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.

Aboriginal assimilation: the Hub of the matter
Rudd is just the last of the colonisers who have waged a relentless race war against the Indigenous owners of this country. Indigenous Affairs - John Tomlinson - posted 29/5/2009

Culture and wellbeing: the case of Indigenous Australians

Michael Dockery / Centre for Labour Market Research

A recurring theme in the debate surrounding Indigenous affairs in Australia is a tension between maintenance of Indigenous culture and the achievement of ‘equity’ in socioeconomic outcomes: essentially ‘self-determination’ versus ‘assimilation’. Implicit in this tension is the view that attachment to traditional culture and lifestyles is a hindrance to the achievement of ‘mainstream’ economic goals. This paper argues the need for a renewed focus on the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, and for empirical evidence on the link between culture and socio-economic wellbeing instead of ideological debate. Using data from National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, a strong attachment to traditional culture is found to enhance outcomes across a range of socioeconomic indicators. This suggests Indigenous culture should be viewed as a potential part of the solution to Indigenous disadvantage in Australia, and not as part of the problem.

Making solid ground: Infrastructure and key organisations review

Fieldworx / Australia Council
This report on the making solid ground review examines the Australia Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander key organisations program and new ways to support the national Indigenous arts infrastructure. Posted 22-01-2009

Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Online resource to raise awareness of Indigenous grieving traditions
PORTFOLIO: Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
URL: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/jennymacklin.nsf/content/online_resource_01sept08.htm
SNIPPET: Online resource to raise awareness of Indigenous grieving traditions. Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, and Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, today announced an online resource to raise awareness of Indigenous cultural protocols relating to media coverage of the deaths of Indigenous people. The Government will develop an online resource providing information about Indigenous grieving traditions to encourage the media to observe these protocols when reporting Indigenous deaths.

Indigenous art

Indigenous art - securing the future: Australia's Indigenous visual arts and craft sector
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
This is the Australian Government's response to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Inquiry into the Indigenous visual arts and craft sector, Indigenous Arts - Securing the Future, as tabled on 20 June 2007. Posted 20-08-2008

You mob all agree?

'You mob all agree?' The chronic emergency of culturally competent engaged Indigenous problem solving
Toni Bauman / Indigenous Law Bulletin and the Indigenous Law Centre
Toni Bauman writes that responses to the Commonwealth Government's national emergency approach to Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory have emphasised the need for 'consultation' yet it might not be 'consultation' that is actually required, at least in the way it has been practised, as something 'done' to Indigenous people. Posted 23-10-2007

Indigenous knowledge and libraries

Martin Nakata, Marcia Langton and others / University of Technology, Sydney
The library and information profession has much to learn to meet the information needs of Indigenous people and appropriately manage Indigenous knowledge within their organisations. This publication illustrates some Indigenous knowledge management systems and the ways these do and don't intersect with Western library and archival systems and practice Posted 04-10-2007