Indigenous remains returning from Vienna
Jenny Macklin - Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs - Media Statement - 09-10-2009

APO Research

Experimental estimates and projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 1991 to 2021
Australian Bureau of Statistics 14 September, 2009 Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) population is projected to reach between 713,300 and 721,100 people in 2021, according to this report.

Recognising and responding to Hepatitis C in Indigenous communities in Victoria
Stephen McNally, Robyne Latham Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society14 September, 2009 While the goal of increasing the number of people on treatment for hepatitis is necessary, there are many other critical issues which need to be addressed if the burden of hepatitis in Indigenous communities throughout Australia is to be reduced.

Indigenous languages - a national approach
Peter Garrett, Jenny Macklin Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts14 September, 2009 The new National Indigenous Languages Policy is aimed at keeping Indigenous languages alive and supporting Indigenous Australians to connect with their language, culture and country.

Australian Government, Reform of Indigenous heritage protection laws :Improving protection for Indigenous traditional areas and objects, Departmentof Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government, Canberra,2009.
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/laws/indigenous/lawreform
This discussion paper canvasses possible reforms to the legislative arrangementsfor protecting traditional areas and objects, specifically the Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth) (ATSIHP Act).The aims of the reform are twofold. First, to ensure that Indigenous Australianswill have the best opportunities to protect their heritage. This could bedone by using existing processes such as native title to secure agreementson heritage protection. Second, to cut duplication and red tape by establishinga nationally consistent approach to protecting Indigenous heritage basedon best practice standards.

Western Australian Government, Review of Approvals Processes in Western Australia, Industry Working Group, Western Australian Government, Perth,2009.
This report provides a two phased approach to improving approval processesin Western Australia. Phase one recommendations are essentially administrativeand can be addressed without legislative change. Phase two recommendationsrequire legislative change. The report stresses that the need to addressand change the present flawed and complex approvals system is critical,and the time for implementing phase one recommendations is now.Chapter 3 discusses native title and provides a case study example. Ther eport notes that the effective and efficient administration of the processes contemplated by the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) is critical for the developmentof projects in remote and regional Western Australia. Most of the (reported)major native title agreements benefit a relatively small number of Aboriginal people and a few groups have received (and continue to receive) very largefinancial payments as a result of the development of multiple large projectswithin their claim areas. The report acknowledges the critical role playedby the State.
http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/documents/Review_of_Approval_Processes>

KM for Indigenous Cultures and Communities
Preserving and exploring indigenous knowledge for cultural sustainability and growth Two-day masterclass 10 - 11 November 2009, Oaks on Collins, Melbourne

Keeping Indigenous languages alive

Tackling serious Indigenous justice issues

$5 million to give Indigenous girls a Sporting Chance
http://www.deewr.gov.au/ministers/gillard/media/releases/pages/article_090819_144944.aspx
SNIPPET: The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today opened a new funding round for Sporting Chance Program academies focused on projects for Indigenous girls and young women. As announced in the 2009-10 Budget, the Rudd Government has committed $10 million to expand the Sporting Chance Program over the next four years. The Sporting Chance Program uses sport as a basis to engage Indigenous students in education.

APO Research

Policing substance abuse in Indigenous communities
Matthew Willis Australian Institute of Criminology06 July, 2009 This report is from a workshop held in 2008 that provided a practical overview of law enforcement responses to substance abuse in Indigenous communities.

Bridges and barriers: addressing Indigenous incarceration and health
National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Committee02 July, 2009 Despite the investment by governments to reduce incarceration, Indigenous Australians have continued to fill our correction systems at alarmingly disproportionate rates, making up almost one quarter of Australian’s prison population and over half of Indigenous juveniles in corrective institutions.

Indigenous education and social policy development in NSW
Tessa Keenan Nura Gili Indigenous Programs09 July, 2009 This paper discusses the historical context of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and the NSW Aboriginal Education Policy, and emphasises the need for culturally inclusive policies with relevant policy implementation strategies.

Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage: key indicators 2009
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision Productivity Commission06 July, 2009 Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage 2009 is the fourth report in a series commissioned by heads of Australian governments in 2002, to provide regular reporting against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage.

Beyond guarding ground - the case for a national Indigenous cultural authority
Terri Janke Australia Council for the Arts06 July, 2009 Over the past 20 years Indigenous Australians have called for greater recognition of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.

Indigenous Population Projections, 2006-31
Nicholas Biddle, John Taylor Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research08 July, 2009 This paper models the national and regional population impacts of a continuation of existing mortality and fertility regimes compared to a situation where these converge. The effects of inter-regional migration are also considered.

$3.3 million boost to Indigenous heritage protection - media release 7 July 2009
PORTFOLIO: Environment, Water, Heritage and the ArtsURL: http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/garrett/2009/mr20090707.html
Funding for 50 Indigenous heritage projects through the Australian Government's Indigenous Heritage Program , was announced today by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett. The Indigenous Heritage Program is delivered in cooperation with the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs ( FaHCSIA ) and Indigenous Coordination Centres ( ICC s) as part of the whole of government delivery of services to Indigenous Australians.

$1.5 million for NAIDOC Week activities
Jenny Macklin - Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs - Media Statement - 05-07-2009

'Renaming the Land' - the Voss journey begins at AIATSIS
http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/10588/2009_1305_Voss.pdf

Australian Government Media Releases

Indigenous tourism business hub in Alice
By Australian Labor Party
Brendan O'Connor - Minister for Employment Participation Warren Snowdon - Minister for Defence Science and Personnel - Media Statement - 23-04-2009

Keeping Indigenous culture strong for the future
By Australian Labor Party
Jenny Macklin - Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs - Media Statement - 23-04-2009

National report: native title National Native Title TribunalProgress remained steady for the resolution of native title applications during the second half of 2008, according to this report. But if parties changed their approach to native title matters there was an opportunity to improve the process and reduce the time to resolve claims. Posted 18-03-2009

CMKb: a web-based prototype for integrating Australian Aboriginal customary medicinal plant knowledge Jitendra Gaikwad and others / BioMed CentralThis paper describes the developement of an integrated multidisciplinary resource, to document, conserve and disseminate the customary medicinal plant knowledge possessed by the Australian Aboriginal people. Posted 18-03-2009

From rhetoric to reality: can 99-year leases lead to homeownership for Indigenous communities? Sara Hudson / Centre for Independent StudiesThis paper argues that a lack of private property rights on communally owned indigenous land means homeownership is impossible. Posted 18-03-2009

AUSTLANG helps keep Indigenous languages alive

An innovative online resource is now available to support the preservation and
revival of Australian Indigenous languages.

AUSTLANG is the first online database to provide wide-ranging access to
information on Australian Indigenous languages. The dynamic web-based features
make it possible to search for Australian Indigenous languages by language name,
place name or by navigating Australia through Google Maps.

Indigenous contemporary music action plan

Indigenous contemporary music action plan: Towards a stronger Indigenous contemporary music sector
Contemporary Music Development Working Group / Cultural Ministers Council
The national action plan is a framework which Australian, state and territory governments can use to assess their existing programs, consider new directions and identify new partners to support Indigenous contemporary music, at a pace and level which suits the budgets, situation and timelines of each jurisdiction. Posted 10-10-2008

Resale royalty and Indigenous artists

Erin Mackay / Indigenous Law Centre
This short article explains what is meant by a 'resale right', the background to the 2008 Budget announcement, and the relevance of resale rights to Indigenous artists. More information will be provided about the specific scheme once it comes to hand. Posted 17-09-2008

$1.3 million to preserve Arnhem Land nature and culture

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs | PORTFOLIO: Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
SNIPPET: $1.3 million to preserve Arnhem Land nature and culture. Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation will build its new office complex at Nhulunbuy with the help of the grant announced by Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, and the Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon. Dhimurru has been preserving nature and the local Yolgnu culture for the last 16 years in north east Arnhem Land, Ms Macklin said.

Indigenous routes

Indigenous routes: a framework for understanding Indigenous migration
International Organization for Migration
As migration has not commonly been considered as part of the Indigenous experience, the prevalent view of indigenous communities tends to portray them as static groups. Increasingly, however, Indigenous peoples are leaving their long-held territories as part of the phenomenon of global migration beyond the customary seasonal and cultural movements of particular groups. Posted 23-05-2008