Comment sought on Indigenous heritage law
Peter Garrett - Minister for Environment, Heritage and The Arts - Media Statement - 03-08-2009

Heritage Minister Peter Garrett today released a discussion paper for public comment on Australian laws to protect Indigenous heritage.

Mr Garrett said this is an opportunity for the public to contribute ideas on making the Commonwealth's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (ATSIHP Act) more effective as a way to protect traditional areas and objects significant to Indigenous Australians.

Scoping Process Issues in Negotiating Native Title Agreements - by Delwyn Everard (2009) http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/10742/DiscussionPaper_23.pdf

Beyond Sandy Blight

Five Aboriginal experiences as staff on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program

Jilpia Jones, Trevor Buzzacott, Gordon Briscoe,
Reg Murray and Rose Murray

DISCUSSION PAPER EXPLORES POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENTS TO NATIVE TITLE SYSTEM

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today released a discussion paper on possible minor amendments to the Native Title Act 1993 to encourage more negotiated settlements of native title claims.

The minor amendments will complement the institutional change announced by the Attorney-General in October which will see the Federal Court of Australia assume a central role in managing all claims.

“The Act already allows parties to achieve significant native title outcomes. These proposals explore targeted amendments that encourage more negotiated settlements and produce broad benefits to Indigenous people and certainty to stakeholders,” Mr McClelland said.

“I welcome all views on the discussion paper. I also encourage other suggestions about how the Act could be changed to improve the operation of the native title system.”

The discussion paper explores possible amendments to enable the Federal Court to rely on a statement of facts agreed between parties, enable the Court to make determinations that cover matters beyond native title, improve native title representative body provisions and allow the Court to use recent changes in evidence laws to improve native title outcomes.

Legislation will be introduced to Parliament next year to implement the institutional change and the changes that result from submissions on this discussion paper.

Submissions are due to the Attorney-General’s Department by 16 February 2009.

This discussion paper is available at http://www.ag.gov.au/.

Native Title Discussion Paper

Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin today released a Native Title discussion paper that examines options for improving the Native Title system to help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The discussion paper canvasses legislative and non-legislative proposals to make better use of payments to Aboriginal communities under mining and infrastructure agreements. These include specific ideas for making agreements more effective and sustainable, and more general options regarding the role of Government and the resources industry.

Australia's children: safe and well

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
The federal government is developing a national framework for protecting children. This discussion paper canvasses ideas on what should be included. Posted 28-05-2008

Increasing Indigenous economic opportunity

Increasing Indigenous economic opportunity: a discussion paper on the future of the CDEP and Indigenous Employment Programs
Australian Government
This discussion paper focuses on how the Community Development and Employment Projects (CDEP) and the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) can be reformed to ensure both programs meet Indigenous people's needs into the future. Posted 21-05-2008

Estimating cognitive gaps

Estimating cognitive gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Andrew Leigh and Xiaodong Gong / Centre for Economic Policy Research
Improving cognitive skills of young children has been suggested as a possible strategy for equalising opportunities across racial groups. Posted 12-05-2008

Forming partnerships

Forming partnerships: the human rights of children in need of care and protection
Sharon Bessell and Tali Gal / Crawford School of Economics and Government
The care and protection of children experiencing or considered to be at risk of abuse or neglect within their families is a major policy dilemma. Children in the care and protection system do not fare well on a range of indicators, when compared to the overall population. This paper synthesises concepts of human rights, children's needs and citizenship as a basis for redefining policy and services for children in out of home care. Posted 21-11-2007

The environmental significance of the Indigenous estate

Natural resource management as economic development in remote Australia
J.C. Altman, G.J. Buchanan and L. Larsen
Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
Discussion Paper 286 ISSN 1036 1774 ISBN 0 7315 5661 5
Abstract
This discussion paper explores the geography of the Indigenous estate, its environmental significance, and some of the innovative approaches adopted by Indigenous landholders to protect the natural and cultural values of their land. A number of maps are used to explore the environmental significance of the Indigenous estate. These maps indicate that the Indigenous estate—making up 20 per cent of the Australian land mass—covers vast areas of relatively intact land. The Indigenous estate contains some of the highest conservation priority lands in Australia. Emerging recognition of the environmental significance of the Indigenous estate is indicated by a number of Commonwealth-funded programs that represent a form of payment for environmental services (PES). Such programs provide important employment opportunities for Indigenous people living in some of the remotest parts of Australia, areas far from mainstream labour markets. Environmental service provision might provide alternate development opportunities on the Indigenous estate beyond standard private sector industries like mining, tourism and pastoralism, or publicly-funded provision of standard municipal services.

Aborigines and Uranium

Aborigines and Uranium:Monitoring the Health Hazards - by Colin Tatz, Alan Cass, John Condon and George Tippett