A comparative analysis of the influence of think tanks on indigenous policy in Australia and the USA
Activity
One of the defining characteristics of Indigenous policy during the Howard era was the emerging influence of conservative think tanks, and in particular, the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) and the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership (CYIPL). While this development mirrors other…
Living through a National Emergency: A view of the Intervention from Ground Zero
Activity
his seminar will provide a perspective on the Intervention from one of the largest Indigenous townships in the NT through the eyes of two doctoral research scholars who were researching in the community as the Intervention broke. The paper analyses the initial reactions of both the people of the…
Caring for Country: An overview of Aboriginal land management in the Top End of the Northern Territory
Activity
Aboriginal People in the tropical savannah of the Northern Territory (NT) own 170,000 sq km of land including 85% of the coastline. Land and sea country have great cultural, economic and social significance to Aboriginal people, underpinning their culture and society. Aboriginal landowners continue…
Voting with their feet: Population study in the Ngaanyatjarra region
Activity
Analysts of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census data have commonly observed that the census enumeration in remote Indigenous regions of Australia underestimates the actual number of Indigenous people. Such underestimations of remote population groups have dire consequences not only for…
Indigenous affairs in the Northern Territory since June 2007: A participatory development perspective
Activity
Olga Havnen has held senior positions with both the government and non-government sectors, including the Northern Territory Department of the Chief Minister, the Central and Northern Land Councils, and as Indigenous program manager with The Fred Hollows Foundation. Olga has recently taken up a…
Buying the hotel: Social value or social liability for Indigenous groups? Some preliminary thoughts
Activity
At the core of alcohol control policies in Australia-and indeed in any country with a system of licensing-lies a key conflict. This is the conflict between the interest of the state in reducing alcohol-related problems on the one hand, and its interest in enjoying the economic benefits produced by…
Potemkin in Cape York: The Politics of Misrepresentation in Aurukun's Welfare Reform Trials
Activity
The community engagement strategy for the Cape York Welfare Reform trials was designed to represent communities and individuals under consultation strictly in terms of seven pre-determined 'community dysfunctions' only. They were: the abuse and neglect of children; alcohol abuse; drug abuse; petrol…