Thamarrurr Region Study
A pioneering study by CAEPR Senior Fellow John Taylor and Centre Associate Owen Stanley (James Cook University) has resulted in ground-breaking research on the opportunity cost of maintaining the status quo in the Thamarrurr region of the Northern Territory, given the substantial regional deficits in economic activity, infrastructure and human capital identified by the COAG trial. The project benefited from major inputs from Commonwealth and Northern Territory government departments, as well as the active participation of the Thamarrurr Regional Council. The study, now frequently cited as the Taylor Report, received extensive national media attention on its release, and provided crucial input to the Prime Minister’s visit to Wadeye in April. ‘The Opportunity Costs of the Status Quo in the Thamarrurr Region’ is now available from the CAEPR website as CAEPR Working Paper No. 28, and is likely to have ongoing input to the evaluation of the Thamarrurr Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Trial Site in 2006 and beyond.
The Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia
 The Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia, edited by CAEPR researchers Bill Arthur and Frances Morphy, was launched in November 2005. This unique publication offers spatial analysis of Indigenous history and contemporary life, and brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers from across Australia. Each chapter was compiled by one or more experts in the field, with CAEPR staff making up a substantial proportion of chapter authors. As well as being published in print form, this work will also be available in late 2006 on MacquarieNet, Macquarie’s online Australian reference site. It is anticipated that the Atlas will have a major role in public education about Indigenous Australia.
The Atlas was named overall and tertiary education winner of The Australian Awards for Excellence in Education Publishing 2006. These Awards, set up by the Australian Publishers Association, the Teaching Resources and Textbook Research Unit at the University of Sydney, and The Australian newspaper, seek to recognise excellence in educational publishing. The Award judges noted:
Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia impressed the judges in the way that a range of resources was organised and packaged to provide access to critical knowledge on Aboriginal Australia. The presentation and production design allow learners and teachers to support curriculum and pedagogy in this area. The Atlas is of great geographical, social and cultural interest. Outstanding production quality, wonderfully presented.
Building Indigenous Community Governance in Australia
Under CAEPR’s Indigenous Community Governance Project (an Australian Research Council Linkage project), fieldwork is underway in 11 case study locations around the country, as well as in a number of policy communities.
The Project enjoys valuable collaboration from Reconciliation Australia (the ARC Linkage Partner), and through Reconciliation Australia we also appreciate the support of the Northern Territory, Western Australian and Australian governments. Part of the Project’s research in Central Australia has been financially supported by the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre. A research report titled, ‘Building Indigenous Community Governance in Australia: Preliminary Research Findings’, has been published as CAEPR Working Paper No. 31.
Policy Implications of Indigenous Demographic Trends
There is a compelling need for fresh perspective on the policy implications of Indigenous demographic trends. In recognition of this, the Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (MCATSIA) asked CAEPR Deputy Director John Taylor to prepare a study. In his report, submitted in May 2006, John highlights emerging demographic ‘hot spots’ in population dynamics that give rise to particular issues of public policy concern. The report points out that failure to recognise the implications of demographic trends may be significant not only in terms of Indigenous well-being, but also for social cohesion and a compounding of existing high levels of disadvantage, all with resultant high downstream costs to governments in addressing the consequences. Titled ‘Population and diversity: Policy implications of emerging Indigenous demographic trends’, the report has been published as CAEPR Discussion Paper No. 283.
In Search of an Outstations Policy for Indigenous Australians
In a recent CAEPR seminar, Professor Jon Altman explored some issues for urgent consideration before any new policy for outstations is developed under the new administrative arrangements in Indigenous affairs. The resulting paper uses official secondary data to demonstrate that there is no compelling case for a policy change that would encourage recentralisation from small discrete Indigenous communities to larger discrete Indigenous communities. Nor is there a compelling policy case for a move from outstations to townships or from townships to larger urban centres to improve Indigenous people’s livelihood prospects. While Jon endorsed recent ministerial calls for an open debate on outstations policy, he suggests that it is unfortunate that much of this debate is being conducted with little input from outstations people themselves, and with limited reference to expert local and regional knowledge. It might be timely for a House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Inquiry into the outstations situation before a significant policy investment is commitment. Jon’s study has been published as CAEPR Working Paper No. 34.
Indigenous Australians and the National Water Reform Agenda in North Australia
CAEPR Director Jon Altman has recently collaborated with Dr Sue Jackson of CSIRO and Mr Joe Morrison of the Tropical Savannas CRC on behalf of the North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) to develop a research project entitled ‘Developing institutional arrangements for Indigenous participation in the National Water Initiative’. The project seeks to overcome the current lack of knowledge by Indigenous people of the national water reform agenda across north Australia, and to build the capacity of north Australian Indigenous organisations and communities to engage, influence and benefit from collaborative Indigenous-led research of relevance to the National Water Initiative. It also aims to articulate the least-known aspects of water property rights, water use and management by Indigenous people—and therefore to overcome the present knowledge vacuum.
 CAEPR Profile—Hilary Bek
With a background and skills in secretarial studies and political science, Hilary Bek has been with CAEPR in various capacities since its inception in 1990. Hilary worked with the Social Impact of Uranium Mining on Aborigines in the Northern Territory project at the then Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in the early 1980s; and later in the Department of Political and Social Change in the Research School of Pacific Studies.
Balancing her university career with the heady demands of managing a soccer team, Hilary keeps herself amused at CAEPR in coordinating the publications program, editing publication materials, and preparing annual and other reports. Her research interests include the economic implications of native title and the economic potential of increased Indigenous participation in commercial fisheries in the Torres Strait.
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Publications News
Discussion Papers
Discussion Papers are available for purchase or free download from the CAEPR website. CAEPR Discussion Papers published since our last newsletter include:
DP 279, ‘Indigenous Australian entrepreneurs: Not all community organisations, not all in the Outback’, by D. Foley.
DP 280, ‘Being a good senior manager in Indigenous community governance: Working with public purpose and private benefit’, by W. Sanders.
DP 281, ‘Kids, Skidoos and Caribou: The Junior Canadian Ranger program as a model for re-engaging Indigenous Australian youth in remote areas’, by R.G. Schwab.
DP 282, ‘Views from the top of the ‘Quiet Revolution’: Secretarial Perspectives on the New Arrangements in Indigenous Affairs’, by W. Gray and W. Sanders.
DP 283, ‘Population and diversity: Policy implications of emerging Indigenous demographic trends’, by J. Taylor.
Working Papers
Working Papers are available for free download from the CAEPR website. CAEPR Working Papers published since our last newsletter include:
WP 31, ‘Building Indigenous community governance in Australia: Preliminary research findings’, by J. Hunt and D.E. Smith.
WP 32, ‘The Factors associated with internal migration for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, by N. Biddle and B. Hunter.
WP 33, ‘Indigenous peoples and indicators of well-being: An Australian perspective on UNPFII Global Frameworks’, by J. Taylor.
WP 34, ‘In search of an outstations policy for Indigenous Australians,’ by J.C. Altman.
CAEPR Monographs
CAEPR Research Monographs are now available through ANU E Press for print sale and for free download in PDF, HTML and mobile device formats. Recent publications include:
Research Plans
CAEPR’s current research and strategic vision are detailed in the CAEPR Strategic Plan 2006-2008 and the CAEPR Research Plan 2006-2008.
CAEPR Visiting Indigenous Fellows
CAEPR has enjoyed several recent research collaborations under its Visiting Indigenous Fellows scheme, which is supported with grants from the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Foundation, the Westpac Foundation, and the ANU Endowment for Excellence.
Dennis Foley, then a lecturer at the Koori Centre, University of Sydney, visited CAEPR from April to July 2005 to collaborate with Boyd Hunter;
Joe Morrison, Tropical Savannas CRC and Coordinator of North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), visited in May 2005 to work with Jon Altman;
David Claudie, Chairman Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, our inaugural Fellow under the scheme, revisited in late 2005 to participate in the Effects of Native Title workshop and collaborate with Benjamin Smith;
Sarojni Hanford, an ANU undergraduate, was employed under the scheme in early 2006 to assist the Indigenous Community Governance Project and work with Janet Hunt; and
Michael Robinson, a Summer Research Scholar, received supplementary funding under the scheme in early 2006.
The increased level of activity related to the scheme, and the active research collaborations it has facilitated, has been a very welcome development during the year.
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ARC Projects
In 2006, CAEPR has continued its strong record on securing Australian Research Council projects.
CAEPR doctoral student Bill Fogarty has begun research on a project entitled Custom-Based Land and Resource Management and the Educational and Social Re-engagement of Indigenous Youth in the Northern Territory in cooperation with CAEPR Fellow Jerry Schwab, the Northern Land Council, Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, and the Northern Territory Department of Employment, Education and Training.
CAEPR Research Fellow Frances Morphy has been appointed senior research associate on the project The 2006 Census and Indigenous People in Remote Areas: Assessing the Quality of the Enumeration Process and Resulting Data. This is a collaborative research project also involving CAEPR’s John Taylor and Will Sanders, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Students and Staff
CAEPR welcomes three doctoral scholars who have commenced research at the Centre in 2006.
Deirdre Tedmanson has begun research, with fieldwork to be based around aspects of Australian public policy in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands of South Australia.
Katarina Ferro, an international PhD student, is undertaking preliminary doctoral research dealing with Indigenous treaty issues in Australia and New Zealand, including issues of participation and constitutional change.
Bill Fogarty, who has previously worked with CAEPR as a student and researcher, has commenced doctoral fieldwork at Maningrida in the Northern Territory based around the topic of the educational and social engagement of Indigenous youth.
CAEPR recently bade farewell to Centre administrator Vicki Veness. We thank Vicki for her tireless contributions, and wish her the very best for the future. We also extend a warm welcome to Karen Montefiore on taking up duties as our acting Centre administrator.
CAEPR welcomes anthropologist Dr Julie Lahn as she takes up her appointment as a Post Doctoral Fellow, researching the social context of Indigenous poverty.
Graduation Congratulations
To former CAEPR student Katherine Trebeck, who was awarded a doctorate in Political Science from the ANU in July. Katherine’s thesis was titled ‘Democratisation Through Civil Regulation? The Case of Miners and Indigenous Australians’.
To CAEPR Visiting Fellow Bill Arthur, who was awarded a doctorate by the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government, ANU for his thesis ‘Torres Strait Islanders and Autonomy: A Borderline Case’.
 
Above Left: Dr Katherine Trebeck is toasted by CAEPR Director Professor Jon Altman following the ANU graduation ceremony. Above Right: long-time CAEPR researcher Dr Bill Arthur at the ceremony. |
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The previous edition of CAEPR News (May 2005) is available