of factors such as extremely high levels of interpersonal violence, abuse including that of children, and severe alcohol and drug abuse.
The government's response as announced thus far involves a curious mix of short and longer-term initiatives. The seminar argues that the restoration of social order in severely dysfunctional communities is a defensible intervention to establish the conditions for change—if the long-term goal is the transformation of Aboriginal societies to more sustainable forms, as it must be. However, in the absence of a very substantial commitment by governments to redress the well documented historic deficits in such areas as health, housing, and education, such change cannot and will not take place. In particular, without these essential precursors, the reliance on Aboriginal personal responsibility leveraged through market-based incentives simply avoids government responsibility, and will fail as an instrument of sustainable change.
I conclude by examining what I argue is one of the underlying ethical and political entailments of the project to transform Aboriginal lives, one which in my opinion is a legitimate policy goal. This project, while it must accept the reality and validity of diversity in Aboriginal Australia, necessarily involves the transformation of what it means to be Aboriginal. In this project, I argue, (western) education is the critical factor amenable to policy intervention, not so much for the skills it imparts, but for the transformative psycho-social possibilities it provides.
From this perspective, it is establishing the conditions (which will include health, housing etc) for education to take root in Aboriginal Australia which must be the main focus of government. The question for governments, and indeed the nation, is whether we have the will and the capacity to undertake this project—and whether we can bring Aboriginal people willingly into it.
Please note: This seminar is available in Streaming Slideshow, Streaming Audio and MP3 audio formats.
— Don Weatherburn (Director, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research)
Abstract: A number of theories have been put forward to explain the high level of violence amongst Australia's Indigenous population. Up until 2002, lack of suitable data on the risk factors associated with Indigenous violent victimisation made it very difficult to assess the adequacy of these theories. In 2002 the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a national survey of Indigenous Australians (the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, or NATSISS). That survey made it possible to examine a range of correlates of Indigenous violent victimisation. Analysis of the NATSISS victimisation data, however, has so far been limited to a few bi-variate comparisons. This seminar presents the results of the first multivariate analysis of risk factors for violent victimisation among Indigenous Australians using the NATSISS. The results provide little support for cultural theories of Indigenous violence but strong support for social disorganisation, social deprivation and lifestyle theories, particularly the latter.
Please note: This seminar is available in Streaming Audio and MP3 audio formats.
Streaming Audio
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—Dr Mark Wenitong, President, Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association
Abstract: How do we determine, without polarising or politicising, what is best practice in social and health reform for Indigenous Australians?
European health and social policy has assumed the right to declare what is 'acceptable' practice for all of society. Even if, within this ideology, we were able to keep Indigenous kids safe tonight, how would we ensure they have something meaningful to live for tomorrow?
Indigenous Australians have been here a long time, yet continue to battle to have Indigenous knowledge systems acknowledged. The Anderson-Wild Report has laid out the rules of engagement with Aboriginal people by recommending that '…there needs to be a radical change in the way government and non-government organisations consult, engage with and support Aboriginal people.' This presents public health and social planners with a real challenge.
Dr Wenitong will argue that Indigenous culture, spirit, land and healing all fit into a social determinants framework, which must be addressed in order to improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people. Within this framework we must allow Indigenous people to take leadership, own and control policy decisions; and help to support and partner with Indigenous people and organsiations in promoting effective pathways and policies for positive change.
Please note: This seminar is available in Streaming Audio and MP3 audio formats.
Streaming Audio
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Indigenous development: the role of philanthropy & NGOs
—Janet Hunt (Fellow, CAEPR) & Jerry Schwab (Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: Over the course of the past decade, the Howard government has worked on several fronts to shift perceptions and policies that were grounded in assumptions that government is ultimately responsible for providing a social safety net for disadvantaged Australians, toward a very different view that individuals, businesses and philanthropic foundations should play a more prominent role in addressing and ensuring social and economic well-being. While some observers might view these changes as cynical attempts at cost shifting, it is clear that with these changes have come new opportunities to support community-based economic and social development. In this seminar we will explore how philanthropic and non-government organisations might bring resources, knowledge and experience to bear on the needs of Australia's most disadvantaged citizens, Indigenous Australians. Specifically, we will attempt to map the field of engagement of philanthropic donors and development-focused non-government organisations with Indigenous communities; we will describe the resources they contribute, what knowledge they bring and what roles they have played in the past (and could play in future) in working with Indigenous communities.
Please note: This seminar is available in Streaming Audio and MP3 audio formats.
Streaming Audio
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Special and differential treatment? Farmers, remote outstation residents and public policy
—Linda Botterill (Political Science, RSSS), Jon Altman (Director, CAEPR)
Abstract: There are two enduring images used to promote Australia internationally to inbound tourists: rural Australia and 'traditional' Indigenous cultures. And yet policy responses to and the associated national imaginary about these two sectors of Australian society are markedly different. This seminar explores the treatment of farm families and farm businesses under Commonwealth policy, highlighting areas of difference from other groups in the community. Examples of and reasons for such policy responses will be outlined. By contrast, remote Indigenous 'kin-based' businesses have been unsuccessful in gaining access to special consideration and there is growing policy pressure for Indigenous people to abandon their ancestral lands and migrate to seek mainstream employment. The two presenters will engage each other and the audience in a robust exploratory discussion of the totally dichotomous policy and popular discourse about farms and outstations. While it is unlikely that Australian farmers will learn anything about political advocacy from Indigenous outstation residents, it is possible that Indigenous people who want to attract funding for provision of environmental services could learn a lot from farmers and their lobbying approach.
September 26
The challenges of Indigenous education for primary school educators
—Adrian Fordham (Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: This work-in-progress seminar begins by presenting an overview of the relevance of CAEPR's research activity for contemporary issues in Indigenous education as outlined in MCEETYA's Australian Directions in Indigenous Education 2005-2008.
The seminar will then focus upon one element of the MYCEETYA Directions statement: the education of Indigenous primary school students. The seminar examines the educational challenges identified by primary school principals and their staff when the researcher was visiting a small sample of schools with significant numbers of Indigenous enrolments in 2006, as part of a much larger national study of primary schooling. These schools were located in remote, regional and urban areas. School visits gathered information from school principals and staff on resourcing issues, school leadership, staffing and school community engagement. The seminar will present findings from these school visits within the context of the above MYCEETYA Directions statement.
October 3
Being sovereign—holding native title: Examining the aspirations for Prescribed Body Corporates
—Lisa Strelein (Director, Native Title Research Unit, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies)
Abstract: There is an ongoing debate in native title circles about the roles and functions of Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs), in particular the extent to which they act or speak for Indigenous peoples. Their role as holder and manager of native title rights and interests for or on behalf of the native title holding group is often designed, through its rules, to be a small title holding body and not to play a broader representative function. This contrasts with the more symbolic meaning of native title, as a reflection of the native title group as holders and makers of laws, which is often attached to the recognition aspects of native title more than its legal and practical content or capacity.
The proliferation of trusts and other entities around PBCs speaks to an inherent conflict between the design and the functions of PBCs in the current post determination environment. There is a need to examine the disjunction between the needs and aspirations, as well as the expectations, of the native title holding group and the structures of PBCs. To this end the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has embarked on a research project to develop greater understanding of the PBC environment, including native title holder aspirations and the resources that might be available to PBCs. It also aims to assist in the development of resources and networks that may be of benefit to native title holders/PBCs.
The first of a series of workshops focused on PBC issues was held with relevant staff of Native Title Representative Bodies and Native Title Service Delivery Agencies in December 2006. A second workshop was held for PBC members in April 2007. Participants at both workshops included government representatives from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Attorney General's Department who discussed changes to the PBC's regulatory framework within the Australian Government's broader native title reforms. The outcomes of these workshops revealed the very broad aspirations of native title holding groups and the very narrow corporate capacity of the PBCs established to hold and manage native title.
This seminar presentation will reflect on the disparity in expectations for native title and the outcomes being achieved. The seminar pre-empts further case study work planned for the next two years of the project, but will nevertheless draw some preliminary conclusions as to the source of some of the constraints: in the legal framework and the practice of native title; the traditional laws and customs and the native title group themselves; and the opportunities available post determination for the management of native title lands. Together, these constraints limit the capacity of PBCs, whether appropriately or not, to wield the 'sovereign' authority of Indigenous peoples.
October 10
There is no CAEPR Seminar on October 10
October 17
Contemporary Aboriginal intellectuals and the language of rights: Larissa Behrendt
—Katarina Ferro (PhD Scholar, CAEPR)
Abstract: Indigenous intellectuals have often spoken out for Indigenous rights in all areas of Indigenous policy, a fact rarely acknowledged in scholarship. They are involved in academia, in policy-making and in the media, shaping the nature of discourse and placing issues on the political agenda. Larissa Behrendt is such an intellectual in the forefront of political debate, active as an academic and a journalist. She has contributed to a range of scholarly discussions in a variety of fields such as western feminism and Aboriginal women, the abolition of ATSIC and the treaty debate, to name but a few. So far, no in-depth research has been undertaken with Aboriginal intellectuals and leaders whose stage is that of public policy and academia.
This paper explores Larissa Behrendt's intellectual development and her approach to Indigenous rights on the basis of her considerable corpus of academic and journalistic publications, as well as radio and television interviews from 1995 onwards. Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony proves particularly useful in probing the way in which Larissa Behrendt shapes discourses to lift the profile of marginalised agendas. In this process questions about definitions of leadership, strategies and development of core topics to push items on the political and media agenda are examined in connection to the 'language of rights'. These cannot be assessed without taking personal development into account and exploring the connection between advocacy and political commitment.
This paper presentation highlights part of the PhD thesis on the "Language of Rights with Current Aboriginal Intellectuals in the 21 Century".
October 24
(Im)mobility: further thoughts on the nodal network model for regional population structures in north east Arnhem Land
—Frances Morphy (Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: The structure and dynamics of regional populations in remote Aboriginal Australia are little understood and under researched. Memmott et al. (2004: 1) remark that 'whereas larger scales of mobility are analysable (to a limited degree) using the statistical methodologies of demographers and using the gross census units of Statistical Divisions and ATSIC regions, there is a need to develop a greater understanding of smaller-scale regional characteristics.' One could add that much of the smaller scale research that has taken place has focused on the phenomenon of intra-regional mobility.
In this paper I will elaborate the idea of the nodal network as a model for understanding the structure and dynamics of the Yolngu-speaking population of north east Arnhem Land, focusing on the nature of the nodes that anchor networks of people in time and space. I will develop the idea of the 'nodal individual' who, although manifesting short-term mobility much like any other member of the population, can be shown to be very immobile in terms of their place of residence. I will look at the distinguishing characteristics of such individuals, and argue that it is impossible to account for their 'nodality' and the networks that they structure except in terms of contemporary local systems of clanship and kinship, and the relationship between clans and their 'country'.
I will argue that the nodal network model is more generally applicable to Aboriginal populations, and, moreover, that nodal network systems display a remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of the rapid and disruptive social change occasioned by colonisation and its aftermath. I will end by exploring some of the reasons why this might be so, and by speculating about how such systems might fare in the face of the new 'mainstreaming' agenda-which ignores them or disparages them as a 'relic' of hunter-gatherer modes of existence.
Reference:
Memmott, P., Long, S., Bell, M., Taylor, J. and Brown, D. 2004. Between Places: Indigenous Mobility in Remote and Rural Australia, AHURI Positioning Paper No. 81, Australian Husing and Urban Research Institute, Brisbane.
Please note: This seminar is available in Streaming Audio and MP3 audio formats.
Streaming Audio
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Poverty, Deprivation and Exclusion Among Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians
—Peter Saunders, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW
Abstract: The problematic nature of using low income as a proxy for poverty is widely acknowledged amongst Australian poverty researchers in general, and Indigenous researchers in particular. The reliance on income fails to recognise the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and disadvantage and the credibility of the findings depends upon the poverty line on which they are based. This paper presents findings from a new study that is seeking to identify what constitutes material deprivation and social exclusion as a way of developing new indictors of poverty and disadvantage. The study is being conducted in collaboration with ACOSS, Mission Australia, The Brotherhood of St Laurence and Anglicare, Sydney, and its basic premise is that the measurement of poverty must be grounded in the actual living standards and experiences of those identified as poor. The findings are based on two surveys one of the general population, the other of users of welfare services, that explore community understandings of different dimensions of deprivation, social exclusion and poverty. The extent and severity of deprivation and social exclusion will be compared with conventional poverty measures, in total and for specific sub-groups in the population, including Indigenous Australians.
Series 1: March - May 2007
The program for this seminar series is also available as a PDF document.
Seminar Topics—Series 1, 2007
March 07
Social engineering and Indigenous demography: Testing the implications of current policy directions
—John Taylor, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, CAEPR
Abstract: In recent times, there have been growing calls from some quarters in the government, academia, think tanks and the media for public policy to support what is seen to be an inevitable migration of Indigenous population away from remote settlements. The recommendation is for public disinvestment in people and infrastructure on the Indigenous estate, leaving market forces alone to redistribute population. This paper considers the potential socio-demographic and service delivery implications of such an argument based on what we know of regional migration fields.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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Observing the 2006 Census in remote Aboriginal Australia: Preliminary findings
—Frances Morphy (Fellow, CAEPR), Will Sanders (Senior Fellow, CAEPR), John Taylor (Senior Fellow, CAEPR) and Kathryn Thorburn (PhD Researcher, CAEPR)
Abstract: This seminar will report on our observations of the 2006 Census Indigenous Enumeration Strategy in four locations in remote Australia: three in the Northern Territory and one in Western Australia. It will also report on our observations of processes within the Australian Bureau of Statistics leading up to the Census and at the Central Processing Unit after the field enumeration. Building on our observation of the 2001 Census, this research is part of a Linkage Project with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
March 21
Uncontained subjects: 'Population' and 'household' in remote Aboriginal Australia
—Frances Morphy (Research Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: The particular abstractions represented by the terms 'population' and 'household' are central categories in modern demographic analysis. They form the organising principles of national censuses in Western liberal democracies such as Australia, and profoundly influence both the collection methodology and the content of the collection instrument. This paper argues that these categories are founded on a particular metaphor, the 'bounded container', that broadly reflects the population and household structures of sedentary societies such as mainstream Australia. Bounded categories are conducive to the collection of reliable census data in such societies, since unbounded behaviours can be controlled for by statistical means. However, remote Aboriginal populations behave in radically unbounded ways. This paper proposes that the dominant metaphor underlying Yolngu (and much remote Aboriginal) sociality is, instead, the nodal network. It then explores the consequences—both for data quality and for policy based on census findings—of attempting to 'capture' nodal network societies in terms of models based on the bounded container.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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How adequate is the Productivity Commission’s Framework for Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage?
—Boyd Hunter, Fellow, CAEPR
Abstract: Indigenous poverty is clearly entrenched, and often different in nature to that experienced by other Australian poor. This paper examines recent evidence on Indigenous poverty and social exclusion and attempts to relate it to the Productivity Commission’s Framework for Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage. Given that many Indigenous households in the highest deciles income group still experience multiple disadvantage, it would be advisable to revisit the notion of poverty. It is not sufficient to measure the various aspects of disadvantage as we need to understand the pathways into disadvantage. This is not a trivial exercise as it requires that theoretical models of the inter-relationships between these dimensions of disadvantage be developed. Another issue is that empirical tests of such models are likely to informationally demanding, and will probably require longitudinal data collection over the life cycle.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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An investigation of financial literacy in six Indigenous communities
—Anne Daly and Carolyn Preece, Centre for Labour Market Research, University of Canberra
Abstract: The results presented here are part of a benchmarking exercise for a new financial literacy programme for Indigenous Australians called MoneyBusiness, funded by the Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and ANZ. The authors conducted interviews with members of the communities, community organisations, financial providers and the MoneyBusiness teams at the six sites in the current programme to develop an understanding of the existing levels of financial literacy in these locations and the major problems faced by the communities. The results show that while some Indigenous families coped well in navigating their way through financial matters, many did not. Low incomes, poor basic numeracy and literacy skills, low levels of understanding of how banks operate and the rights of consumers, and a lack of good role models, all contributed to difficulties in dealing with financial issues. These results highlight the need for relevant financial literacy programmes and support in Indigenous communities.
Normalising town tenure in remote Indigenous Australia: Theory, ideology, politics and public policy
—Michael Dillon, Associate, State Society and Governance in Melanesia Project, ANU
Abstract: The seminar will outline recent legislative developments which aim to facilitate the normalisation of tenure in townships on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory, will briefly assess the economic development literature which underpins these developments, and will consider the political implications across a number of arenas. Finally, the seminar will assess the key public policy based arguments for and against the normalisation agenda.
Michael Dillon has held senior public service positions with the Australian Government and until recently the Northern Territory Government. His intellectual interests span a wide range of public policy topics including foreign policy, aid policy, Indigenous affairs and public administration. He is currently an Associate of the State Society and Governance in Melanesia Project at the ANU.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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Key research issues and findings from the Indigenous Community Governance Project 2006
—Professor Mick Dodson (Director, National Centre for Indigenous Studies, ANU), Janet Hunt (Fellow, CAEPR) and Di Smith (Fellow, CAEPR)
Abstract: This seminar will present key findings and issues from the comparative analysis of research undertaken in eleven case studies by the Indigenous Community Governance Project (ICGP) in 2006. Whilst models of Indigenous community governance in remote, regional and urban locations may look different, the Project is identifying some common underlying Indigenous governance principles. The seminar will discuss these common principles and in doing so explore concepts of cultural legitimacy and the role of institutions in Indigenous governance. The presenters will conclude by considering Project findings regarding the governance capacity of governments, and the implications of these for Indigenous community governance, particularly in the context of evaluations of the COAG trials.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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Arrack and tuba: Indigenous Australians of the north meet distilled drinks
—Maggie Brady, Fellow, CAEPR
Abstract: The arrival of the alcoholic beverages known as arrack and tuba are significant in the history of Indigenous drinking because they confound conventional wisdoms about when Indigenous Australians first drank alcohol, where it came from, and how it was consumed. The use of these drinks also calls into question the notions that early alcohol consumption was necessarily related to despair, dispossession and defeat, or that it was introduced in order to facilitate colonisation. Arrack was introduced by the Makassans to northern coasts from around 1720, and tuba was introduced by Filipinos to the Torres Strait probably a century later. They are examples of drug diffusion, and illustrate the essentially inter-cultural nature of a history of drinking that begins in the north, not the south of the country.
May 16
Mining, remote Indigenous communities and the state: Contestations over development futures
—Jon Altman, Director, CAEPR
Abstract: In December 2006, the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) noted that a hallmark of the minerals industry is its engagement with Indigenous communities, reflecting the fact that 60 per cent of minerals operations in Australia occur adjacent to Indigenous communities. The MCA also notes that there is a shortage of people to work in the minerals sector; it is estimated that the industry will require 70,000 extra employees by 2015. While Indigenous communities are jobs poor, land rights and native title laws provide levers to negotiate agreements with mining companies that include employment concessions. At face value this would appear a fruitful avenue for Aboriginal economic participation in accord with the Howard government’s overarching aim of practical reconciliation.
This seminar explores findings from a multi-year, multi-site ARC Linkage project ‘Indigenous community organizations and miners: Partnering sustainable regional development?’. While recognizing enormous variation across remote Australia, three case studies from the Pilbara, the Alligator Rivers, and the Gulf of Carpentaria are examined to highlight some of the tensions evident in relations between Indigenous communities, miners and the state in relation to notions of development. In two of these cases, the leverage provided to Indigenous communities under the native title framework and major agreements signed in 1997 were optimistically anticipated to deliver significant development outcomes. A decade later it is appropriate to reflect on the capacity of major resource development projects to deliver economic benefits for Indigenous communities, the ongoing role of the state in such processes, and the development goals sought by Indigenous parties from benefit sharing agreements. Particular attention will be paid to the ambiguities inherent in the benefit stream from agreements, the tensions between corporate and state social responsibility, and contestations within the Indigenous domain about how benefits should be utilized and by whom. The seminar ends with some discussion of the role benefit agreements might play in delivering development that accords with local Indigenous aspirations rather than corporate or state objectives.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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Canadian Aboriginal Demographics: Population Size, Growth and Well-Being
—Dan Beavon, Director of Research and Analysis, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND), Ottawa, Canada
Abstract: Dan Beavon has been at the forefront of analysis on the demography and socioeconomic status of Canada's Aboriginal population from his position within the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) in Ottawa. In this presentation, he will outline the complex definitional issues that determine the size and composition of the population as a prelude to exploring its changing geographic distribution and components of growth. Of particular interest is the application by DIAND of a Human Development Index measure of well-being to the Canadian Aboriginal population. Dan will explain the construction of this index and demonstrate its policy utility in First Nations and Inuit communities.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
Streaming Audio
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The contraction of the CDEP Scheme under new management after thirty good years: Growing old or returning to remote area origins in times of low unemployment?
—Will Sanders, Fellow, CAEPR
Abstract: On May 26, 2007 the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Scheme is 30 years old. Soon after that date CDEP will undergo a significant reduction in participant numbers which is unprecedented in the Scheme's history. This seminar will relate this contraction in participant numbers to the new management of the Scheme by the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations since 2004, having previously been managed by the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Commission and before that the Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs. The seminar will ask, metaphorically, whether CDEP is 'growing old', (which is usually a prelude to death), or whether it is returning to its remote area origins in times of low unemployment. By looking back at the history of the CDEP Scheme, and some recent government pronouncements, the paper will conclude, optimistically, that contraction may in fact be the latter, rather than the former.
Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.
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Abstract: This seminar seeks to identify the degree and causes of urban Indigenous poverty in NSW using multiple indicators, with a view to assessing the efficacy of current policy approaches to improving Indigenous welfare. The study utilises the Productivity Commission's Key Indicators Framework for Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage, NATSISS (2002) and GSS (2002) data and is part of a broader forthcoming doctoral thesis tentatively titled 'Indigenous Poverty and Policy Approaches in Urban NSW'. This seminar will examine some possible causal relationships between the indicators identified by the Productivity Commission and explore how one might test such relationships econometrically.
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