Resources and publications

This report is the final report resulting from the federal parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of the Juukan Gorge Aboriginal heritage sites by Rio Tinto on 24 May 2020. This tragic event, and the national condemnation of the actions of Rio Tinto, has sparked action to address the legislative failings that allowed the destruction of the Juukan Gorge sites–and similar sites around the nation. The Juukan Gorge disaster is just one example of countless instances where cultural heritage has been the victim of the drive for development and commercial gain. The report makes a number of recommendations aimed at preventing future destruction.

This report shows the development of a user-friendly ‘first glance’ guide and template that will facilitate a broad assessment of an archive, particularly in the absence of the collection holder and provides the basis for discussions about deposits, returns and the legal status of particular documents.

This report shows the development of a user-friendly ‘first glance’ guide and template that will facilitate a broad assessment of an archive, particularly in the absence of the collection holder and provides the basis for discussions about deposits, returns and the legal status of particular documents.

In June and July 2014 the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) conducted a survey into gaps in Indigenous governance research and practical tools. The survey, entitled ‘A short survey: mapping Indigenous governance research and resources’, was distributed across a broad network of organisations, institutions and individuals working in the field of Indigenous governance (including select international organisations) in preparation for the Indigenous Governance Development Forum: Mapping Current and Future Research and Resource Needs, held on 29–30 July 2014 at AIATSIS in Canberra. Thirty-eight survey responses were received.

This document presents a preliminary list of specific research initiatives and practical tools identified through the survey. The list is a working document. It is by no means exhaustive, and the authors would be grateful to hear about other initiatives that should be included.

The following submission was made as part of the technical review of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act) 2006 (Cth) (CATSI Act).

In the submission we have supported further investigation of a dedicated chapter in the CATSI Act for RNTBCs (native title corporations) and our main recommendations include:

• Amendments to the CATSI Act to reduce the regulatory and reporting burden to ensure compliance is affordable and manageable
• Amendments to the CATSI Act that facilitate the incorporation of subsidiary corporations
• Increased special regulatory assistance for CATSI Corporations that promote compliance rather than punitive measures
• Specific tailored RNTBC corporate governance training
• Making the unique situation of native title corporations clear in a separate chapter of legislation
• Amendments to the laws around meetings and directors that better reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law and custom
• Providing culturally appropriate training, information support and resourcing is available for native title corporations
• Ensuring that native title corporations are accountable to the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group but have enough discretion to manage the corporation

Since 2016, AIATSIS has contributed to a number of reviews of the CATSI Act including the Technical Review of the CATSI Act (2017) and CATSI Review Phase 1 (2020). Throughout this report, the AIATSIS researchers refer to the AIATSIS submissions for both of these reviews.

The following submission is in response to the Closing the Gap Refresh Public Discussion Paper.

In this submission, AIATSIS supports the adoption of a strengths-based approach to the refresh of the COAG Closing the Gap framework. The submission outlines key areas of importance for the refresh. These are  defining 'prosperity' based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander notions of 'wealth' and freedom, adopting broad and sophisticated definitions of culture, and co-designing targets, measures and analysis with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Further, creating structural changes which are well balanced with community priorities, address blockages, inequalities and inconsistencies in legislation and policy, and ensuring engagement with the Refresh process occurs in a considered and meaningful way.

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) recommends that the Commonwealth recognise the changing roles of Native Title Representative Bodies and Service Providers (NTRB/SP) and the infrastructure and support they provide to the PBC sector while offering flexible policies and processes that allow for PBC autonomy and local decision-making.

More specifically, this brief responds to the following main points identified in the Terms of Reference (TOR):

1. Better engagement between PBCs and governments
2. More effective, transparent and coordinated funding for PBCs
3. Additional support for PBCs (other than providing direct funding)
4. Options for legislative and institutional role reform to support an effective and accountable native title system

This paper discusses the purposes and form of the reports, their differentiation from the NNTT registration process, considerations anticipating litigation, confidentiality and potential conflicts of interest by the State as respondent.

This report documents findings from research undertaken by Urbis to assess the social outcomes of Working on Country (WoC).
WoC is an Australian Government program that provides employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in regional and remote Australia to undertake natural resource management (NRM) work that aligns with Australian Government and local community environmental and cultural priorities. The program aims to employ and train over 690 rangers by June 2013, with this target growing to 730 rangers by June 2016.

This document provides a brief listing of resources for preservation and information on Indigenous studies.

In Australia today there are an estimated 8000 to 9000 Indigenous organisations, many of which are incorporated under Commonwealth, state or territory legislation. Their governance work is often seen by Indigenous people as nation-building: an expression of self-determination and a way of reconceptualising relations with governments and asserting unique cultural traditions.

The effective governance of these organisations is critical to attracting funding, promoting sustainable economic activity and building resilient communities. It is now recognised that Indigenous governance and the governance of governments are intertwined and the latter is receiving greater critical scrutiny.

A growing number of research projects, governance building initiatives and practical resources are providing evidence of what works, what doesn’t and why. But the opportunities to evaluate this evidence, consider strategic priorities and build collaborations are limited.

On 29–30 July 2014, AIATSIS and AIGI convened an Indigenous governance forum in Canberra to provide such an opportunity. In preparation, a survey of Indigenous governance research, practical resources and future needs was widely circulated. This report provides a synthesis of ideas, comments, issues and possibilities identified through the survey and the forum.

This paper explores how Indigenous community-based natural resource management can generate both conservation benefit and economic development opportunity. We begin by noting that much of the Indigenous estate in north Australia is either thinly populated or unpopulated. There is emerging evidence that, in situations where Indigenous people live on their country, ecological and wider benefits are generated via favourable fire regimes, control over weed infestations, and potentially through feral animal harvesting. When people are on country, they generate economic benefit for themselves by harvesting wildlife for consumption and engage with the market sector by using natural resources in commercial enterprise like arts and crafts production. We argue that there is a strong correlation between such activities and cost-effective natural resource management. Links between landcare, wildlife use and biodiversity conservation need to be recognized, celebrated and supported. The removal of many barriers to enhanced and innovative Indigenous participation in such activities, and equitable public support through programs like Landcare, will facilitate sustainable economic development options that are compatible with Indigenous priorities, while ameliorating Indigenous disadvantage.

While Indigenous people make up just five percent of the global population, the areas they manage contain approximately 80 percent of the Earth’s biodiversity. 

In this context, there is an undeniably central role for Indigenous people to play in conservation management, but conversely, a significant risk that indigenous rights will be negatively impacted or undermined by conservation agendas. 

This panel will explore Indigenous experiences with conservation management, highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by native title holders within this context.

PM&C commissioned SVA Consulting to understand, measure or estimate and value the changes resulting from the investment in five IPAs across Australia. The Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology was used to complete each of these analyses, which were informed by interviews with 143 stakeholders as well as desktop research canvassing relevant qualitative and quantitative data.

The Country Needs People campaign is fighting for the growth and security of opportunities for land and sea country management by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This resource provides guidance and important questions for organisations to consider when establishing an archive of their own. It includes what an archive is, why archives are important, what can go in an archive, and outlines steps which could be taken to set up an archive.  Links to other resources and contacts are also contained in the booklet.

The Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) research snapshot series has been developed to share findings from the Native Title Research Unit’s (NTRU) investigation into the constitutions and financial reports of PBCs. This research forms part of the PBC Capability project which aims to develop a long-term national picture of the PBC sector.

This snapshot looks at the dispute management processes within PBC constitutions, examining the use of NTRBs, independent mediation and elder’s councils to resolve disputes.

Report of a workshop held on Wednesday 4th June 2014 at the National Native Title Conference, Coffs Harbour, NSW, to map current and future research and resource needs for land and sea management.

Bridging historical scholarship and Aboriginal oral tradition, this innovative book tells the story of the Gugu Badhun people of the Valley of Lagoons in North Queensland. It provides new insights into Aboriginal–European interactions, and new understandings of how Aboriginal people sustained their identities and exercised agency.

It lays bare violence and oppression, but also recognises the inter-racial cooperation and friendships which were equally part of Gugu Badhun experience. It tells of a people whose options were limited by state power and public racism but who remained proud and undaunted, making their own decisions for their collective and individual benefit.

Much of the story is told in the words of Gugu Badhun people themselves. Interviews are interspersed with commentary and analysis by the four authors, one of whom, Yvonne Cadet-James, is herself a Gugu Badhun elder.

This collaborative approach has produced a timely book for an Australia in which notions of Indigenous autonomy and self-determination are being re-imagined and re-configured.

To purchase this book please visit the AIATSIS shop via think link.