Remote Australia Online

Transformation of Australian education is occurring at a rapid rate through the implementation of a number of initiatives. These initiatives include the Digital Education Revolution, the move to a National Curriculum and the implementation of a National Framework for Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals. As these initiatives are rolled out to schools across Australia, the equitable access to professional learning to support all teachers, regardless of their geographical location, is in question. A number of studies have been conducted in Australia that highlight the importance of professional learning and the difficulty faced by regional and remote teachers with regard to access (Gerard Daniels, 2007; Lyons, Cooksey, Panizzon, Parnell & Pegg, 2006; Ministerial Review of Schooling, 1994; Rural and Remote Education Advisory Council, 2000; Vinson, 2002). Along with access to professional learning, has been the discussion of effective modes of delivery. Face to face professional learning, in regional and metropolitan areas, is offered in isolation, or in some cases, is complimented with virtual learning environments. The need for a more sustainable approach to professional learning is highly necessary. A mixed method research approach was utilised in order to answer the primary research question 'In what ways might technology be used to support professional learning of regional and remote teachers in Western Australia?' This research paper outlines the findings from the study including the significance of travel time; impact of limited relief teachers; implications for promotion and teacher registration; professional learning communities being valued but often limited by small staff numbers; professional learning conducted in the local context being preferred; professional learning established at the teacher and school level being desirable; teachers being confident in using technology and accessing PD online if required; and social cohesiveness being valued and often limited by isolation. Further, this research has culminated in the development of a 'model of rethinking connectedness' that would facilitate improving the amount and variety of professional learning available to regional and remote teachers.

Remote Australia remains a complex educational environment. Boarding schools in regional or metropolitan areas have long been an option that provides remote students with access to opportunities available in a mainstream setting. Recently, media and policy focus on Indigenous boarding programs has increased dramatically, yet research on the impact and experience of boarding school on remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students, families and communities is scarce. Schools that employ models of shared governance between the school (principals, teachers, students), the community (parents, Elders, wider community), and others (education department personnel and researchers) result in improved outcomes for Indigenous students both in Australia and internationally. Previous research has highlighted the need to understand how Indigenous parents and communities in remote Australia can remain involved with their children’s schooling despite the constraints of (often vast) geographical distance. Furthermore, understanding students’ background and cultural context is beneficial for educators, especially due to the stark contrast in environment between remote communities and metropolitan areas. This paper presents findings from the author’s broader doctoral research on boarding school experiences, expectations, and outcomes, based on an Aboriginal Residential program in South Australia. It aims to understand the ways in which the program communicates and interacts with the families and communities of students. Thematic analysis of qualitative, semi-structured interviews with staff and parents involved with the program suggests that successful strategies are currently in place to bridge the gap between community and boarding life, however more visits by staff to community, increased cultural awareness training, and further involvement of family in the program may be integrated to improve these connections. By including the perspectives of staff and family, this paper contributes valuable insight to the broader impacts and practical implications of the boarding school model in the context of remote education. Insight from those most closely affected by boarding is valuable and necessary to inform future policy and practice.

A large body of research details the complex status of Indigenous education in Australia. Despite numerous programs, strategies, and reviews, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students still have lower academic achievement levels than non-Indigenous students (as measured by NAPLAN). This was most recently demonstrated in the 2011 census data, which indicates that less than 30% of young Indigenous Australians are completing school to year 12, as opposed to more than 70% of non-Indigenous students (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). The broader literature suggests that parental involvement in their children’s education significantly contributes to improved academic, social, personal and professional outcomes for students, parents, and educators alike (Christianakis, 2011; Cox, 2005; Jeynes, 2012; Rege & Almeida, 2013). These outcomes can be enhanced and optimised when parents are able to access the school and their children on a regular basis. However, many Indigenous students are being educated at boarding schools or residences in larger cities or regional areas, with a push to expand this, as recommended by the recent Indigenous Education Review in the Northern Territory (Wilson, 2014). As students are being educated away from their home communities, adequate ability for parental involvement may be limited or non-existent. This requires consideration by all boarding school staff and teachers, yet limited research has examined such complexities. Furthermore, it is necessary to explore the effect of boarding on Australian families and communities to highlight further complications and ways to address them in the boarding school context. The purpose of this paper is to inform a better understanding of the dynamics of boarding schools for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It begins by defining what parental involvement is and discusses the role of parent- school communication in education. It then explores the previous literature surrounding parental involvement in schools and their children’s education. The barriers and improvements to communication and involvement are also examined in the context of local schools, and their implications in the boarding environment. The paper is written as part of a PhD research project that considers the importance of cultural and educational contexts in parental involvement and communication, especially for Indigenous Australian families.

Increasingly, remote Aboriginal families are being encouraged to transition their children into boarding environments to complete secondary schooling. This comes largely from recent policy recommendations and implementation of a strategic plan to redistribute funding and resources away from secondary education provision in remote and very remote communities in the Northern Territory. Although some suggest that boarding environments are contributing to improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across Australia, others have cautioned the need to address the complex considerations that families, boarders, and boarding environments encounter before, during and beyond boarding. With limited data currently available, analysed, or reported on, we propose that careful consideration and understanding of the frontline experiences of boarding providers, families, and past boarders will provide a more solid grounding for current and future policy decisions. This paper presents data from a broader doctoral research project examining each of these, however specifically aims to highlight the experiences of families of boarding students, and their integral role in the boarding process. Encouragingly, increasing awareness and care is being taken by boarding providers to understand parents’ experiences and to guide and support them if necessary. However, to date, limited research presents the perspectives of remote Aboriginal families. Employing a Grounded Theory approach, this project used qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with 11 participants (parents, caregivers or family members of students in a residential program) from the remote South Australian Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. Thematic analysis is currently being conducted on this data, however initial findings suggest three key insights. Firstly, the decision to board was not always the parents’ decision, often coming from the students themselves or as a suggestion by community teachers. Secondly, families often navigate between different boarding providers depending on the child, the situation, or their knowledge and trust in particular programs. Finally, support and guidance from parents and family were found to be integral to the outcomes of students who had returned home prematurely (i.e. prior to finishing schooling). This research provides valuable a valuable contribution to the field with stories from families who have and continue to engage with boarding providers. The implications of this research are useful not only to boarding providers but to education departments and policy makers alike as they consider how best to support and engage meaningfully with remote families and communities transitioning in and out of boarding.

Enhancing resilience is recognised as key to addressing teacher attrition (Johnson et al., 2016) and addressing the challenges of the profession (Beltman et al. 2015; Papatraianou, 2012). However, two significant areas of teacher resilience are yet to be examined: the factors constraining and enabling resilience in remote and regional parts of Australia, given the shortage of quality, specialist and lead teachers in remote and rural schools (Boyd et al. 2013); and how arts-based participatory approaches to research and to pedagogy can be used to represent and explore these lived experiences of teachers. Research has been undertaken on preparing teachers for regional and remote settings (Strangeways, 2016), but scant literature exists that explicitly documents the challenges and resources encountered by teachers in these settings (Sullivan & Johnson, 2012). While arts-based approaches have been used to explore pedagogical issues (Dixon & Senior, 2009), bullying (Belliveau, 2006), and teacher development (Mitchell et al., 2013), they have not yet been used in research on resilience. This qualitative study drew on a resilience framework to examine the enabling and constraining factors that support and limit rural and remote teachers’ capacity to thrive in the profession. It also examined how arts-based participatory approaches to research can be used to generate new understandings of resilience. An existing data set of interviews with 9 Central Australian preservice and beginning teachers on the development of their teacher identity were thematically examined using a resilience conceptual lens to create a place-based model of teacher resilience. Some of these and other pre-service and in-service teachers participated in an arts-based workshop to help them prepare representations of their experiences of resilience in the form of analogue drawings, line-graphs, artefacts, photography and/or collage, which mediated individual interviews. Participants then shared and interpreted theirs and others’ representations of resilience in a focus group whose aim was to create a collaborative picture of the resilience challenges and resources of central Australian preservice and beginning teachers. The preliminary findings indicate the value of developing place-based models and exploring how these differ from ‘traditional’ or normative understandings of teacher resilience. They also highlight the importance of drawing on diverse methodological approaches to resilience and show how arts-based representations of teacher challenges offer new insights into the embodied complexity of teaching. Further, they raise previously unasked questions that can inform the development of remote and regional ITE and school policy to address teacher attrition.

This paper reports on futures research conducted to identify challenges likely to be faced by non-metropolitan Australia in the future. The education required to ensure sustainable and equitable futures for people living in those parts of Australia and their communities is then outlined. Census data and a sample of news items and articles from newspapers, magazines and other publications have been used as data sources for the extrapolation of possible futures for rural and remote Australia. Census data shows disadvantage and change in rural and remote Australia, including age structure of the population, social and economic wellbeing, and higher levels of volunteering than is found for the Australian population as a whole. News items and other publications highlight concerns about the provision of social facilities such as health and education, successes and problems relating to business activities, and concern about ecological issues (particularly as they impact on the metropolitan population as is the case for water). Challenges facing rural and remote communities are the probability of continuing trends for a declining aging population, rationalisation of social infrastructure for health and education, the continuing globalisation of markets, and challenging environments for businesses. This means that education for the young people who will remain living in rural and remote Australia education is important as they will need to contribute to their communities in significant ways. They will need to be efficient workers, innovative and creative as they seek solutions to problems facing their community and local. They will need to be able to locate external resources (human and financial) and seek to influence policies and public perceptions that that challenge their lives and communities.

This presentation summarises the key findings of the 2016 Remote Indigenous Communications and Media Survey which found that: - One-in-eight adult Aboriginal Australians in remote areas does not have access to any telephone. - Less than one-in-three Indigenous people in remote communities have a computer or tablet computer; - 12 per cent of Remote Indigenous Australians don’t have a TV at home, but this is impeded by the fact that four-in-ten don’t have effective TV reception due to a non-operational VAST receiver; - Four-in-ten Indigenous Australians in remote communities do not have a radio at home; - Remote community residents are significantly more likely to read a newspaper than their urban counterparts. - Information required from the government is mostly accessed from TV (73 per cent) or the local community radio station (61 per cent). There is a mismatch between how information is obtained, and how residents would like to access information. The research results show that conventional media is not optimal for government communications in remote communities. There is a requirement for tailored campaigns using a mix of local media. There is also a need to access to online media, communicate in a local language, and service and maintain a range of telecommunications and broadcasting services.

This article examines community perceptions and employment impacts to assess ex ante the post-mining viability of two settlements in remote north-east South Australia. The results reinforce grave concerns over their future viability following mine closure. However, government employees and traditional owners are more optimistic than other groups about community futures beyond mining. Devastatingly, employment impacts represent approximately 80 and 75% (225 & 1616) of jobs and 90 and 80% ($30 m & $164 m) of employment income in the two locations (Leigh Creek, Roxby Downs). These impacts reach beyond mining into other sectors, particularly Public Services and Trade and Accommodation respectively, and further limit economic diversity and opportunity. Building alternative futures in remote locations like these is problematic, though not impossible. Policy responses should reflect differences in perceptions, impact and case-specific contexts: settlements at the end of their life cycles like Leigh Creek require emergency action including institutional reform; settlements still in the early stages like Roxby Downs have time to begin planning now, though not yet conceived, for a future without mining.

Policy initiatives in remote Indigenous Australia aim to improve Indigenous health and well-being, and reduce homelessness. But they have raised controversy because they impinge on Indigenous aspirations to remain on homeland communities, require mainstreaming of Indigenous housing and transfer Indigenous land to the state. This paper uses recognition theory to argue that if policies of normalization are imposed on remote living Indigenous people in ways that take insufficient account of their cultural realities they may be experienced as a form of misrecognition and have detrimental policy effects. The paper examines the responses of remote living Indigenous people to the National Partnerships at the time of their introduction in 2009?2010. Drawing on interview and administrative data from a national study on Indigenous population mobility, the paper argues although the policies have been welcomed, they have also been a source of anxiety and anger. These feelings are associated with a sense of violated justice arising from experiences of misrecognition. The paper argues this can lead tenants to depart their homes as a culturally sanctioned form of resistance to state control. This population mobility is associated with homelessness because it takes place in the context of housing exclusion. Policy implications include developing new models of intercultural professional practice and employing a capacity-building approach to local Indigenous organisations.

Epistemology is a conceptual template for how we think about the world, and the study of how we come to know the world around us. The world does not dictate unequivocally how to interpret it. This article will explore this position on the fluidity of epistemic constructs through two prominent philosophical perspectives, those being derived from the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Michael Foucault, respectively. These insights will be used to more deeply unfold the current situation for Aboriginal students within dominant approaches to mathematics curriculum in Australia, and the subsequent approaches to the inclusion of Aboriginal knowledge and epistemologies. It is suggested that the epistemic constructs most valued and thus credited as conveyors of ?truth?, and therefore positioned as powerful forms of knowledge within dominant curriculum and education policy, are those derived from Western, Eurocentric origins. This privileging of particular epistemological constructs over others is reinforced unconsciously through the articulation of educational goals deemed most appropriate, or ?socially just?, for the Aboriginal student population. The place of Aboriginal knowledge within such constructs is therefore reflective of broader ideation around the role of education within society and its failure to challenge existing structures of power and injustice.

Outside its heavily-populated south-eastern corner, Queensland is a huge administrative area with many small, remote communities that can be separated by hundreds of kilometres of dirt road, or, in other areas, not accessible by road. In this study, parents, students and teachers in nine schools from rural and regional Queensland were interviewed about their perceptions of school science. Teachers, parents and students defined remoteness by reference to their social ties, as well as the social capital and resources they drew on to teach science meaning that not only did different groups differ in their interpretations of remoteness; different teachers in similar circumstances also responded differently. Science teachers’ responses to remoteness were related to their perceptions of school-community communication and their perceptions of their freedom to innovate. Teachers who felt that remoteness gave them more freedom and recognised opportunities to utilise their environment created innovative and relevant science programmes. Teachers who felt their remoteness gave them less freedom felt isolated from the community were less likely to innovate.

Purpose - This study aims to explore how health informatics can underpin the successful delivery of recovery-orientated healthcare, in rural and remote regions, to achieve better mental health outcomes. Recovery is an extremely social process that involves being with others and reconnecting with the world. Design/methodology/approach - An interpretivist study involving 27 clinicians and 13 clients sought to determine how future expenditure on ehealth could improve mental health treatment and service provision in the western Murray Darling Basin of New South Wales, Australia. Findings - Through the use of targeted ehealth strategies, it is possible to increase both the accessibility of information and the quality of service provision. In small communities, the challenges of distance, access to healthcare and the ease of isolating oneself are best overcome through a combination of technology and communal social responsibility. Technology supplements but cannot completely replace face-to-face interaction in the mental health recovery process. Originality/value - The recovery model provides a conceptual framework for health informatics in rural and remote regions that is socially responsible. Service providers can affect better recovery for clients through infrastructure that enables timely and responsive remote access whilst driving between appointments. This could include interactive referral services, telehealth access to specialist clinicians, GPS for locating clients in remote areas and mobile coverage for counselling sessions in “real time”. Thus, the technology not only provides better connections but also adds to the responsiveness (and success) of any treatment available.

There are ongoing debates about the livelihoods of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians living in remote communities, and the role for policy in addressing socio-economic equity and the economic viability of those communities. The characteristics and dynamics of remote labour markets are important parameters in many of these debates. However, remote economic development discourses are often conducted with limited access to empirical evidence of the actual functioning of labour markets in remote communities – evidence that is likely to have important implications for the efficacy of policy alternatives. Unique survey data collected from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in 21 remote communities in central Australia for the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation’s Population Mobility and Labour Markets project are used to examine these labour markets, with a focus on the role of education and training. Examining access to education, employment opportunity and other structural factors, it is clear that the reality of economic engagement in these communities is far removed from the functioning of mainstream labour markets. The assumptions about, or lack of distinction between remote and urban locations, have contributed to misunderstanding of the assets and capabilities remote communities have, and aspire to develop. Evidence from the survey data on a number of fronts is interpreted to suggest policies to promote employment opportunity within communities offer greater potential for improving the livelihoods of remote community residents than policies reliant on the assumption that residents will move elsewhere for work.

There is considerable uncertainty surrounding population estimates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians at both the aggregate and subregional levels. Given well-documented limitations of efforts to enumerate the existing population at a point in time, the task of projecting future populations is even more problematic, and currently no regular projections are produced below the state level. However, information on future trends in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations at more disaggregated geographical and demographic levels would be of enormous value for policy and planning. This is particularly so for remote Australia and the remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for which there has been ongoing controversy about the provision of services and infrastructure and even their very ‘viability’. Policies, planning and funding models based on inaccurate assumptions of future populations are likely to lead to misallocation of resources and sub-optimal outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper sets out a proposed methodology for generating projections of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Outer regional and Remote Australia, down to the community (or ‘Indigenous Location’) level. Based on 2006 and 2011 Census data, projections for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for 2016 are presented by age group and gender, and the implications of those estimates for policy are discussed. These estimates should be considered experimental and are selected from a range of models under development. Release of 2016 Census data will enable validation of the different models and provide a panel dimension that can be used to substantially enhance modelling for generating 2021 projections and beyond.

A key aspiration for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the resource sector is to leave behind a lasting and positive legacy for local and regional communities, which is referred to here as Enduring Community Value (ECV). This paper examines the capacity of resource companies to create ECV for local communities within three jurisdictions in Australia drawing on perspectives from resource company employees and key stakeholders including individuals and groups in local communities. The capacity to implement ECV was tracked through the planning, governance, implementation and evaluation phases of CSR for companies of different sizes, stage of mining life-cycle and degree of remoteness of mining operations. ECV was found to be a critical value of CSR for resource company employees and stakeholders, providing a common ground for engagement and cooperation. Company employees, also saw ECV as a necessary tool to help navigate the complexities of CSR within a local community context. Personal moral and ethical values of resource employees and stakeholders, including motivations to improve local community outcomes and to achieve sustainability drove the adoption of ECV. This was supported to varying degrees by resource companies’ culture and goals, organisational values of stakeholder organisations, regulatory and legislative frameworks, guidelines and standards. Through the application of Giddens’ structuration theory it was identified that there was a high reliance on human agency to drive outcomes, with a lack of consistent institutional structures and relevant processes being in place. This meant that planning for ECV often occurred late in the mine life-cycle, reducing the potential benefits. Further institutional support, such as through robust planning tools, guidelines and standards and resourced stakeholder forums where lessons, experiences and assessments are shared, could help drive outcomes more clearly toward ECV. The implications of models for CSR and sustainable development perspectives are also presented.

Tourism is a major industry in far north Queensland, attracting scores of visitors to experience the Great Barrier Reef, World Heritage rainforests, adventure and the remote destinations of Cape York. Many in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector have considered the opportunities of tourism, yet few have been able to take steps to move forward. A recent 2016 workshop held by Arts Queensland revisited discussion about tourism potential and highlighted that not enough is known about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector capacities for tourism, or what these capacities actually are. This report presents work conducted by the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation that investigates far north Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector perspectives and capacity considerations for developing tourism. The work aims to provide knowledge to inform Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector (including artists, communities, art centres and support agencies) decision-making about tourism. The work is based on the experience and insights of art centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs already involved in tourism, as well as other art sector professionals. The report is divided into two parts. Part 1 provides case studies of three far north Queensland art centres already involved in tourism. Steps taken to develop tourism by three art centres are highlighted, as well as their resource and infrastructure capacities and how they deal with the barriers they have encountered. All of the three art centres are conveniently located near either Cairns or Cooktown, yet each requires market knowledge and planning to attract tourists. Working with other tourism businesses appears to be very important for each art centre to contend with their market challenges and the general contexts in their regions. Maintaining strong links to community and working with cultural integrity are key features in the way these art centres operate. Part 2 identifies 21 tourism issues and opportunities relevant to the far north Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector raised by art sector professionals. The report subsequently offers recommendations in response to each of these issues, with this section of the report also accompanied by advice provided by Aboriginal tourism operators in regard to working together with art centres. The report provides an inventory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector tourism opportunities, as well as a checklist identifying potential issues the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector should address when assessing their capacity for tourism. In light of outcomes presented in Parts 1 and 2 of this work, the report concludes by suggesting that a strategy to develop a future in tourism for the entire far north Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art sector considers the following themes: Cultural integrity, Control, Capacity, Coordination, Cooperation, and Knowledge.

Individuals, companies and governments have exploited the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for more than two centuries, often with little regard to the interests of hereditary custodians. The commercialisation of bush foods is a case in point. This paper explores that commercial context to offer information and analysis that informs an ethical model for bush food enterprise development. The paper looks at a range of issues that may impact such a model, many of which arise in other commercialisation contexts. These include issues of informed consent and benefit sharing; participation by traditional custodians; regulatory requirements; intellectual property (IP) management; product research and development procedures; approaches to marketing; and the international transfer of plant genetic resources, materials and products. The impact, shortcomings and policy implications of the current legal framework are also discussed. Both the issue discussion and suggestions for ethical bush food commercialisation have application to other cultural heritage commercial development contexts.

This good practice guide is based on the research project Enhancing training advantage for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners by John Guenther et al. on behalf of Ninti One Limited. The work examines five unique vocational education and training (VET) programs in remote areas and identifies how retention and completion can be improved and what other indicators of success are important outcomes of training in remote communities. This good practice guides synthesises the findings of the five case studies and looks at the factors that are important in enabling retention and ensuring good practice. See the related full report and supporting document for more information on the research methods and individual case studies.

Evaluation of the National Trachoma Health Promotion Programme: Report for Indigenous Eye Health University of Melbourne

Poster: Energy use studied in remote Australian buildings to enhance resilience to climate change

Background: Wellbeing has been difficult to understand, measure and strengthen for Aboriginal people in remote Australia. Part of the challenge has been genuinely involving community members and incorporating their values and priorities into assessment and policy. Taking a ‘shared space’ collaborative approach between remote Aboriginal communities, governments and scientists, we merged Aboriginal knowledge with western science – by bringing together stories and numbers. This research aims to statistically validate the holistic Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey that bring together Aboriginal-identified priorities of culture, empowerment and community with government priorities including education, employment and health. Method: Quantitative survey data were collected from a cohort of 842 Aboriginal people aged 15-34 years, recruited from four different Aboriginal communities in remote Australia. Aboriginal community researchers designed and administered the survey. Results: Structural equation modeling showed good fit statistics (χ/df = 2.69, CFI = 0.95 and RMSEA = 0.045) confirming the holistic nature of the Interplay Wellbeing Framework. The strongest direct impacts on wellbeing were ‘social and emotional wellbeing’ (r = 0.23; p < 0.001), ‘English literacy and numeracy’ (r = 0.15; p < 0.001), ‘Aboriginal literacy’ (r = 0.14; p < 0.001), ‘substances’ (lack thereof; r = 0.13; p = 0.003), ‘work’ (r = 0.12; p = 0.02) and ‘community’ (r = 0.08; p = 0.05). Correlation analyses suggested cultural factors have indirect impacts on wellbeing, such as through Aboriginal literacy. All cultural variables correlated highly with each other, and with empowerment and community. Empowerment also correlated highly with all education and work variables. ‘Substances’ (lack thereof) was linked with positive outcomes across culture, education and work. Specific interrelationships will be explored in detail separately. Conclusion: The Interplay Wellbeing Framework and Survey were statistically validated as a collaborative approach to assessing wellbeing that is inclusive of other cultural worldviews, values and practices. New community-derived social and cultural indicators were established, contributing valuable insight to psychometric assessment across cultures. These analyses confirm that culture, empowerment and community play key roles in the interplay with education, employment and health, as part of a holistic and quantifiable system of wellbeing. This research supports the holistic concept of wellbeing confirming that everything is interrelated and needs to be considered at the ‘whole of system’ level in policy approaches.

Undertaking projects and research in Central Australia

Plants for People: Aboriginal wild harvest and land management: Seminar convened at the Centre for the Management of Arid Environments, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, 21 April 2006

A conversation about energy futures for remote Australian communities – summary and analysis of workshop findings

A conversation about energy futures for remote Australian communities – theory and detailed workshop findings