tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/aboriginal-communities-31813/articlesAboriginal communities – The Conversation2023-09-20T02:03:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2128582023-09-20T02:03:09Z2023-09-20T02:03:09Z‘Government all over us like a rash’: the broken service delivery system in remote Aboriginal communities<p>Indigenous people in remote and very remote communities in Australia tend to <a href="https://ctgreport.niaa.gov.au/sites/default/files/pdf/closing-the-gap-report-2020.pdf">experience</a> poorer health, education and employment services and outcomes compared to the general population.</p>
<p>To find out more about why this is happening, we brought together the main players in Aboriginal service delivery in the remote communities of the Kimberley in Western Australia to identify problems and discuss opportunities.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-in-the-kimberley-have-spent-decades-asking-for-basics-like-water-and-homes-will-the-voice-make-their-calls-more-compelling-202606">People in the Kimberley have spent decades asking for basics like water and homes. Will the Voice make their calls more compelling?</a>
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<h2>What we did</h2>
<p>In 2018 and 2019 we ran three workshops to discuss the roadblocks to Aboriginal development that service providers encounter in towns and remote communities of the Kimberley. </p>
<p>The first was with Aboriginal community organisation leaders, the second with public servants, and the final workshop with non-Aboriginal NGOs. </p>
<p>We decided to run separate workshops because we didn’t think it would be productive to put all sides in the same room together; we hypothesised the groups would be more likely to speak freely if they were separated. </p>
<p>By running each workshop separately, we found each sector enthusiastic to engage and discuss their aspirations as well as their frustrations. </p>
<p>We recorded each workshop and edited the transcripts down to the most insightful contributions, then arranged them under similar topics. </p>
<p>The result is <a href="https://doi.org/10.57981/c601-gd71">the book</a> Voices from the Frontline: Community leaders, government managers and NGO field staff talk about what’s wrong in Aboriginal development and what they are doing to fix it, published by the Nulungu Research Institute of the University of Notre Dame Australia.</p>
<p>We found all sides tended to identify the same systemic problems, rather than blame each other, when given the chance to discuss their work in a safe environment. </p>
<p>Some of their concerns included: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>excessive managerialism (having too many managers doing too much managing), reporting, and top-down direction</p></li>
<li><p>the inefficiencies and misdirection of resources through government’s creation of a false competitive market in Aboriginal services</p></li>
<li><p>the need to counter this by recognising the dedication of all local players to a shared goal</p></li>
<li><p>greater regional decision-making and cooperation. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>‘Governed by a bureaucrat who hasn’t seen a Blackfella in their life’</h2>
<p>Most of the Aboriginal contributors had worked in the field of community development for about 40 years – all their adult lives. </p>
<p>They remembered a time before the introduction of a bureaucratic management style that focused heavily on outsourcing, competition for service delivery contracts, and intrusive reporting on targets determined by people who live nowhere near the community.</p>
<p>The other contributors, newer on the scene, tended to accept this as just the way business is done. </p>
<p>All sides said managerialism – which they saw as private sector methods and ideologies applied in the public sector – and control of projects by bureaucrats in faraway cities were the major impediments to effective outcomes in Aboriginal development.</p>
<p>As one Aboriginal contributor put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My mother worked [in a state welfare department] and every day I had to go to work with her after school […] I can recall everybody being happy. I can recall a lot of social inclusion. I can recall a lot of discipline, respect. I can recall a lot of happy times growing up as a kid […] Today, for heaven’s sake, we can’t move. Government all over us like a rash. Today our lives are being governed by a bureaucrat who hasn’t seen a Blackfella in their life or haven’t spoken to one.</p>
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<h2>Cooperation should trump competition</h2>
<p>Competition for government contracts often provoked suspicion and antagonism from all sides involved in Aboriginal service development.</p>
<p>To counter it, all sides identified personal commitment as important. They saw personal commitment as going above and beyond, often directly counter to the direction they get from bureaucrats or NGO staff sitting in Perth and Canberra.</p>
<p>All sides believed greater regional cooperation – from design through to implementation of programmes – was an absolute necessity. </p>
<p>Worryingly, even the government middle managers felt there was no institutional support for this regional cooperation.</p>
<p>Encouragingly, participants said the formal relationship between First Nations peoples and settler Australians must be re-thought, re-stated and then reflected in government processes.</p>
<h2>No shortage of talent, good will and enthusiasm</h2>
<p>We gave our book the title <a href="https://doi.org/10.57981/c601-gd71">Voices from the Frontline</a> before the current debate over a constitutionally enshrined Voice got underway. </p>
<p>Yet the foreword by Elder and Yawuru man <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/about/university-executive/professor-peter-yu-am">Peter Yu</a> shows how relevant it is to that debate. He writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The referendum on a constitutionally enshrined First Nation Voice has brought national attention to the failure of Australia’s government system in addressing the appalling economic and social conditions experienced by First Nations people.</p>
<p>There is a nearly unanimous acknowledgement that the formal relationship between the Australian nation state and its First Nations people is faltering. </p>
<p>Through the voices of those directly involved, [<a href="https://doi.org/10.57981/c601-gd71">Voices from the Frontline</a>] presents a compelling case for change and serves as a call to action for all who wish to understand and address the pressing issues faced by First Nations communities in the Kimberley region and beyond.</p>
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<p>This is a sentiment all of the contributors would have agreed with, whether government managers, Aboriginal leaders or NGO managers and field staff. </p>
<p>Our research shows there is plenty of talent, good will and enthusiasm out there. It just needs to be harnessed more effectively.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/countless-reports-show-water-is-undrinkable-in-many-indigenous-communities-why-has-nothing-changed-194447">Countless reports show water is undrinkable in many Indigenous communities. Why has nothing changed?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212858/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patrick Sullivan received funding from the Australian Research Council for the research in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathryn Thorburn received funding for this project from the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP160102250: Reciprocal Accountability and Public Value in Aboriginal Organisations.</span></em></p>One interviewee told us: ‘Today our lives are being governed by a bureaucrat who hasn’t seen a Blackfella in their life or haven’t spoken to one.’Patrick Sullivan, Professor, University of Notre Dame AustraliaKathryn Thorburn, Translational Fellow Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2012952023-03-29T19:02:52Z2023-03-29T19:02:52ZFor remote Aboriginal families, limited phone and internet services make life hard. Here’s what they told us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517585/original/file-20230327-23-y6a0wp.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C39%2C3742%2C2774&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s well understood that the <a href="https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org.au/the-digital-divide/">digital divide</a> disproportionately affects people living in regional Australian communities. Remote Aboriginal communities in particular are among the most <a href="https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/first-nations/">digitally excluded</a>, yet there is little research looking at how these families experience digital inclusion.</p>
<p>Our research project, Connecting in the Gulf, shares stories directly from Aboriginal families living on Mornington Island, off the coast of Queensland in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Our <a href="https://research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/projects/connecting-in-the-gulf/">full report</a> is published online.</p>
<p>Working with the community, we developed a research method called “show and yarn” in which families showed us their devices and yarned about their experiences of digital inclusion.</p>
<p>Yarning is an Indigenous way of sharing knowledge. It was an important aspect of our work, since better outcomes are achieved when Indigenous people have a say in the design and delivery of <a href="https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/">policies, programs and services</a> that affect them.</p>
<h2>How do families living remotely connect?</h2>
<p>Mornington Island residents have poor quality mobile and broadband services, and few options. The island’s only mobile network, Telstra 4G, is concentrated on the township of Gununa and is prone to <a href="https://www.mornington.qld.gov.au/visiting-community/useful-information/">congestion and outages</a>.</p>
<p>The other main digital services are:</p>
<ul>
<li>a free community wifi spot in Gununa with a 100-metre radius</li>
<li>a few solar-powered and satellite-enabled outstation phones placed across the island</li>
<li>the option to purchase NBN satellite plans from certain providers. </li>
</ul>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515020/original/file-20230313-3089-tjavyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A cyclone-proof, solar-powered outstation phone about 20km from the township of Gununa.</span>
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<p>The island, which has about 1,200 residents, is slated to receive a major upgrade under the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/internet/regional-connectivity-program-including-mobile-black-spot-opportunities">Regional Connectivity Program</a> sometime soon, but families were unaware of when this would happen.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/digitising-social-services-could-further-exclude-people-already-on-the-margins-103201">Digitising social services could further exclude people already on the margins</a>
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<h2>Extending a culture of sharing</h2>
<p>The families we spoke to told us they use their mobile phones almost exclusively to make calls and access the internet. </p>
<p>In many cases, devices are shared between several family members, and data is shared via hotspotting when someone runs out. This is reflective of a broader culture of sharing, but can also be a source of conflict.</p>
<p>As one community member told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I hear a lot of people […] On Facebook, my mother is talking about hotspotting, they are sick of hotspotting […] I’ve got no data because we’ve got to hotspot for them […] If someone wants to use the internet to do a bank transfer, they’ll come up and ask. </p>
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<p>Although families can purchase contract-based satellite internet connections, they spoke of poor past experiences, and a fear of being locked into contracts. They expressed that they would rather rely on prepaid credit than risk going into debt. </p>
<p>Interviewees also preferred to use data in their own homes despite the free community wifi spot, reflecting a family-oriented way of being. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514131/original/file-20230308-299-sn0as9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Mornington Island residents showed us their devices and yarned with us about how they experienced digital inclusion.</span>
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<h2>Digital literacy is a challenge and opportunity</h2>
<p>The families spoke of a gap between young people who quickly learn how to use technology, and Elders who aren’t as savvy online. We heard stories of young people pestering family members for online passwords and hotspots, and then using and/or sharing these with other people without permission. </p>
<p>As one person explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some family members do feel like you’re taking advantage of them at times, when they feel like ‘Oh, I should share’. And it’s the same way with the banking, with the money. They’d feel like they’re obligated to share.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They also described how limited and unreliable mobile phone reception and coverage was impacting cultural activities. </p>
<p>For instance, phone reception stops just out of town and doesn’t cover most of the land and sea of the island. Sick and elderly people with safety concerns are scared to leave the township for activities out on Country. </p>
<p>One Elder suggested more young people would go out for cultural activities if outstations had better phone and internet coverage:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think it’ll make them happy and have that pride in being out on their own land […] Whether it’s newborn turtle, or crab, fish, and them showing it off and it’ll give them that self-pride and happiness […] ‘This is what I caught’ – and they’ll show more than one family (on Facebook).</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514143/original/file-20230308-16-xz4ubd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some families had access to tablets and gaming consoles, mostly used by hotspotting prepaid mobile data.</span>
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<h2>What’s being done about the digital divide?</h2>
<p>In January, the federal government established a First Nations <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/albanese-government-establishes-first-nations-digital-inclusion-advisory-group">Digital Inclusion Advisory Group</a> to accelerate progress towards <a href="https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/national-agreement/targets">Closing the Gap targets</a>. An Indigenous Digital Inclusion Plan is also being developed, with contributions from <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/economic-development/indigenous-digital-inclusion-plan/indigenous-digital-inclusion-plan-idip-discussion-paper-submissions">key stakeholders</a>. Both of these developments are promising. </p>
<p>Boosting infrastructure in remote Aboriginal communities is not favourable for profits, given the small number of residents. Yet it’s essential for ensuring these families feel safe, that they can continue cultural practices, and access the many employment, health and education benefits of being online. </p>
<p>Most of all, we must listen to Indigenous voices and work with these communities to improve speed, reliability and access to services. Organisations such as <a href="https://indigimob.com.au/">InDigiMOB</a> are working hard to achieve this.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-inequality-why-can-i-enter-your-building-but-your-website-shows-me-the-door-182432">Digital inequality: why can I enter your building – but your website shows me the door?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201295/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessa Rogers receives funding from the Australian Research Council as a DECRA fellow. The Connecting in the Gulf project is funded by QUT's IGNITE Grant Scheme, and the AuDA Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amber Marshall has previously received funding for related research from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) and Queensland Government. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim Osman and Thu Dinh Xuan Pham do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Families living on Mornington Island have to make compromises due to a lack of digital services – including missing out on cultural activities on Country .Jessa Rogers, First Nations Senior Research Fellow, Queensland University of TechnologyAmber Marshall, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Queensland University of TechnologyKim Osman, Senior research associate, Queensland University of TechnologyThu Dinh Xuan Pham, Research Project Officer, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1766642022-03-10T01:51:25Z2022-03-10T01:51:25ZWhat the ‘let it rip’ COVID strategy has meant for Indigenous and other immune-compromised communities<p>After a year and a half of lockdowns, border closures, mask-wearing and social distancing, and the vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shifted to what is essentially a <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/australia-went-from-zero-covid-to-let-it-rip-exactly-how-successful-has-it-been-c-5336227">“let it rip”</a> pandemic approach. </p>
<p>This is a push from the government to “open up” and get “back to normal.” However, since this approach was taken, it has led to Omicron spreading at <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-covid-control-to-chaos-what-now-for-australia-two-pathways-lie-before-us-174325">increased rates</a> across the country. </p>
<p>This shift to “learning to live with the virus” makes life harder and <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/letting-covid-rip-condemns-the-vulnerable-to-ensure-market-wellbeing">more dangerous</a> for vulnerable groups such as First Nations people, people living with disability, the elderly, those with chronic conditions and those who are immuno-compromised. Refugees and migrants <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/17/covid-death-rate-three-times-higher-among-migrants-than-those-born-in-australia">are at also at higher risk</a> of serious illness and death from COVID.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/letting-covid-rip-condemns-the-vulnerable-to-ensure-market-wellbeing/">Experts warn</a>:</p>
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<p>As the virus moves into vulnerable populations, such as older Australians, people with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people […] we may see a rise in hospitalisations and death.</p>
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<p>This way of thinking was especially prevalent in the discourse around the release of the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/covid-19-mortality-australia">Australian Bureau of Statistics COVID-19 mortality report</a>. As reported in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/23/australian-bureau-of-statistics-report-on-covid-deaths-misrepresented-by-rightwing-media?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=soc_568&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1645569159">The Guardian</a>, some media stated or implied COVID doesn’t kill enough “healthy” people for it to be considered harmful, thus <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-failing-marginalised-people-and-it-shows-in-covid-death-rates-177224">assigning lower value</a> to certain lives.</p>
<p>For example Joe Hildebrand <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/end-of-restrictions-exposes-senseless-covid-scaremongering/news-story/e84643e7f745d3745f08065791419dd3">wrote in an op-ed for news.com.au</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>…not only did so-called “COVID deaths” account for just 1% of fatalities during the pandemic, but 92% of that 1% were people with pre-existing health problems ranging from pneumonia to heart disease.</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-vaccinated-is-the-act-of-love-needed-right-now-to-support-the-survival-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-during-the-pandemic-169245">Getting vaccinated is the act of love needed right now to support the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples during the pandemic</a>
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<h2>“Living with COVID” doesn’t include everyone</h2>
<p>In Australia, there are people with compromised immune systems who because of a chronic illness, can’t be vaccinated. There are also some people whose bodies won’t respond to COVID vaccines either because of medications for ongoing treatments, or co-morbidities that impact their immune system.</p>
<p>Even if people with chronic illness do get vaccinated, their compromised immune systems mean there is <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/covid-19-vaccines-may-protect-many-not-all-people-suppressed-immune-systems">no certainty</a> they would be protected from COVID.</p>
<p>The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare <a href="https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/getattachment/65fbaaf3-100c-4df5-941c-a8455922693c/2020-summary-ihpf-2.pdf">report</a> Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are impacted by disease 2.3 times more than non-Indigenous Australians.</p>
<p>GP and Epidemiologist Dr Jason Agostino from Australian National University <a href="https://www.naccho.org.au/first-nations-adults-at-risk-from-severe-illness-after-covid-anu-research/">said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>there are almost 300,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are at higher risk of getting very sick if they are not vaccinated and get COVID-19.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-failing-marginalised-people-and-it-shows-in-covid-death-rates-177224">Australia is failing marginalised people, and it shows in COVID death rates</a>
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<h2>How First Nations communities are still being left behind</h2>
<p>Before the pandemic, Aboriginal people faced <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/5/indirect-impacts-covid-19-aboriginal-communities-across-new-south-wales#1">health disadvantages</a> and inequitable access to health care. This has worsened since the pandemic. One of the significant issues has been access to affordable food during the pandemic, increased vulnerability of homeless Indigenous people during lockdowns, lack of ability to self-isolate at home and lack of access to community healthcare. </p>
<p>The pandemic has also been disruptive to communities not being able to see one another because of <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2021/214/5/indirect-impacts-covid-19-aboriginal-communities-across-new-south-wales">public health concerns</a>. This impacts community approaches to health care, cultural practices, and connection to Country.</p>
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<p>Some Indigenous communities also have limited access to health services and need to be better informed by health workers from their own communities about testing and vaccination. This was proven successful by stories such as in Arnhem Land, Mala'la Health Service’s chairman Uncle Charlie Gunabarra travelled around remote communities sharing information about the COVID-19 vaccine. This led to a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-06/nt-maningrida-health-clinic-handed-to-aboriginal-control/13216290">significant increase</a> in vaccinations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-in-wilcannia-a-national-disgrace-we-all-saw-coming-167348">COVID in Wilcannia: a national disgrace we all saw coming</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>What needs to happen</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.naccho.org.au/first-nations-adults-at-risk-from-severe-illness-after-covid-anu-research/">study</a> by the Australian National University, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Lowitja Institute reinforces that First Nations people “must remain a priority group” for Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic response. </p>
<p>In this study, Dr Tanya Schramm from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Improving access to social determinants such as housing and healthcare will reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 among Aboriginal peoples, and this must occur alongside ongoing care and management of chronic conditions and efforts to increase vaccination coverage.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There have been efforts to overcome access to health services during the pandemic through telehealth and online healthcare options. However, there are challenges accessing these services such as limited access to phone, computer literacy and internet coverage. This also impacts refugee and migrant communities.</p>
<p>Despite Scott Morrision’s <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/australia-went-from-zero-covid-to-let-it-rip-exactly-how-successful-has-it-been-c-5336227">statement</a> “We’re now at a stage of the pandemic where you can’t just make everything free,” not everyone can afford to buy rapid antigen tests. Although there are recent initiatives in place to make these available to concession card holders and to the WA population, these tests need to be free for all.</p>
<p>Ableism is complex, harmful, and the COVID-19 pandemic response has amplified harm to priority groups. In order to address this, the government needs to better include First Nations communities in their COVID-19 strategies going forward. This can be done by providing resources to Aboriginal community controlled health organisations in regional and remote areas, as recommended by the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/support">Australian Department of Health</a>. </p>
<p>Better government support to and communication with First Nations people and their health centres can minimise misinformation and fear around the virus and vaccine. This could also provide much better access to health care, vaccines and rapid antigen tests. </p>
<p>As Western Australia opens up, some remote Indigenous communities and aged care facilities have been placed into lockdown, we need to find better ways to support vulnerable communities when addressing COVID-19 in Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176664/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>As a Global Public Health researcher, Jaya Dantas has been mapping the Global COVID-19 pandemic especially as it impacts vulnerable populations, developing countries, social determinants and vaccine equity. She is currently involved with two projects in Western Australia focussing on COVID-19. She is part of a team funded by WA Future Health Research and Innovation Fund - 'Quantifying contact networks for COVID-19 outbreak and leading a second project funded by Healthway that will examine the impact of COVID-19 and domestic violence on CALD communities. Jaya is the International SIG Convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia and is on the Global Gender Equality in Health Leadership Committee for Women in Global Health, Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cheryl Davis is Director of Indigenous Engagement in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University and in this role supports Indigenous students currently studying health disciplines. She is affiliated with Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service and South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council as a community member, is undertaking a PhD in Indigenous higher education and is also a member of the Australian Health Promotion Association.</span></em></p>The government has decided it’s time for Australia to open up and get “back to normal.” This has made life more dangerous for vulnerable groups such as First Nations people.Jaya Dantas, Deputy Chair, Academic Board; Dean International, Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of International Health, Curtin UniversityCheryl Davis, Director of Indigenous Engagement - Curtin University, Indigenous KnowledgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1682672021-10-22T01:17:13Z2021-10-22T01:17:13ZRestrictions on cultural hunting practices are limiting Indigenous people’s access to food during the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426466/original/file-20211014-27-1h7x56w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Smoke and dust as food is prepared for a traditional Māori feast or Hangi, Rotorua New Zealand.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rotorua-new-zealand-april-2014-smoke-1738652690">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Indigenous people are some of the most food insecure people in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have made food security an even greater problem in both countries, though it has generally gone unnoticed. </p>
<p>The pandemic has worsened some Indigenous people’s food security by limiting their ability to partake in cultural food harvesting. </p>
<p>The diets of Indigenous people before colonisation were rich, varied, and seasonal. Indigenous people in both Australia and Aotearoa would eat a variety of plants, water and land fowl, seafood, and protein from animals, insects and reptiles. </p>
<p>In Australia, Aboriginal people had approximately <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/oldest-new-ingredients-earth/">150</a> different plants and animals as a food source. </p>
<p>However since colonisation, Indigenous people’s diets have dramatically changed. This change has contributed to food insecurity, in part due to the reliance on <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/oldest-new-ingredients-earth/">western</a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12571-018-0780-9">cultural</a> methods for food sourcing and the displacement of Indigenous people from their land. </p>
<p>Some Indigenous people rely on agricultural traditions and cultural practices to not only be food secure, but as a way of <a href="https://journals.lincoln.ac.nz/index.php/mk/article/view/1157">maintaining cultural identity</a> and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/aboriginal.3.1.0048">connections</a> to Country.</p>
<p>In Aotearoa, mahika kai (food knowledge and practices for Māori) is linked to wealth and hospitality. It connects families through kinship and whakapapa (genealogy) to whenua (the land) and te taiao (natural resources). </p>
<p>Mahika kai is also fundamentally linked to Māori people’s underlying principles of manaakitaka (care and hospitality) and to the protection and stewardship of the land (totems, kaitiakitaka). </p>
<p>Food traditions also honour cultural lore and laws regarding access to seasonal foods and sites. These have protective factors for social and emotional wellbeing, providing a connection to <a href="http://apr.thompsonbooks.com/vols/APR_Vol_2Ch5.pdf">culture and community</a>.</p>
<p>Although governments and volunteer programs have been providing food and medical supplies to areas affected by COVID lockdowns, the loss of cultural practices can cause significant disconnect for Indigenous communities.</p>
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<h2>Cultural practices stifled in Australia</h2>
<p>Western New South Wales has been significantly affected by rising COVID-19 cases in Aboriginal communities. People have also become increasingly <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/08/25/food-insecurity-concerns-covid-hit-wilcannia">food insecure</a>. Some have limited financial resources to purchase food, which in rural and remote areas, is <a href="http://theconversation.com/covid-19-revealed-flaws-in-australias-food-supply-it-also-gives-us-a-chance-to-fix-them-159642">comparatively overpriced</a>. </p>
<p>People are also having to rely on <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/we-don-t-have-uber-eats-and-click-and-collect-how-wilcannia-is-getting-its-essentials-20210904-p58osi.html">food donations</a>. This has worsened the longer lockdowns have continued and may have lasting effects once they are over. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-covid-19-crisis-in-western-nsw-aboriginal-communities-is-a-nightmare-realised-166093">The COVID-19 crisis in western NSW Aboriginal communities is a nightmare realised</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Earlier in the pandemic, Aboriginal people in Wilcannia had maintained their cultural practice of hunting kangaroo and distributing the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/08/31/deliver-roo-solving-covid-hit-wilcannias-food-shortage">butchered meat</a> to families within the township.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/08/25/food-insecurity-concerns-covid-hit-wilcannia">NITV News</a>, however, health authorities discouraged residents from hunting and distributing roo meat in August.</p>
<p>Said one resident, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I got a cousin telling me that him and his family went out and got kangaroo and they delivered it into Wilcannia, but health officials were saying that they can’t hand out wild meat to Aboriginal families because it’s not fit for consumption.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The NSW government has long made engaging in cultural food practices difficult, with <a href="https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-02/licensing_requirements_for_field_harvesters_of_game_animals.pdf">game</a> meat regulations, and <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting/volunteer-non-commercial-kangaroo-shooting/kangaroo-management-faq">culling</a> and <a href="https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-02/licensing_requirements_for_field_harvesters_of_game_animals.pdf#:%7E:text=The%20law%20in%20New%20South,in%20line%20with%20National%20Standards.&text=A%20person%20supplying%20carcases%20without,and%20have%20their%20carcases%20condemned.">licensing</a> legislation. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1994-045">Native Title (New South Wales) Act 1994</a> acknowledges the land has social, cultural, economic and spiritual importance to Aboriginal people, but it does not define these as legal rights or say how they can be asserted to support cultural food practice, including resource sharing. </p>
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<p>Authorities eventually <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/11/scared-and-angry-warnings-ignored-before-delta-ripped-through-wilcannia">permitted</a> roo meat from Broken Hill to be delivered. Since late August, Malyangapa Barkindji Wiimpatja man Leroy Johnson has reportedly been <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/08/31/deliver-roo-solving-covid-hit-wilcannias-food-shortage">delivering kangaroo meat to affected communities</a> in Wilcannia, with the support of local police. </p>
<h2>Protection of Māori food practices</h2>
<p>In Aotearoa, mahika kai is an enduring and intergenerational food practice for Māori protected by <a href="https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/maori-customary-fishing/maori-customary-fishing-information-and-resources/">law</a>. In March 2020, when Aotearoa first went into lockdown, all New Zealanders were required to remain at home. This prohibited activities such as hunting, seaside fishing, and <a href="https://www.hrc.co.nz/our-work/indigenous-rights/">food gathering</a>. </p>
<p>Concerns were raised by kaumātua (Elders) acknowledging these restrictions were affecting whānau (families) who regularly relied on hunting for food security and <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/414888/covid-19-whanau-relying-on-hunting-for-food-should-have-exemption-leaders">staples within the home</a>. </p>
<p>In the current lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government adjusted the lockdown rules to allow Māori to hunt and fish within a <a href="https://www.teaomaori.news/level-4-fishing-rules-changed-clearing-confusion">culturally acceptable</a> <a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/nicole-mckee-divisive-legislation-only-maori-can-go-fishing-under-level-4-health-legislation/">framework</a>. </p>
<p>This resulted in a resurgence in food gardens (maara kai) and traditional hospitality and service exchanges (kai hau kai) to support kaumātua and whānau. Other mahika kai activities, such as preserving and utilising local waterways, have also returned. </p>
<p>This demonstrates that lockdown rules can be tailored to allow cultural food sourcing, while still reducing the spread of the virus.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-significance-of-the-treaty-of-waitangi-110982">Explainer: the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However, Māori rights are protected through both treaty and legislation, whereas Indigenous people in Australia still have no treaty. This means the protection of cultural activities are not prioritised within the public health orders in NSW. This contributes to growing food insecurity in affected communities.</p>
<p>Although the Commonwealth <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021C00165">Native Title Act 1993</a> provides limited protections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural rights still have no equivalent national protection. </p>
<p>Both Australia and Aotearoa have signed the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, however. This declaration could <a href="https://www.hrc.co.nz/our-work/indigenous-rights/">provide</a> some <a href="https://www.hrc.co.nz/files/5814/5618/4456/NZHR_Booklet_12_WEB.pdf">protections</a> to cultural hunting <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples-1">rights</a>.</p>
<p>Without social distancing measures taking these rights into account, food insecurity will continue to occur. This could lead to poorer <a href="https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/article/10.1007/s12571-015-0433-1">ill-health</a> in communities beyond the pandemic.</p>
<p>Restoring cultural practices should be considered in federal and state governments’ exiting plans once crisis-level case numbers are down.</p>
<p>Australia’s governments must follow Aotearoa’s lead and find a way for public health orders and cultural food practices to work together.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168267/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dione Payne receives funding from Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for indigenous research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Wingett and Stewart Sutherland do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many Indigenous people in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are lacking food security due to public health orders preventing them from traditional food sourcing.Stewart Sutherland, Senior Lecturer Indigenous Health, Australian National UniversityAmanda Wingett, Associate lecturer, Australian National UniversityDione Payne, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Maori & Pasifika, Lincoln University, New ZealandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1676392021-09-27T04:00:08Z2021-09-27T04:00:08ZNot all men’s violence prevention programs are effective: why women’s voices need to be included<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423240/original/file-20210927-124719-tcz7oa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/KdeqA3aTnBY">Dylan Gillis/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the opening panel of the National Summit on Women’s Safety 2021, Professor Marcia Langton called for a separate national plan to address violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. </p>
<p>Other panels spoke about the importance of perpetrator interventions and engaging men and boys in prevention, particularly those that engage with Aboriginal men. Such programs are important but if they are not based in appropriate frameworks they can be dangerous.</p>
<p>In research conducted between 2018-2020, ten principles of good practice to prevent violence against women were identified through case studies of two Northern Territory programs addressing men’s violence. These principles were developed with practitioners in a series of workshops. One of the areas of focus was accountability for men who use violence. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-national-plan-to-address-family-violence-against-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-167640">We need a national plan to address family violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people</a>
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</p>
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<h2>Men’s behaviour change programs in the Northern Territory</h2>
<p>Men’s behaviour change programs respond to violence by working with men who have used violence. Other programs seek to engage men and boys as allies in violence prevention. </p>
<p>Currently there are only two behaviour change programs in the Northern Territory and very few programs that engage men and boys in violence prevention. More are desperately needed.</p>
<p>However it is not enough to simply have these programs – they must be safe and effective.</p>
<p>Approximately 300 Northern Territorians contributed to the development of principles of good practice to prevent violence against women. These have been communicated in a framework called <a href="https://genderinstitute.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/2020_docs/HOPEFUL,%20TOGETHER,%20STRONG.%20Principles%20to%20prevent%20VAW%20in%20the%20NT..pdf">“Hopeful, Together, Strong”</a>.</p>
<p>These principles of good practice show that to be effective programs must be:</p>
<ul>
<li>holistic, community-driven and culturally safe </li>
<li>sustainable and educational </li>
<li>be framework- and theory-informed </li>
<li>involve multi-agency collaboration </li>
<li>be strengths-based and accessible</li>
<li>require accountability from men who use violence.</li>
</ul>
<p>These principles came from practice-based knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous practitioners. Panel discussions at the Women’s Safety Summit spoke of the same principles, with discussions of the need for community-driven, holistic, culturally safe approaches.</p>
<h2>A study of two programs that work with men</h2>
<p>The first program studied is the Marra’ka Mbarintja Men’s Behaviour Change program run by <a href="https://www.tangentyere.org.au/">Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation</a> in Mparntwe/Alice Springs. This men’s behaviour change program is for Aboriginal and non-Indigenous men who have used violence. </p>
<p>The study found this men’s behaviour change program was promising and showed evidence of assisting the community to move through the stages of change. </p>
<p>Particular strengths of this program were its culturally safe approach, its use of assertive outreach, its emphasis on women and children’s safety and holding men accountable for their use of violence. </p>
<p>This program has since developed <a href="https://genderinstitute.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/docs/2020_docs/Central_Australian_Minimum_Standards_methodology_2020.pdf">Central Australian Minimum Standards</a> for men’s behaviour change programs. Despite the promising indications of program effectiveness, this program is under-funded, under-staffed, and under-resourced.</p>
<p>The second program studied will not be named to allow them the opportunity to put in place the research recommendations. This prevention program seeks to engage men in violence prevention by delivering training and sessions to Aboriginal and non-Indigenous men in regional and remote Northern Territory communities. In an effort to raise awareness, this program educates men about different types of violence.</p>
<p>Despite being well-funded, well-intended, and having a strong geographical reach, the research found this prevention program to be ineffective and often collusive with men’s violence against women. This was due to program staff having no expertise or training in domestic, family and sexual violence. </p>
<p>This led staff to minimising and/or condoning men’s use of violence in training sessions and using language like “women are just as bad”. </p>
<p>This is an inaccurate claim, considering women are nearly <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/understanding-violence/facts-and-figures">three times more likely</a> to experience intimate partner violence than men; <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/understanding-violence/facts-and-figures">almost ten women a day</a> are hospitalised from assault by a partner; and Indigenous women are hospitalised due to family violence at <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/resource/changing-the-picture/">three times the rate</a> of Indigenous males.</p>
<p>Therefore this program’s training sessions often reinforced harmful and incorrect attitudes and beliefs which could drive further violence against women.</p>
<p>Comparing these two vastly different programs highlights the importance of minimum standards for programs working with men to prevent violence. Appropriate frameworks for these programs need to be built from evidence about what works, particularly in remote communities and alongside First Nations people. </p>
<p>If not conducted correctly, programs working with men can put women and children at continued risk. Funding and support should be directed to programs that can show evidence of being grounded in frameworks of good practice.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/men-are-more-likely-to-commit-violent-crimes-why-is-this-so-and-how-do-we-change-it-157331">Men are more likely to commit violent crimes. Why is this so and how do we change it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>The importance of community-driven programs</h2>
<p>Prioritising the safety of women and children must be at the forefront of everything any men’s program does. This includes elevating the voices of survivors and the inclusion of women in leadership. In particular, the perspectives of Aboriginal women must inform these programs, and Aboriginal people and communities must have decision-making roles in their governance.</p>
<p>When women’s voices are not included, there is no chance to model gender equality in relationships. In the case of men’s behaviour change programs, without women’s insights, the opportunity for accurately monitoring and assessing risks has been lost. If only the man’s assessment of risk is heard, there is no way to tell if the potential for violence is escalating. This can lead to staff minimising a man’s use of violence.</p>
<p>Staff employed in these programs working with men must be given comprehensive, ongoing training. This is to minimise the risk of collusion and to empower staff to challenge men’s use of or justification of violence. Understanding why some men minimise and justify their behaviour is a skill that specialist facilitators constantly work at. They need to balance holding men accountable within a non-shaming and non-judgemental space so men are able to explore and take ownership of their behaviour.</p>
<p>Programs working with men must also address additional drivers of violence against Aboriginal women, such as the ongoing impacts of colonisation on Indigenous people and communities. Programs must be equipped with an understanding of intergenerational trauma and how colonisation has undermined gender roles and relations in First Nations communities, and respond to the gendered impacts of these compounding traumas. </p>
<p>The ongoing impacts of colonisation on non-Indigenous people and society also <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/resource/changing-the-picture/">drives violence</a> against Indigenous women. Colonisation has created systems and structures which privilege non-Indigenous people and reinforces power imbalances between them and Indigenous people. Programs working with men must therefore take an intersectional approach, and in addition to gendered drivers, address structural and racist violence. </p>
<p>We must also engage men and boys in preventing violence against women.
On day two of the Women’s Safety Summit, Thelma Schwartz expressed the sentiment that men are not always the problem, they can be the solution.</p>
<p>The ANROWS <a href="https://www.anrows.org.au/news/warawarni-gu-guma-statement/">Warawarni-gu guma statement</a> says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We invite our men, our brothers, uncles and cultural leaders to stand with us, to come together to work on solutions for us all, our young ones, our men and women together.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A good example of this is the partnership between Darwin Indigenous Men’s Service and the Darwin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Shelter. This partnership shows how communities can work together to break the cycle of violence.</p>
<p>However, such local strategies are rarely given the opportunity to build their capacity and become effective programs, through a lack of government support.</p>
<p>To create and support community-led violence prevention programs, Indigenous people must be involved in conducting the research and informing what is best practice in their respective communities. Kinship and traditional Aboriginal family structures and ways of maintaining relationships, must be integrated into these practices.</p>
<p>We need place-based models, conceived, designed, and delivered <em>by</em> the community <em>for</em> the community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167639/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chay Brown receives funding from ANROWS and the Australian National University Gender Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Desmond Campbell is affiliated with Our Watch as a Board Member. </span></em></p>When addressing domestic and partner violence, First Nations communities need to be involved in how men’s behaviour change programs are developed and delivered.Chay Brown, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National UniversityDesmond Campbell, First Nations Practice Lead: Social Ventures Australia, Indigenous KnowledgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1662792021-08-17T11:52:21Z2021-08-17T11:52:21ZMedical dash as COVID spreads among Indigenous people in western NSW<p>Urgent medical resources are being dispatched to western NSW in a vaccination and support drive after the alarming spread of COVID into Aboriginal communities there.</p>
<p>Health Minister Greg Hunt said the first of five Australian Defence Force vaccination teams will arrive on Wednesday.</p>
<p>An initial Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) – which is multidisciplinary health group – will also be sent within a couple of days. AUSMATs can help shore up local hospitals and health services where that might be needed.</p>
<p>COVID has now spread to areas including Bourke, Broken Hill, Brewarrina, Gilgandra, Walgett and Dubbo.</p>
<p>With a large Indigenous population in these areas and a low vaccination rate, COVID presents an especially serious threat. Aboriginal people are vulnerable because they often already have other health conditions.</p>
<p>Most of the about 117 cases in western NSW are among Indigenous people, particularly young people.</p>
<p>The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, said that nationally 169,000 Indigenous Australians had had their first vaccine (a rate of 30%), and 69,000 (15%) had had two doses.</p>
<p>The rates are much lower than for the general community, where more than a quarter of eligible Australians (26.9%) are now fully vaccinated.</p>
<p>Wyatt said Indigenous leaders were stepping up and “we’re seeing straight talking happening”. </p>
<p>He said some Indigenous people had been fearful of adverse effects of being vaccinated.</p>
<p>“People are now believing that it is time for them to take the proactive action. And the elders and the leaders are ensuring that the straight messages, straight talking is now part of what communities are hearing.”</p>
<p>Dharriwaa Elders Group at Walgett called for more resources and help in a statement last week. </p>
<p>“Many of our Elders and others in Walgett experience health and social issues that make them vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. The impact on our community could be devastating,” they said.</p>
<p>Pat Turner, CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), said the shortage of Pfizer and people’s reluctance to have AstraZeneca had been problems in the rollout in western NSW.</p>
<p>“People put their back up against getting AstraZeneca,” she said. They had also thought they were a long way from Sydney, where the NSW outbreak was centred.</p>
<p>With the spread of the virus people were now realising they needed to be vaccinated, Turner said. But she was still “very concerned” about the situation in western NSW.</p>
<p>She said one of the problems Aboriginal health centres had was a shortage of staff due to state border closures, as well as nurses not coming from New Zealand.</p>
<p>She welcomed the dispatch of the defence and AUSMAT teams and that increased supplies of Pfizer had been prioritised as well as more testing capacity and personal protective equipment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Urgent medical resources are being dispatched to western NSW in a vaccination and support drive after the alarming spread of COVID into Aboriginal communities.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1629992021-06-22T01:05:59Z2021-06-22T01:05:59ZAboriginal housing policies must be based on community needs — not what non-Indigenous people think they need<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407344/original/file-20210621-35190-vlh25c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Aboriginal housing policies should be developed and implemented in close consultation with individual Aboriginal communities.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/">Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recently announced $250 million NSW budget <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-to-spend-250-million-building-and-upgrading-aboriginal-housing-20210612-p580i6.html">boost for Aboriginal housing</a> is much welcomed and long overdue.</p>
<p>In implementing this important new initiative, it is critical to consult Aboriginal communities about what culturally appropriate housing looks like. In the past, public housing policies have often been imposed on Aboriginal communities based on non-Aboriginal ideals of good housing.</p>
<p>Research findings show the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/2/988">social values of Aboriginal people</a> differ significantly from non-Aboriginal values. Unfortunately, well-intentioned government policies too often <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-we-moved-the-goalposts-on-indigenous-policies-so-they-reflect-indigenous-values-112282">ignore these crucial differences</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> says everyone has the right to decent housing, which provides for their security, health and well-being. </p>
<p>However, past policies have not done enough to ensure Aboriginal people have adequate housing — it continues to <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/IndigenousPeoples/CSO/NewSouthWalesAboriginalLandCouncil.pdf">lag behind</a> non-Aboriginal housing across Australia. </p>
<h2>Barriers to housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people</h2>
<p>In 2020, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap included housing among its <a href="https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/targets">16 key socio-economic targets</a> to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/news/closing-the-gap-targets-improved-housing-for-indigenous-australians">the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute</a> recently found closing the gap targets cannot be met without addressing the current lack of affordable and quality housing. </p>
<p>As it stands:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in overcrowded and public housing </p></li>
<li><p>only 42% own their own home compared with 65% of non-Indigenous households</p></li>
<li><p>housing shortages are predicted to increase to 90,901 dwellings across Australia by 2031, of which 65,000 are in NSW</p></li>
</ul>
<p>However, the use of financial metrics (such as the amount of money spent on Aboriginal housing) to determine the success of Aborginal housing policies can sometimes present a deceiving and biased view of the impact they have on Aboriginal communities. </p>
<p>It is critical the success of any Aboriginal policy is measured in a way which <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-we-moved-the-goalposts-on-indigenous-policies-so-they-reflect-indigenous-values-112282">reflects Aboriginal cultural connections</a> to country and kinship. These measurements should not reflect non-Aboriginal values of individualism and materialism, which typically guide government assessments of success and failure. </p>
<p>This is why it was reassuring to hear <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-to-spend-250-million-building-and-upgrading-aboriginal-housing-20210612-p580i6.html">NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet</a> state: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This budget is not just about dollars; it is about our commitment to ensure funding is directed to the areas where it can make the most difference for Aboriginal communities across our state.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It remains to be seen, though, whether the NSW government has the tools and knowledge to assess and communicate the success of policies affecting Aboriginal people in this way.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1404241743231389702"}"></div></p>
<h2>Important lessons for Aboriginal housing policy</h2>
<p>Our research at the Indigenous Infrastructure and Sustainable Housing Alliance, in partnership with the <a href="https://web-tools.uts.edu.au/projects/detail.cfm?ProjectId=PRO20-11622">NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment</a>, shows decent housing is critical for the health and well-being of Aboriginal communities. </p>
<p>The negative impacts of culturally inappropriate and poor-quality housing on the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially young people, has been <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/120591">well-known for many decades</a>.</p>
<p>Well-intentioned housing policies that are inappropriately designed and implemented can represent yet another form of controlling and monitoring of Aboriginal communities.</p>
<p>We have found a large number of housing problems for Aboriginal people, which can be summarised into four main areas:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>overcrowding</p></li>
<li><p>ageing housing stock</p></li>
<li><p>poor quality construction and maintenance (especially waterproofing)</p></li>
<li><p>inappropriate standardised designs which do not reflect Aboriginal cultural values and family structures. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Our evaluation of the <a href="https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Policy-and-Legislation/Aboriginal-land-use-planning/Roads-to-Home">NSW’s Roads to Home Program</a> also highlights the importance of addressing underlying infrastructure deficiencies in Aboriginal communities. </p>
<p>Poorly maintained and constructed roads, footpaths, drains, and electricity and telecommunications systems present potential risks to peoples’ health, safety, security and wellbeing. And this, in turn, creates structural disadvantage and further isolates them from surrounding non-Aboriginal communities </p>
<p>It is good to see much-needed upgrades to infrastructure, such as drainage, roads and footpaths, continuing at a cost of $34.1 million over three years under the program. </p>
<p>The program also invests in road and infrastructure upgrades in Aboriginal communities, such as former reserves and missions. It commenced in July 2019, with ten communities being initially upgraded over a four-year period at a cost of $54.8 million.</p>
<h2>What culturally responsive housing can look like</h2>
<p>We have developed a series of design principles to inform culturally responsive housing designs currently under development in northwestern NSW. </p>
<p>These principles can be simplified under three main headings:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>orientation (building and block orientation)</p></li>
<li><p>house layout (how the house is laid out internally)</p></li>
<li><p>materials (durability, ease of maintenance) </p></li>
</ul>
<p>To address the legacy of past Aboriginal housing policies new Aboriginal housing should reflect the diverse cultures, climate variations and environments of Aboriginal communities. They must not be built around the traditional, western, nuclear family model. Housing should be resilient, sustainable and provide flexible and adaptable spaces for extended families and community activities. </p>
<p>Importantly, they must also comply with the Building Code of Australia since too much Aboriginal housing has been built below Australian standards.</p>
<p>In building community resilience, hope and prosperity, our research also shows any new Aboriginal housing should also be implemented alongside <a href="https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/articles/how-we-can-re-build-our-economy-after-covid-19-through-social-procurement-and-construction/">social procurement policies</a>. This ensures future projects provide meaningful and sustainable training and employment opportunities for the people who live in these communities. </p>
<p>However, governments must be committed to <a href="https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/building-construction/social-procurement-in-construction-is-a-good-thing-but-lets-lose-the-rose-tinted-glasses/">enforcing these policies</a> and measuring their impact <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-arent-closing-the-gap-a-failure-to-account-for-cultural-counterfactuals-129076">from Aboriginal people’s perspectives</a>.</p>
<p>Most importantly, Aboriginal housing policies should be developed and implemented in close consultation with Aboriginal people, recognising each community’s unique cultures, needs and priorities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162999/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Loosemore receives funding from the Australian Research Council, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Campbell Drake has received research funding from the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office and The NSW Department of Planning Industry & Environment. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Evans receives funding from the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment and the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Wilkinson receives funding from the ARC, the Kamprad Foundation, Sweden, Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) and Dept of Planning Industry & Environment (DPIE). </span></em></p>The recently announced $250 million NSW budget boost for housing for Aboriginal people, is much-needed. It’s critical this well-intentioned investment does not repeat the mistakes of the past.Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology SydneyCampbell Drake, Senior Lecturer / ArchitectJohn Evans, Professor, Indigenous Health Education, University of Technology SydneySara Wilkinson, Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1601682021-06-02T00:02:27Z2021-06-02T00:02:27ZCOVID-19 restrictions have left many Stolen Generations survivors more isolated without adequate support<p>Research undertaken by <a href="https://healingfoundation.org.au/">The Healing Foundation</a> has revealed that public health restrictions introduced to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia have had a significant impact on some Stolen Generations survivors, retriggering trauma among already vulnerable community members.</p>
<p><a href="https://healingfoundation.org.au/app/uploads/2021/04/HF_Impacts_of_COVID-19_on_Stolen_Generations_Survivors_Report_Apr2021_V5.pdf">The Healing Foundation’s report</a> outlines how the measures aimed at protecting Stolen Generations survivors instead had a devastating negative effect on their physical and mental health and wellbeing. This research presents input from 60 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders and Stolen Generations survivors.</p>
<p>The report provides data showing significant effects on survivors and their loved ones, including a heightened sense of vulnerability and increased disconnection from family, community, and Country. The report also found that 20% of Stolen Generation survivor respondents said they had no support during COVID-19, while only 58% reported having some support.</p>
<p>While it can be argued Australia’s response to the pandemic was largely successful when compared to other parts of the world, there are key lessons to be learned to prepare for future pandemics, especially for those most vulnerable in the community. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thirteen-years-after-sorry-too-many-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-children-are-still-being-removed-from-their-homes-159360">Thirteen years after 'Sorry', too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still being removed from their homes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How restrictions impacted communities</h2>
<p>The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that partners with communities to heal the trauma caused by the widespread and deliberate disruption of peoples, cultures, and languages over 230 years. This includes specific actions like the forced removal of children from their families.</p>
<p>Work done by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19 ensured that infection rates were very low in First Nations populations. </p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/04/impact-of-covid-19-in-australia-ensuring-the-health-system-can-respond-summary-report.pdf">minor outbreaks in Aboriginal communities were recorded in Australia</a>, and they were quickly contained. But the COVID-19 restrictions disrupted many cultural, relational, and collective practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which included collective healing activities.</p>
<p>Physical distancing put a hold on celebrations and ceremonies, including important and traditional family and cultural occasions like births and funerals.</p>
<p>Lockdowns meant survivors were disconnected from family for <a href="https://www.supportingcarers.snaicc.org.au/connecting-to-culture/sorry-business/">Sorry Business</a> and attending community gatherings like NAIDOC Week. Events such as <a href="https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-sorry-day-2020/">the Apology anniversary</a> were cancelled, keeping people away from marking important cultural dates. </p>
<h2>Increased isolation and loneliness</h2>
<p>The devastating combination of isolation, loneliness, distance from family, and tight public health directions brought difficult memories back for some survivors of the Stolen Generations, retriggering their trauma.</p>
<p>Survivors highlighted the following findings across the 23 social and emotional wellbeing indicators that were surveyed:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The vast majority said they had a significantly increased sense of isolation (more than 90% of respondents) and loneliness (more than 80%). A majority also reported having too much time on their own (65%) and feeling trapped in their own thoughts (more than 70%).</p></li>
<li><p>More than 90% reported feeling disconnected from family, community, and culture, while 77% felt disconnected from Country. This is concerning given the degree to which connection to family, community, culture, and Country enhances health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, especially for Stolen Generations survivors and descendants.</p></li>
<li><p>Two-thirds of respondents reported a decline in their physical health and a decreased ability to cope with stress during COVID-19, while 75% reported a decline in their mental health and wellbeing.</p></li>
<li><p>Importantly, 66% of respondents said the degree to which they felt safe was impacted by COVID-19, and more than 75% were worried about not being able to get places. Half of respondents said they were worried about not being able to get to a doctor/hospital and/or access the services they require.</p></li>
<li><p>And three-quarters experienced an increase in family responsibilities and 70% an increase in cultural responsibilities. Alongside this, more than 90% of respondents experienced stress being placed on important relationships.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-for-australia-to-drop-its-phased-approach-to-the-vaccine-rollout-161584">It's time for Australia to drop its phased approach to the vaccine rollout</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How governments can do better</h2>
<p>This research undertaken by the Marumali Program on behalf of The Healing Foundation should assist governments and the broader public health sector to plan for future pandemics and build on Australia’s world-leading response.</p>
<p>It has also raised some important questions, such as how can we use technology and social media to not only communicate important public health messages but also feelings of isolation? Or how can Stolen Generations survivors use technology to connect with family, community, culture, and Country?</p>
<p>Technology is just one area for consideration. But what happens when future restrictions have a negative impact on a survivor’s healing journey? And what strategies or policies can help to support such unavoidable effects?</p>
<p>Researchers Shaan Peeters and Dr John Prince hope the study will lead governments to undertake further analysis to assess the needs, risks, and vulnerabilities of Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants into the future. </p>
<p>Stolen Generations survivors have long told us what they need to heal. Now, we need to understand what they require as Australia emerges from the pandemic and finds its way to a new normal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Steven Larkin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In a survey of Stolen Generation survivors, two-thirds reported a decline in their physical health as a result of COVID restrictions, while 75% reported a decline in their mental health and wellbeing.Professor Steven Larkin, Chief Executive Officer, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary EducationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1162622019-05-01T05:41:12Z2019-05-01T05:41:12ZUranium mines harm Indigenous people – so why have we approved a new one?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271924/original/file-20190501-39948-1c78u5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C15%2C5176%2C3430&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Walking for Country with Walkatjurra Walkabout from 2011 - 2018. Aboriginal communities across Australia continue to mobilise against government decisions that ignore claims to native title. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://walkingforcountry.com/">Walking for Country</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last week the federal government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-26/government-approved-uranium-mine-day-before-election/11047252">approved</a> the Yeelirrie uraniam mine in Western Australia in the face of vigorous protest from traditional owners.</p>
<p>This Canadian-owned uranium mine is the newest instalment in Australia’s long tradition of ignoring the dignity and welfare of Aboriginal communities in the pursuit of nuclear fuel. </p>
<p>For decades, Australia’s desert regions have experienced uranium prospecting, mining, waste dumping and nuclear weapons testing. Settler-colonial perceptions that these lands were “<a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=5wqFDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">uninhabited</a>” led to widespread environmental degradation at the hands of the nuclear industry. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-worth-wiping-out-a-species-for-the-yeelirrie-uranium-mine-116059">It's not worth wiping out a species for the Yeelirrie uranium mine</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As early as 1906, South Australia’s <a href="http://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/minerals/mining/former_mines/radium_hill_mine">Radium Hill</a> was mined for radium. Amateur prospectors mined haphazardly, damaging Ngadjuri and Wilyakali lands. And an estimated 100,000 tonnes of <a href="http://www.tailings.info/basics/tailings.htm">toxic mine residue</a> (tailings) remain at Radium Hill with the potential to leach radioactive material into the environment. </p>
<p>Uranium mines across Australia have similar legacies, with <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/jabiru">decades of activism</a> from the Mirarr people against the Ranger and Jabiluka mine sites in Kakadu National Park.</p>
<p>In the 36 years since it began operating, the Ranger mine has produced over <a href="http://www.energyres.com.au/uploads/docs/2017_ERA_AnnualReport_ebook.pdf">125,000 tonnes of uranium</a> and experienced more than 200 accidents. In 2013, a reported <a href="http://www.mirarr.net/uranium-mining">one million litres of contaminated material</a> leaked from a Ranger tank (the spill was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-12/era-avoids-charges-over-radioactive-slurry-spill/7163560">contained to the site)</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/rangers-toxic-spill-highlights-the-perils-of-self-regulation-21409">Ranger's toxic spill highlights the perils of self-regulation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Aboriginal communities remain at a disproportionate risk because large uranium deposits exist in lands deemed sacred and significant, while the testing and dumping of nuclear material is rarely undertaken in areas inhabited by settlers.</p>
<p>The federal government’s ambivalence toward these impacts has most recently culminated in their decision to give <a href="https://www.camecoaustralia.com/projects/yeelirrie">Cameco</a> the go-ahead for the Yeelirrle uranium mine, a blow to the traditional owners of Tjiwarl country. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1102449936317251585"}"></div></p>
<h2>Native title fails to protect traditional owners from the mining industry</h2>
<p>The Tjiwarl people have fought the Yeelirrie mine alongside the <a href="https://thewest.com.au/business/uranium/battle-against-yeelirrie-uranium-mine-continues-for-traditional-owners-and-conservation-council-ng-b881125927z">Conservation Council of WA</a> for more than two years. They now must grapple with the government’s decision to ignore their resistance.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/traditional-owners-still-stand-in-adanis-way-115454">Traditional owners still stand in Adani's way</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the Tjiwarl people are not alone. Aboriginal communities across Australia continue to engage with and mobilise against government decisions to ignore native title claimants. </p>
<p>As set out in Australian law, <a href="https://www.klc.org.au/what-is-native-title">native title</a> is the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights to the land and waters, guided by traditional law and customs.</p>
<p>Aboriginal communities <a href="http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Minerals/Process_for_Determining_Mining_Act_applications(1).pdf">have an opportunity</a> to object to a mining application, 35 days before the outcome of the application is determined. A complex appeals process follows. </p>
<p>But even in the face of significant complaints, mining applications are more often than not approved. This has led to people mobilising internationally. </p>
<p>And in 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (<a href="http://www.icanw.org/the-treaty/">ICAN</a>) negotiated with the United Nations to create a treaty banning nuclear weapons. The treaty, adopted on July 7, 2017, recognised the disproportionate impact nuclear material has on Indigenous communities around the world. It includes the mining and milling of uranium. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271667/original/file-20190430-194606-vkggsa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kokatha woman Sue Coleman-Haseldine speaking at the UN on behalf of ICAN.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">InternationalCampaignToAbolishNuclearWeapons/flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The treaty <a href="https://www.un.org/disarmament/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/tpnw-info-kit-v2.pdf">warns</a> that parties should be: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>mindful of the unacceptable suffering of and harm caused to the
victims of the use of nuclear weapons (hibakusha), as well as of those
affected by the testing of nuclear weapons, [and recognise] the disproportionate impact of nuclear-weapon activities on indigenous peoples.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Nuclear weapons sourced from Aboriginal lands</h2>
<p>The toxic legacy of uranium mining is not isolated to the contamination of ecosystems. </p>
<p>Radium Hill <a href="http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/australia.aspx">provided uranium</a> for weapons for the United Kingdom and United States, including the nuclear weapons tested at Maralinga and Emu Field in the 1950s and 1960s.</p>
<p>These weapons spread radioactive contamination and dispossessed Aboriginal communities in and around the <a href="https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/sas-nuclear-debate-the-states-controversial-history-of-atomic-tests-and-uranium-mining/news-story/ac98c44cb425ce43273dbc67a799ff13">Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara</a> (APY) lands.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/271662/original/file-20190430-194637-10zt99u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">1982 image of Ranger Uranium Mine visable across Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/PhotoDetail.aspx?Barcode=11854163">National Archives of Australia, A6135, K2/3/82/62</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Uranium from the Ranger mine in Northern Territory found its way into the Fukushima Reactor, a reality that plagues the Mirrar people. In 2011, traditional owner <a href="http://www.mirarr.net/uranium-mining">Yvonne Margarula</a> expressed her sorrow for those affected by the Fukushima meltdown: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>it is likely that the radiation problems at Fukushima are, at least in part, fuelled by uranium derived from our traditional lands. This makes us feel very sad.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These legacies are felt acutely by those who continue to struggle with the lack of protection from native title and other government policies apparently designed to prevent the exploitation of Aboriginal communities by various industries.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-for-indigenous-nationhood-to-replace-a-failing-colonial-authority-114088">It's time for Indigenous nationhood to replace a failing colonial authority</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the 1970s, when the Ranger mine opened, the Mirarr people felt largely powerless in negotiations between mining companies and the federal government. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-26/government-approved-uranium-mine-day-before-election/11047252">Last week</a>, the Tjiwarl experienced similar disempowerment. Yet both communities are recognised by the government as traditional owners.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Australia is yet to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, continuing the persistently toxic legacy of Australia’s nuclear industry.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>A previous version of this article stated a 2013 leak at the Ranger mine spilled radioactive material into the “surrounding environment.” The leak was contained on the site.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116262/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Urwin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Yeelirrie uranium mine is the latest instalment in Australia’s long tradition of ignoring the dignity and welfare of Aboriginal communities in the pursuit of nuclear fuel.Jessica Urwin, PhD Candidate, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1004562018-08-01T20:19:54Z2018-08-01T20:19:54ZA grave omission: the quest to identify the dead in remote NT<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229179/original/file-20180725-194134-pbw5v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A bough shelter made for the funeral of W. Willika in the remote Northern Territory community of Barunga.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Claire Smith</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s hard to believe, but in 2018 the vast majority of graves of Aboriginal people in remote Northern Territory communities are not recorded in any register. When someone dies they are buried, but there’s no written record of which grave belongs to whom.</p>
<p>Virtually every member of the remote Aboriginal community of <a href="https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Barunga+NT+0852/@-14.5286773,132.8319454,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x2cb018a7ec6c4319:0x40217a82a254090!8m2!3d-14.520833!4d132.865">Barunga</a> in the NT has a relative lying in an unmarked grave in the local cemetery – but they don’t know exactly where they are. For Jasmine Willika, it is her sister and grandmother. For Joyce Bulumbara, her father. For Isaac Pamkal, his father and grandmother. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229932/original/file-20180731-176683-dlxp0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Isaac Pamkal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Claire Smith</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The identity of the person buried in an unmarked grave is remembered by loved ones for some time. Plastic flowers may mark it, until they erode. But there was no cultural tradition of headstones, or money to pay for them even if there had been. (In traditional burials, a person’s bones were put in a <a href="https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/1125509"><em>lorrkon</em></a> and placed in a cave.)</p>
<p>After a while, people forget who is buried where. In time, the remembering generation also dies. So, the identities of people in these graves become more and more blurred. </p>
<p>This makes it difficult to mourn properly, or to care for that person by caring for their grave. And there are other distressing ramifications. In 1998, there were record floods in the region. In the neighbouring community of <a href="http://ropergulf.nt.gov.au/our-communities/beswick/">Beswick/Wugularr</a>, a number of coffins rose to the surface. No-one knew who was in them. </p>
<p>In the past, the dead have also been accidentally unearthed at Barunga by those digging new graves. Today, family members select grave sites after consulting the <em>Junggayi</em>, the senior traditional custodian.</p>
<p>This is a Territory-wide problem: the result of <a href="http://sociology.iresearchnet.com/sociology-of-race/structural-or-institutional-racism/">structural racism</a>. Like the infamous <a href="https://www.monash.edu/law/research/centres/castancentre/our-research-areas/indigenous-research/the-northern-territory-intervention/the-northern-territory-intervention-an-evaluation/what-is-the-northern-territory-intervention">Northern Territory National Emergency Response</a> of 2007, race-based discrimination is enacted through geography. While the graves of people in <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/thousands-of-aboriginal-people-have-been-buried-in-unmarked-graves-in-the-northern-territory/news-story/153cfd29a7ffee12abbfa2edb62683d1">major towns must be registered</a>, it has not been compulsory to record the location of graves of Aboriginal people in remote areas. The situation dates back to 1890s laws enacted when the South Australian government administered the NT. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/thousands-of-aboriginal-people-have-been-buried-in-unmarked-graves-in-the-northern-territory/news-story/153cfd29a7ffee12abbfa2edb62683d1">spokeswoman for the NT government</a> has said new cemeteries legislation is being drafted and will be available for public consultation in October this year. “The new legislation will have similar requirements for urban and regional cemeteries,” she said.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229937/original/file-20180731-176698-1dx174c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jasmine Willika (right) with her mother, Rachael Kendino, try to identify graves at Barunga, which include Jasmine’s sister and her grandmother.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Claire Smith</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, remote commmunities need money to employ people to record graves. “The government needs to allocate resources to solve this problem,” says Barunga resident Helen Lee. “It is not going to solve itself. Across the Territory, there has been 150 years of neglect.”</p>
<p>In the meantime, graves must be identified. While some remote communities are tiny and/or recent, others have been around for more than 100 years. The bigger ones could have hundreds of unmarked graves.</p>
<h2>A community calls for help</h2>
<p>In April this year, community elder Guy Rankin called Claire Smith and Gary Jackson asking us to record the Barunga graveyard. We had undertaken this work in 2013, in response to a community request, but the work needed updating. In June, <a href="http://ropergulf.nt.gov.au/">Roper Gulf Regional Council</a>, which has administrative responsibilities for a number of remote communities including Barunga, also contacted us. Our task was to number the graves at Barunga cemetery and record biographical details of the deceased as told to us by community elders.</p>
<p>To ensure this information can be passed on to a local authority, we developed a map and recorded archaeological information about each grave, such as the ornaments left by family members.</p>
<p>The community of Barunga was established in 1951. Prior to that, Aboriginal people in this area were mostly hunter gatherers. Though traditional burial practices, like <a href="https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/1125509"><em>lorrkon</em></a> and rockshelter burials, persisted for many years after Aboriginal people moved into communities, over time cemeteries became the norm. We estimate that the first burials at Barunga occurred in the 1960s. People were wrapped in cloth or calico. Coffins came later. </p>
<p>This year we (and students from the <a href="https://barungafieldschool.wordpress.com/">Community Archaeology Field School</a>) recorded 174 graves. Only 25 of these have plaques identifying them as belonging to a particular individual. Our research team encompasses both university staff and people from the community, including Jasmine Willika, who is studying archaeology. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229378/original/file-20180726-106527-sy5xaj.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gary Jackson records a grave number on a star picket.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Claire Smith</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first step is to number each grave and mark it with a star picket. We then visit the cemetery with community members, trying to identify who is in the unmarked graves. This complex process is repeated many times, with different people. They will likely remember recent deaths within their family, but after ten or so years it becomes harder to be sure that this person is in this exact grave, not the one next to it — or over a little.</p>
<p>Sometimes, one person’s memory will spark that of another. We record whom identified who with a particular grave. If the same identification occurs a number of times we feel secure in putting a name to it. This cross-checking is essential to the reliability of the data.</p>
<p>So far, we have identified 30 individuals using this process. That leaves 119 still unknown. After identification, we record a deceased person’s moiety, clan and kinship relationships.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229178/original/file-20180725-194131-1x91w6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vanessa Wakelin and Rusalka Rubio Perez record grave information on tablets.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Dylan Benedetto</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is a challenge to catch everyone, as these are mobile communities. Though there is a small <a href="https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/4983111/barunga-store-opens-its-doors/#slide=4">shop at Barunga</a>, it’s expensive. People regularly go to Katherine to shop or deal with government agencies, or travel to other communities to visit relatives — or attend funerals. </p>
<p>We record the dimensions of the grave, its orientation and stylistic features on a tablet, in a form that has the capacity to act as a burial register. We hope to fill in some blanks with information from official death registers. If we are able to “bracket” a grave with the names of people on either side, we can cross-reference the death dates of those people with other community deaths registered at that time. However, it is too late to identify many of those buried in the early graves.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229169/original/file-20180724-194124-1iwyzoy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jordan Ralph, Antoinette Hennessy, Nell Brown, Rachael Kendino, Elizabeth Coleman, Claire Smith.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Gary Jackson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So far, we have only identified graves from their surface appearance. Our next step will be using ground-penetrating radar in the older parts of the cemetery. The ground in these sections is mostly flat. However, the radar can identify anomalies where earth has been disturbed. This will make it possible to respect individual graves, even if the people in them cannot be identified.</p>
<p>When our work at Barunga is completed there will be a recording system in place and a burial register managed by local Aboriginal people. This will help in planning the location of future graves. The community plans to place headstones on each grave, with those on unidentified graves perhaps identifying them as belonging to a Barunga elder.</p>
<p>We have also established a research group, called <a href="https://graveconcerns.org">Grave Concerns</a>, and plan to work in other communities, training Aboriginal people across the NT in recording graves.</p>
<h2>Burial practices in Barunga today</h2>
<p>Today, Aboriginal burial practices at Barunga include elements of both traditional and Christian belief systems. Usually, there is a Christian service in the <a href="https://australianindigenousministries.org.au/barunga/">Barunga church</a>.</p>
<p>It is normal practice for a dead person to be brought to the community the day before. The coffin is placed in a bough shelter built for the occasion. It is wrapped in yellow and red cloth. This complies with the cultural rule that the light colours of the Yirritja moiety should be joined with the darker colours of the Dhuwa moiety. During the night and in the morning, family members spend private time with the deceased.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229168/original/file-20180724-194158-1jmv7tb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People walking to the Barunga cemetery for the funeral of W. Willika in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Claire Smith</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Barunga has a population of around 350 people. Virtually the entire community walks to the cemetery. People dress in black and white. At the grave, the songs are normally Christian, but Aboriginal in enactment. The songs are sung in <a href="http://maiaponsonnet.com/?p=375">Kriol</a>, accompanied by elegant hand and arm movements that expand on, or embody, their meanings. There may or may not be a pastor.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229182/original/file-20180725-194152-bslwtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Close family members and friends of W. Willika prior to his burial at Barunga cemetery in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Matthew Ebbs</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For Jasmine Willika, the quest to identify remote graves at Barunga is deeply personal. “This is my family, my blood,” she says.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My grandmother, Lilly Willika, was a very strong cultural woman. When I hear about her, I feel like I can follow in her footsteps. I have cultural knowledge passed down from her. That helps in doing archaeology. </p>
<p>Her grave is at Barunga cemetery, but I don’t know where. I want my children’s children to know where they can find my old grandmother and other family members.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p><em>Photographs published with the permission of Traditional Owners and Custodians.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Smith's fieldwork at Barunga has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Ian Potter Foundation and Flinders University. In the response to the needs outlined in this article, she has established a research service through Flinders University, called Grave Concerns, to identify unmarked graves in remote Aboriginal communities.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary Jacksons is working with Claire Smith to provide a service to identify unmarked graves in remote Aboriginal communities.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Ralph receives funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Flinders University to support his research into modern material culture and graffiti in the Aboriginal community of Barunga, Northern Territory. He is working with Claire Smith to provide a service to identify unmarked graves in remote Aboriginal communities.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jasmine Willika is working with Claire Smith to provide a service to identify unmarked graves in remote Aboriginal communities.</span></em></p>In remote Northern Territory, most Aboriginal people have been buried in unmarked graves. Archaelogists are carrying out painstaking detective work to help communities find their loved ones’ remains.Claire Smith, Professor of Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders UniversityGary Jackson, Research Associate in Archaeology, Flinders UniversityJordan Ralph, PhD Candidate, Archaeology, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/923512018-05-08T20:15:21Z2018-05-08T20:15:21ZIndigenous communities are reworking urban planning, but planners need to accept their history<p><em>This is the sixth article in our series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/cities-for-everyone-53005">Cities for Everyone</a>, which explores how members of different communities experience and shape our cities, and how we can create better public spaces for everyone.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Nearly 80% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0%7E2016%7EMain%20Features%7EAboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20Population%20Article%7E12">live in urban areas</a> but cities often exclude and marginalise them. </p>
<p>Urban planning and policy have been central to this, and the harms can be seen in key moments and processes that have shaped Australia’s urban environments. </p>
<p>Today, Indigenous people continue to be seen as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/apr/09/indigenous-people-are-being-displaced-again-by-gentrification-aboriginal-redfern-west-end-fitzroy">“out of place” in the city</a>. Their rights and interests remain largely invisible in urban history, policy and planning practice. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-we-meaningfully-recognise-cities-as-indigenous-places-65561">How can we meaningfully recognise cities as Indigenous places?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To rectify the unequal place of Indigenous peoples in our cities and work towards urban land justice, we need to consider the planning processes that have contributed to the marginalisation of Indigenous people over the course of Australian history.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217393/original/file-20180503-153891-fs7mij.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The draining of the West Melbourne Swamp, a significant wetland for Aboriginal people, began in the 1870s under the supervision of the Public Works Department.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/93001">Henry L Cox (Henry Laird)/SLV</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Planning segregation and assimilation</h2>
<p>Planning has long imagined that social problems can be resolved through spatial organisation and design. It is an activity that occurred even before the profession of “planning” emerged in the 20th century.</p>
<p>The earliest activities of Australian settlement dismissed Indigenous systems of law and governance. Colonial agents such as surveyors, cartographers, Aboriginal protectors and governors sought to remove people from growing towns. They used maps, zones and boundaries to control Indigenous peoples’ movement and to symbolically erase their connections with landscapes.</p>
<p>Populations were segregated on the basis of race as small Aboriginal reserves were established, supposedly to “protect and civilise” Indigenous people. As expanding cities consumed more land and became denser, white anxiety about the threat of disease grew. </p>
<p>But these concerns did not consider the living conditions of the Indigenous nations. Aboriginal people were considered a “threat” to public health. In the minds of officials, this called for their containment and surveillance in reserves, which were pushed further away from urban areas, becoming smaller and more neglected.</p>
<p>Town boundaries were drawn and curfews set to regulate when and where Indigenous people used urban space. These were widely adopted practices. In places like Brisbane, Darwin, Perth and Broome, boundaries were used to control the movement, as well as economic and social opportunities, of Aboriginal people for decades. These practices extended well into the 20th century.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=247&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217673/original/file-20180504-153884-1rs4tvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coranderrk was one of six reserves in Victoria made to contain, regulate, civilise, convert to Christianity and oversee Aboriginal people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://search.slv.vic.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=MAIN&search_scope=default_scope&docId=SLV_VOYAGER1809813&fn=permalink">State Library of Victoria</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Australian Indigenous policy shifted away from segregation towards assimilation, planning reflected and enacted this change. Reserves close to towns were closed and sold off. <a href="http://coranderrk.com/wordpress/">Coranderrk</a> Reserve near Melbourne was closed in 1924. In the 1950s, the Kahlin Compound in Darwin was closed and its population moved to the more distant Bagot Reserve. </p>
<p>Aboriginal people were compelled to move out of these now-isolated reserves and back into urban areas. Inner-city suburbs, such as Redfern in Sydney and <a href="http://aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au/SnapshotsofAboriginalFitzroy.pdf">Fitzroy</a> in Melbourne, became important places for sustaining social and political communities.</p>
<p>These inner-urban sites and communities were swept up in the wider urban renewal agenda that redeveloped cities through rezoning and the provision of new public housing. This was seen as way to resolve poverty. </p>
<p>Yet as the 1997 <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice/publications/bringing-them-home-stolen">Bringing Them Home</a> report noted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The provision of public housing for Indigenous families brought them into conflict with government authorities and thereby at increased risk of having their children taken. For example, strict limits on visitors staying in public housing and restrictions on the number of family members that could live together took no account of Indigenous family and community relationships.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217447/original/file-20180503-153878-7jck35.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aboriginal communities maintained a strong presence in Fitzroy and Collingwood until the 1950s, when the Housing Commission demolished large ‘slum’ areas and relocated their occupants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Housing_Commission_High_Rise_Collingwood.JPG">Nick Carson/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Urban policy and planning <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/nov/22/can-indigenous-culture-ever-coexist-with-urban-planning">continue to perpetuate</a> the perception that Indigenous people have no authentic place in urban areas.</p>
<p>However, none of these discriminatory policies and practices has ever gone <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/06/24/jenny-munro-brings-tent-embassy-back-redfern">unchallenged by Indigenous people</a>. While it remains very difficult for Aboriginal peoples whose traditional country is now urbanised to achieve land justice, innovative solutions are being found in the face of these challenges.</p>
<h2>Towards urban land justice</h2>
<p>Indigenous-led initiatives under way today show how communities are reworking planning to achieve their aspirations. The land use agreements negotiated by the Yawuru native title holders of the Broome area provide a framework for reclaiming and using planning to realise <a href="http://www.yawuru.com/our-organisation/nyamba-buru-yawuru-about/">local visions</a> for commercial and residential development. <a href="http://iadv.org.au">Indigenous Architecture Design Victoria</a> is leading new ways of planning and designing built environments.</p>
<p>Within the planning profession, this critical issue is starting to gain more attention. The Queensland government has <a href="https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/indigenous-rights-in-land-use-planning-strengthened-in-queensland/">passed legislation</a> that acknowledges that planning should value, protect and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, values and traditions. </p>
<p>The Planning Institute of Australia adopted an <a href="https://www.planning.org.au/documents/item/48">education policy</a> in 2016 that calls for all accredited tertiary planning degrees to address the relationship between Indigenous peoples and planning. This requires teachers and students to engage more deeply with the histories, theories and ethics of the profession. These are welcome early steps. </p>
<p>In the long term, advancing a genuine and just relationship between planning and Indigenous peoples means sharing the right to shape the course of urban development and to define what the problems are and what values matter. Planning thinking, methods, approaches and practice must continue to shift to support that aspiration.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Libby Porter, Sue Jackson and Louise Johnson are authors of a recent book, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Planning-in-Indigenous-Australia-From-Imperial-Foundations-to-Postcolonial/Jackson-Porter-Johnson/p/book/9781138909984">Planning in Indigenous Australia: From imperial foundations to postcolonial futures</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>You can find the other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/cities-for-everyone-53005">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Libby Porter receives funding from Australia Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Clare Johnson and Sue Jackson do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While planning policies and practices have contributed to marginalising Indigenous people, planners can now work with them to ensure they have their rightful say in shaping Australian communities.Libby Porter, Vice-Chancellor's Principal Research Fellow, RMIT UniversityLouise Clare Johnson, Professor of Australian Studies and Geography, Deakin UniversitySue Jackson, Professor, ARC Future Fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/942872018-04-04T20:03:19Z2018-04-04T20:03:19ZIndigenous voices are speaking loudly on social media but racism endures<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213082/original/file-20180404-189827-q8090t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Social media are a vital resource for Indigenous Australians, connecting them to community and culture, helping identify those at risk of suicide or self-harm, and offering a powerful outlet for political activism. But racism is a major problem for Indigenous people online. </p>
<p>A new report, <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/social-media-mob-being-indigenous-online">Social Media Mob: Being Indigenous Online</a>, unpacks the complex role social media play in the lives of Indigenous Australians. The research, conducted via qualitative interviews and an online survey, found the most popular social media platforms for participants were Facebook (for family and community posts) and Twitter (for more political activities). Younger people also used Snapchat and Instagram.</p>
<p>Many said social media allowed them to feel more connected to their Indigenous identity — particularly those affected by historical disconnections from community and culture. More than 80% of participants said they openly identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander on social media. As one said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My Aboriginality is the focal point of my identity both in society and online. Specifically, on Facebook, my photos and page, groups and friends all highlight my Aboriginality.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, more than half of respondents said they were “selective” about what they had posted online, for fear of attracting racist or violent responses. Over 50% said that sometimes they chose not to identify as Indigenous online. As one participant explained: “It’s sometimes safer to not identify as Aboriginal due to discrimination and prejudice.” </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/12-deadly-indigenous-australian-social-media-users-to-follow-66479">12 deadly Indigenous Australian social media users to follow</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In the survey, 88% of respondents said they had seen examples of racism towards Indigenous people on social media. Most common was the doubting of identity and the use of memes depicting Indigenous people in a derogatory manner, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305117738993">often in the guise of a joke</a>. </p>
<p>More than a third of respondents had personally been subjected to racism, 21% had received threats by other users on social media and 17% indicated these had impacted their “offline” lives. </p>
<p>Some respondents reported being questioned over whether they were “really Indigenous”, with critics drawing on stereotypical ideas — particularly about skin colour. As one put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am not too open about my Indigenous background on social media sites because I am light skinned and have found that people pass judgment and make assumptions.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Many positives</h2>
<p>Despite this, Indigenous people highlighted many positives to social media. These have become a significant avenue for <a href="http://journal.acs.org.au/index.php/ajis/article/view/1174/687">both seeking and providing help</a>, in areas such as employment, legal services, education, wellbeing and, perhaps most urgently, for those at risk of self-harm and suicide.</p>
<p>Indigenous suicide rates consistently rank among the highest in the world. In our research, 48% of respondents said social media made them feel more likely to be able to identify someone at risk of self-harm or suicide. Indeed several had followed up on social media posts by asking friends, family or police to check in physically on someone. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I remember one young man was writing some, well, it seemed quite suicidal thoughts on that [Facebook]. So, it ended up a bunch of us actually rallying together to make sure that police were sent around and went to that person’s place and it was all OK. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Social media also enabled some participants to reach out for help on issues relating to mental health. These kinds of online practices suggest social media offer a potentially effective platform for developing culturally appropriate suicide interventions and prevention programs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-suicide-rates-in-the-kimberley-seven-times-national-average-61502">Indigenous suicide rates in the Kimberley seven times national average</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While Indigenous Australians remain under-represented politically, 79% of our respondents indicated they were politically active online. Social media have profoundly redistributed power of communication, with mainstream media no longer having such a strong hold on the public narrative. </p>
<p>Recent Indigenous-led and social-media-driven campaigns like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/01/sosblakaustralia-stop-the-forced-closure-of-aboriginal-communities-indigenousx">#SoSBlakAustralia</a>, which sought to stop the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-06/indigenous-dads-counter-bill-leak-cartoon-with-stories/7697668">#IndigenousDads</a> demonstrate <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-29/luke-pearson-social-media-amplifying-indigenous-voices/8349862">how Indigenous people use social media</a> to make their voices heard. Both trended on social media and were creative strategies for resisting, subverting and challenging the political status quo.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"893107297458634752"}"></div></p>
<p>Our research shows social media are “different” for Indigenous people. For instance, whereas young people often dismiss Facebook as a place where their parents gather, we found that younger Indigenous Australians are using it to connect to older relatives. </p>
<p>Facebook has also provided an avenue to reconnect for people displaced from their families by past government policies and practices. This may be an important process in the future also, given the numbers of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/24/indigenous-children-in-foster-care-these-kids-cant-see-their-families-if-i-dont-help-them">Indigenous children in out-of-home care</a>. </p>
<p>Indigenous people are also bound by cultural protocols and norms and are not necessarily free to post without consideration for the collective. This is particularly the case for issues related to death. </p>
<p>Despite legitimate concerns about the impact of social media in the wake of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cambridge-analytica-scandal-facebooks-user-engagement-and-trust-decline-93814.">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a>, it’s important to acknowledge that these play a crucial role in the lives of many Indigenous Australians. </p>
<p>For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, who globally tend to fare worse on many social metrics — income, education, life expectancy, political representation, cultural safety — social media can help facilitate vital networks of support, care and knowledge.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94287/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bronwyn Carlson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ryan Frazer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new report unpacks the complex role social media play in the lives of Indigenous Australians.Bronwyn Carlson, Professor, Indigenous Studies, Macquarie UniversityRyan Frazer, Associate Research Fellow, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/918352018-02-19T18:48:14Z2018-02-19T18:48:14ZWe won’t close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts off Indigenous housing support<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206708/original/file-20180216-131029-9en0up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A remote community in the Cape York region of Queensland.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent Closing the Gap <a href="https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/">report</a> has highlighted the <a href="https://theconversation.com/closing-the-gap-results-still-lag-as-shorten-pledges-compensation-fund-for-stolen-generations-91633">lack of progress</a> in Indigenous affairs since the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2017/02/13/10-things-you-should-know-about-national-apology">apology</a> to the Stolen Generations a decade ago. Although not a specific target, safe, appropriate and affordable housing is acknowledged to be a fundamental building block for improving the well-being of Aboriginal people and closing the gap on many of the target indicators. For these reasons, it is unfortunate to learn the Commonwealth may be <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/federal-government-backtrack-on-nt-remote-housing-pledge/news-story/25975b1ac83cff7ea93f67cf44da238b#.e7dt9">seeking to withdraw</a> its <a href="http://insidestory.org.au/tactics-undermining-strategy-in-indigenous-housing/">support for remote Indigenous housing programs</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-and-policy-bulletins/216">Our research</a> and that of others provides evidence these programs are producing significant improvements. A sustained Commonwealth commitment to remote housing programs is essential for closing the gap. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-reasons-why-the-gaps-between-indigenous-and-non-indigenous-australians-arent-closing-91561">Three reasons why the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians aren’t closing</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Crowding and inadequate housing are linked to poor physical and mental health. They result in higher rates of infectious diseases such as rheumatic fever and eye and ear infections, emotional stress and conflict in the home. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/Publications/housing-health.pdf">A New South Wales study</a> demonstrated that in communities whose housing was improved, the rate of hospital admissions for infectious diseases was 40% less than in communities where no housing improvements had taken place. Other research has shown that poor housing has negative impacts on educational and employment outcomes. </p>
<h2>Job is only half done</h2>
<p>The central role of housing in Closing the Gap was acknowledged in 2007 when the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) established a 10-year A$5.5 billion <a href="https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/implementation-national-partnership-agreement-remote-indigenous-housing-nt">remote Indigenous building and refurbishment program</a>. This aimed to bring living standards in remote Indigenous communities to the same standards as comparable locations elsewhere, and to improve the management and maintenance of houses. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Commonwealth review found houses like this one built under the remote housing program had improved conditions in Indigenous communities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Last October, a federal government <a href="https://pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/remote-housing-review">review of the remote Indigenous housing program</a> found crowding has been reduced and housing management is more consistent and effective. But the job remains half done. Importantly, levels of household crowding (no more than two persons per bedroom) in remote communities are still around 37%. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-and-policy-bulletins/216">Our research</a> tells a similar story. Crowding remains high in some locations. There are problems of fairness and efficiency in the application of mainstream rent settings. There are also questions about the most effective model of housing delivery and who should be responsible for it. </p>
<p>However, in the five communities we examined in three states, we found the program had led to significant improvements on a range of indicators. This was particularly evident when the housing was managed by an Indigenous housing provider that employed Indigenous people and provided a culturally adaptive service.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-close-the-health-gap-we-need-programs-that-work-here-are-three-of-them-91482">To close the health gap, we need programs that work. Here are three of them</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>The complexities of remote settings mean that for these gains to be maintained and continued, the Commonwealth needs to maintain its commitment. Delivering and maintaining housing in remote locations is costly, so subsidies will be needed in most regions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On the road to the APY Lands in South Australia, a remote region where the costs of providing and maintaining housing require subsidies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Commonwealth oversight is also essential to ensure appropriate regulatory frameworks are in place. Monitoring and quality assurance procedures are needed to maintain standards. </p>
<p>The building and refurbishment program was <a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/housing/national-partnership-agreements">revised and renegotiated</a> with the states and the Northern Territory in 2016. That program ends this June. To date, there has been no indication of what will replace it. </p>
<p>Most worrying are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/22/indigenous-minister-under-fire-over-funding-for-remote-housing">reports</a> that <a href="https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2017/12/Commonwealth-abandons-indigenous-Australia-axes-remote-housing-deal.aspx">Western Australia</a>, <a href="https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/index.php/zoe-bettison-news-releases/8581-scullion-s-cuts-to-remote-housing-will-put-pressure-on-northern-territory-communities">South Australia</a> and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-31/indigenous-housing-scheme-under-threat-funding-runs-out/9376358">Queensland</a> have been advised that remote Indigenous housing is a state responsibility and that Commonwealth funding may end when the current program ends. Even in the Northern Territory, which had seemed quarantined from these developments because of the extent of the housing crisis in remote communities there, <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/northern-territory/federal-government-backtrack-on-nt-remote-housing-pledge/news-story/25975b1ac83cff7ea93f67cf44da238b#.e7dt9">there are signs that the Commonwealth may withdraw its commitment</a> to addressing this.</p>
<p>If this is true, it’s likely the political commitment to improvement will wane, investment will decline and gains in housing standards will reverse. </p>
<h2>At risk of losing hard-won gains</h2>
<p>In 10 or 20 years’ time, we might once again be looking at a housing crisis in remote Indigenous communities. </p>
<p>To avoid such a policy failure – and its implications for Indigenous well-being – it’s time for governments to recognise that real progress can only be made if they stop turning Indigenous programs off after they have been positively evaluated. They need to accept that improvements will be slow and what’s needed is incremental, consistent and preferably bipartisan commitment over the medium to long term.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Improvements have been delivered to remote communities, like this playground in the East Kimberley region, but much work remains to be done.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Current arrangements for remote Indigenous housing are not perfect, but our work suggests that, at this stage, a hybrid model is likely to be most effective. This is one that involves a partnership between state housing departments and knowledgeable, preferably Indigenous, third-party providers delivering a culturally appropriate service. </p>
<p>There are also opportunities to explore new models of housing delivery. These could leverage off the Indigenous estate and engage with the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community housing sector. Any model should contribute to the sustainability of communities by maximising opportunities for local partnerships and employment for local Indigenous people. </p>
<p>Without ongoing Commonwealth engagement and investment, remote Indigenous housing policy risks remaining stuck in a depressing cycle of government neglect, public crisis, too-rapid policy development and change, and a return to failure. It will become yet another sorry example of political agendas obstructing good policy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91835/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daphne Habibis receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Phibbs receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Henry Halloran Trust at the University of Sydney</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rhonda Phillips is affiliated with the Palm Island Community Company. </span></em></p>Decent housing underpins the Closing the Gap goals, with a decade-long national remote housing program having made measurable progress. If the Commonwealth pulls out now, hard-won gains could be lost.Daphne Habibis, Associate Professor, University of TasmaniaPeter Phibbs, Director, Henry Halloran Trust, University of SydneyRhonda Phillips, Adjunct Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/739582017-03-08T19:26:23Z2017-03-08T19:26:23ZDNA reveals Aboriginal people had a long and settled connection to country<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159880/original/image-20170308-14957-1fhegb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On expedition with Norman Tindale and local Aboriginal group at a rock shelter at Bathurst Head (Thartali) in eastern Cape York Peninsula, 1927
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Herbert Hale/South Australian Museum, Archives Norman Tindale Collection (AA 338/5/4/41) </span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Historic hair samples collected from Aboriginal people show that following an initial migration 50,000 years ago, populations spread rapidly around the east and west coasts of Australia.</p>
<p>Our research, <a href="http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature21416">published in Nature today</a>, also shows that once settled, Aboriginal groups remained in their discrete geographical regions right up until the arrival of Europeans a few hundred years ago.</p>
<p>So where does the evidence for this rapid migration and long settlement come from?</p>
<h2>Early expeditions</h2>
<p>In a series of remarkable expeditions that ran from the 1920s to 1960s, scientists travelled widely across the Australian outback. They recorded as much anthropological information as possible about Aboriginal Australians. </p>
<p>They recorded film and audio, drawings, songlines, genealogies and extensive physical measurements under tough outback conditions. This included packing in the equipment on camels for the early trips. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159881/original/image-20170308-14934-4f53p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alan Rau, EO Stocker and Herbert Wilkinson on an expedition party departing for a day’s trip from Cockatoo Creek, Central Australia, 1931.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">South Australian Museum Archives Norman Tindale Collection (AA 338/5/7/8)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The extensive collections from the <a href="http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collections/information-resources/archives/board-for-anthropological-research-aa-346">Board for Anthropological Expeditions</a> are now curated in the South Australian Museum. They contain the vast majority of the black and white film footage you may have seen of traditional Aboriginal culture, songs, hunting practices and ceremonies. </p>
<p>The metadata collected was voluminous. It now comprises possibly the best anthropological collection of an indigenous people in the world. </p>
<h2>Locked in the hair</h2>
<p>But perhaps the biggest scientific contributions may yet turn out to be hidden within small locks of hair. </p>
<p>These were collected with permission (such as it was given in the situation and era) for a minor project to study the variation of Aboriginal hair types across Australia.</p>
<p>But the hair clippings turn out to preserve an incredible record of the genetic diversity and distribution of Indigenous Australia prior to European disruption. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R6LzbKszKhQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Importantly, the detailed genealogical data collected with each sample allows the genetic lineages to be placed on the map back through several generations. </p>
<p>This allowed us to reconstruct the genetic structure within Australia prior to the forced relocation of Aboriginal people to missions and stations, sometimes thousands of kilometres from their traditional lands.</p>
<h2>Reconnecting histories</h2>
<p>This project was only possible through partnership with Aboriginal families and communities. So we needed to design an ethical framework and protocol for such unprecedented work. </p>
<p>This was based on large amounts of archival research performed by our team members in the Aboriginal Family History Unit of the South Australian Museum, to locate and contact the original donors, or their descendants and family elders. </p>
<p>We arranged a meeting time, and then the combined team spent several days in each Aboriginal community talking to individual families about the project, and passing on copies of the archival material. </p>
<p>We discussed both the potential and pitfalls of genetic research, and answered common questions. These included why the results cannot be used for land claim issues (insufficient geographical resolution) or as a test of Aboriginality (which is a cultural, rather than genetic, association).</p>
<p>The feedback from communities was overwhelmingly positive. There was a strong interest in how a genetic map of Aboriginal Australia could help people of the stolen generation to reconnect with family and country. </p>
<p>It could also help facilitate the repatriation of Aboriginal samples and artefacts held in museums.</p>
<h2>The DNA results</h2>
<p>The initial genetic results not only reveal exciting insights into the deep genetic history of the continent, but also showcase the enormous potential of our project.</p>
<p>We mapped the maternal genetic lineages onto the birthplace of the oldest recorded maternal ancestor (sometimes two to three generations back) and found there were striking patterns of Australia’s genetic past. </p>
<p>There were many very deep genetic branches, stretching back 45,000 to 50,000 years. We compared these dates to records of the earliest archaeological sites around Australia. We found that the people appear to have arrived in Australia almost exactly 50,000 years ago. </p>
<h2>Early migration</h2>
<p>Those first Australians entered a landmass we collectively call “<a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/sahul-pleistocene-continent-172704">Sahul</a>”, where New Guinea was connected to Australia. </p>
<p>The Gulf of Carpentaria was a massive fresh water lake at the time and most likely a very attractive place for the founding population. </p>
<p>The genetic lineages show that the first Aboriginal populations swept around the coasts of Australia in two parallel waves. One went clockwise and the other counter-clockwise, before meeting somewhere in South Australia. </p>
<p>The occupation of the coasts was rapid, perhaps taking no longer than 2,000 to 3,000 years. But after that, the genetic patterns suggest that populations quickly settled down into specific territory or country, and have moved very little since.</p>
<p>The genetic lineages within each region are clearly very divergent. They tell us that people – once settled in a particular landscape – stayed connected within their realms for up to 50,000 years despite huge environmental and climate changes.</p>
<p>We should remember that this is about ten times as long as all of the European history we’re commonly taught.</p>
<p>This pattern is very unusual elsewhere in the world, and underlines why there might be such remarkable Aboriginal cultural and spiritual connection to land and country. </p>
<p>As Kaurna Elder, Lewis O’Brien, one of the original hair donors and part of the advisory group for the study, put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Aboriginal people have always known that we have been on our land since the start of our time, but it is important to have science show that to the rest of the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p><em>There is more information on this work by the Aboriginal History Protect available in this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrj2iJKdUdbzEicopZtCAGZ0T1M6b6zQT">series of videos</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73958/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Cooper receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ray Tobler is supported by an ARC Indigenous Discovery Award. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Wolfgang Haak receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Aboriginal people stayed settled in places across Australia for 50,000 years until Europeans arrived, showing a strong connection with the land.Alan Cooper, Director, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of AdelaideRay Tobler, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National UniversityWolfgang Haak, Group Leader Molecular Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of GeoanthropologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/693442016-11-28T19:15:37Z2016-11-28T19:15:37ZAboriginal communities embrace technology, but they have unique cyber safety challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147681/original/image-20161128-32046-hai9lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Smartphones and other devices are popular in indigenous communities throughout Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Peled</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many people living in remote Aboriginal communities, mobile devices are the sole means of accessing the internet. However, when the use of mobile devices oversteps social and cultural lines, it can have serious consequences for individuals and their families. </p>
<p>While some people avoid social media and online financial transactions as a protective measure, this can result in new forms of digital exclusion.</p>
<p><a href="http://apo.org.au/resource/cyber-safety-remote-aboriginal-communities-and-towns-interim-report">Our research</a> into online risks, carried out in central Australia and Cape York, reveals unique problems in remote communities, many of which are caused by the sharing of devices.</p>
<p>For instance, some young people are using others’ social media accounts to deliberately overstep cultural authority. Borrowing or taking someone’s phone and transferring credit to another phone without permission is also causing financial hardship, particularly for older people. </p>
<p>The sharing of devices leads to insecure banking, causing some to avoid online banking and Centrelink accounts altogether. It can also mean that text messages are received by people they were not intended for, leading some people to smash phones or destroy SIM cards.</p>
<h2>Consequences</h2>
<p>The consequences of social media communication can be serious in a remote Aboriginal community. </p>
<p>For instance, a young person using someone else’s social media account without the owner’s permission might exacerbate existing inter-family tensions. This can cause conflicts to spread from a group of teens to their adult relatives, causing a “wildfire” of community fights. </p>
<p>Acts that might seem benign in other contexts, like flirting through a dating site, can breach cultural law (“wrong way” relationships), resulting in ostracism with <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v19i0.1174">mental health consequences</a>. </p>
<p>Aboriginal people have systems for dealing with offline transgressions before they get out of hand. But <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/taja.12091">authority lines may not work</a> where communication is across multiple communities or if elders are absent from social media platforms. </p>
<p>In places where authority is already diminished, unsanctioned acts of recompense can make cyber safety an issue of immediate safety.</p>
<p>Individual protective measures against device theft and account hacking, such as concealing devices in clothing, may ensure cyber safety on one level. But these can also be damaging to kinship relationships as traditional routines of exchange and sharing practices are disrupted. </p>
<p>Community leaders and groups are experimenting with extraordinary measures, including switching off public Wi-Fi hotspots when cyber-bullying incidents threaten to escalate into community violence. Some communities have refused mobile infrastructure altogether.</p>
<h2>Solutions</h2>
<p>While the advent of mobile telephony in remote areas may be creating new problems, mobile phones and internet access are important. Social media is connecting families across vast distances, including with relatives needing to live in town for education or medical reasons. </p>
<p>In the absence of home telephones and internet, mobile phones are often the only means for individuals to access online services, such as e-government sites and internet banking. </p>
<p>Empowering people to use applications such as internet banking could also help overcome the kind of exploitation revealed through the <a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/general-store-in-mintabie-in-the-apy-lands-took-nearly-1-million-from-local-aborigines-bank-accounts/news-story/4481193f1bc398154408ea93db76b036">“book up” theft</a> in Mintabie, South Australia, in which A$1 million was stolen from local Aboriginal people’s bank accounts by a store keeper.</p>
<p>Paying attention to how different groups use technology can assist in determining how device and platform features evolve in ways that suit everyone.</p>
<p>We found that older people in remote communities and towns need assistance to learn how to set passwords, block people from social media and avoid scams. </p>
<p>However, we are finding that while simple security measures can make a big difference, they are not always failsafe. </p>
<p>“Find my phone” apps can be useful for when a device is “borrowed” and not returned, but the user will need access to a second device to track the first. </p>
<p>Biometric security may assist people to keep their phones from being used by others, but PINs and passwords can generally override these measures, and social pressure to share passwords can mitigate device security. </p>
<p>Further technological measures, such as filtering certain sites, or instituting a “kill switch” on a Wi-Fi network when tensions arise may give the community control, but are not likely to be accepted in larger towns where businesses and tourists rely on and expect internet freedoms.</p>
<p>Finally, we found that the term “cyber safety” is not necessarily recognised in remote communities. Instead, the word for “protection” is favoured, which suggests a far more pro-active set of behaviours, including a social obligation to watch out not only for oneself but for the entire social and family group as well. </p>
<p>While this obligation to defend each other can sometimes escalate instances of online violence in remote communities, it also demands an active rather than passive approach to online risks, a collaboratively defensive attitude that may be key to communities developing their own responses.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research on cyber safety in remote Aboriginal communities and towns was commissioned by Telstra as part of its 2015-2018 Reconciliation Action Plan. Eleanor Hogan and Indigo Holcombe-James also contributed to the research. Ellie Rennie is a voluntary member of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network's Independent Grants Panel. She is also a Director of the Community Broadcasting Foundation and a Director of EngageMedia. She receives research funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research on cyber safety in remote Aboriginal communities and towns was commissioned by Telstra as part of its 2015-2018 Reconciliation Action Plan. Tyson lives on occupied Aboriginal land and is a member of the Aboriginal community, which has never ceded sovereignty. </span></em></p>Cyber safety can mean a different thing for those living in remote Indigenous communities, and it needs to be managed carefully.Ellie Rennie, Deputy Director, Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of TechnologyTyson Yunkaporta, Senior Lecturer Health, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/657892016-11-24T23:15:47Z2016-11-24T23:15:47ZWhy we need to educate journalists about Aboriginal women’s experience of family violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/146858/original/image-20161121-4528-1r3gear.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Journalists need to understand the complexities of Aboriginal family violence</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Joe Castro</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If violence against women is a <a href="http://plan4womenssafety.dss.gov.au/the-national-plan/what-is-the-national-plan/">national priority</a>, and Aboriginal women are disproportionately affected, then the experiences of Aboriginal women need to be valued, made visible and reported on appropriately.</p>
<p>According to the Council of Australian Governments, <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/08_2014/national_plan1.pdf">gendered family violence</a> is one of:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… the most pervasive forms of violence experienced by women in Australia.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But if you are a Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal woman, you are <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/women/programs-services/reducing-violence/the-national-plan-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-their-children-2010-2022">35 times</a> more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience family violence. </p>
<p>These statistics <a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-are-indigenous-women-34-80-times-more-likely-than-average-to-experience-violence-61809">vary</a> depending on where you live and your access to resources including support. But one thing is for sure: Aboriginal women in Australia experience family violence at a disproportionate level.</p>
<h2>Absent in the media</h2>
<p>The media is <a href="http://awava.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Working-with-News-and-Social-Media-A-Strategic-Framework-for-Victoria.pdf">“a powerful setting for, and influencer of, social change”</a>, especially in the area of primary prevention of family violence. The media play an important role in how it is understood, interpreted and responded to. </p>
<p>Whether violence is state-sanctioned or perpetrated by an intimate partner (or in the case of in the case of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lawreport/marking-25-years-since-rc-into-black-deaths-in-custody/7315132">Ms Dhu</a>, who experienced both), until very recently Aboriginal women’s experiences have remained almost absent in mainstream media coverage. </p>
<p>Earlier this year, professor Marcia Langton highlighted this absence when <a href="https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2016/july/1467295200/marcia-langton/two-victims-no-justice">she said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Aboriginal women have died from assaults and criminal misconduct, and they have passed without any public attention or anything like justice. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Since 2015, blogger <a href="http://blackfeministranter.blogspot.com.au/p/since-beginning-of-year-following.html">Celeste Liddle</a> has also been keeping count of the number of Aboriginal women who have been murdered, in an attempt to offset the lack of public attention these deaths receive. And while the ongoing call made by Indigenous women to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-17/national-press-club:-ending-the-violence-in/8034682">tackle Aboriginal family violence</a> is gaining traction, a silence nonetheless continues to exist.</p>
<h2>Lack of complexity in news coverage</h2>
<p>It is not only an absence of media attention around violence against Aboriginal women that’s notable. There is also a lack of complexity in the news when it comes to Aboriginal family violence more generally. </p>
<p>I recently investigated how Aboriginal family violence is reported by the Victorian print media. I found there is a tendency for journalists to reinforce family violence as an “Indigenous issue” that is inherent in Victorian Aboriginal communities. This can be seen in the way the determinants of Aboriginal violence are framed by the media. </p>
<p>Over a five-year period, few articles mention possible determinants of Aboriginal family violence beyond alcohol or drug addiction. Only four out of 145 articles noted family violence, including importantly the reasons why Aboriginal women enter and stay in a violent relationship, as a <a href="https://settlercolonialstudies.org/about-this-blog/">legacy of colonisation</a> and intergenerational trauma. </p>
<p>Yet a guiding principle set out in the <a href="http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/reports-publications/indigenous-family-violence-task-force-report-2003">Victorian Indigenous Family Violence Task Force report</a> is the recognition that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… from an Indigenous perspective the causes of family violence are located in the history and impacts of white settlement and the structural violence of race relations since then.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The framing of family violence as an “Indigenous issue” also disregards the innovative work Aboriginal people and community representatives, such as <a href="http://www.fvpls.org/About-Us.php">Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service</a> (FVPLS) in Victoria, are doing to prevent family violence. </p>
<p>Another example of this over-simplification is that during the five year period I investigated, only two out of 145 articles in Victorian newspapers noted that not all perpetrators of violence against Victorian Aboriginal women and their children are Aboriginal men.</p>
<p>In their <a href="http://www.rcfv.com.au/getattachment/14CD545A-D0C8-4679-87DA-C022619D9C7D/Aboriginal-Family-Violence-Prevention-and-Legal-Service-Victoria-(FVPLS)">submission</a> to the <a href="http://www.rcfv.com.au/">Royal Commission into Family Violence</a>, FVLPS representatives stated a need for more accurate data on the Aboriginality of family violence perpetrators. This is because they routinely see: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Aboriginal clients, mostly women, who experience family violence at the hands of men from a range of different backgrounds and cultures, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nicholas Biddle at the <a href="http://caepr.anu.edu.au/">Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research</a> used census data to show that 85% of Aboriginal women in Melbourne, 67.9% in Shepperton and 82.4% in Bendigo have a <a href="http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/cck_indigenous_outcomes/2013/11/2011CensusPaper_15.pdf">non-Indigenous partner</a>. These statistics are important to consider in policy responses to, and media portrayals of, Aboriginal family violence. As Biddle suggests:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… when attempting to reduce the rate of domestic violence or marital dissolution experienced by the Indigenous populations (for example), it is important to keep in mind that the majority of the partners of Indigenous Australians who experience such traumatic life events are likely to be non-Indigenous. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>While these figures are from Victoria, similar situations can be found in urban regions across the country. </p>
<h2>So where to now?</h2>
<p>The complexity of a news story is important. We must understand that the disproportionate rate of violence experienced by Aboriginal women stems from a long history of intergenerational trauma. </p>
<p>When the media portrays high levels of family violence as culturally inherent, stereotypes are reinforced and we may be more likely to accept the violence and less likely to report it. </p>
<p>The complexity of news stories about Aboriginal family violence depends on the source of the story. In Victoria, more complex stories always have an Aboriginal-controlled community organisation as a source instead of or in addition to a police or government representative. </p>
<p>So, where to now? </p>
<p>One answer is that journalists and government media managers need to work with organisations like <a href="http://www.fvpls.org/">FVLPS</a> and the <a href="https://www.vacca.org/">Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency</a>. In turn, these organisations may need more support in meeting the demand for public information. It is important, though, that these organisations determine the support they require.</p>
<p>There is good research into the way gendered violence against women is portrayed by the <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/publications/victorian-print-media-coverage-of-violence-against-women">Victorian</a> and <a href="http://anrows.org.au/publications/horizons/media-representations">New South Wales</a> media. We now need to add the category of <a href="https://theconversation.com/intersectionality-how-gender-interacts-with-other-social-identities-to-shape-bias-53724">race</a> (and arguably socioeconomic background and geographic location) to the gender analysis. </p>
<p>More research is needed to understand the way Aboriginal family violence is portrayed by the media, including the challenges faced by journalists in reporting on Aboriginal women as victims of family violence. </p>
<p>Journalists in turn need training in the ongoing impact of settler colonialism and how it works in <a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-are-indigenous-women-34-80-times-more-likely-than-average-to-experience-violence-61809">different geographic locations</a>. It should also include how settler colonialism continues to inform the way non-Indigenous people view and respond to Aboriginality and Indigenous issues.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65789/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was completed in collaboration with Victorian Aboriginal communications company Kalinya. The author received funding from the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet to undertake this research.
</span></em></p>Violence against women is a national priority, and Aboriginal women are disproportionately affected. This must be reported on appropriately in the media.Lilly Brown, PhD Candidate, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.