The Power of Data in Aboriginal Hands
The Power of Data in Aboriginal Hands Conference Paper
Social Science Perspectives on the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey
- Author(s): Wu, P.
- Published: 2011
- Publisher: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Conference
Abstract: Sir Francis Bacon is credited with the quote "knowledge is power". When accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, Kofi Anna extended Bacon’s dictum into something more meaningful, adding "Information is liberation". This paper discusses the critical role that data can play in development scenarios when Aboriginal people are in control of collecting, managing and interpreting data. In the current paradigm, data is collected on Indigenous society by governments for their purposes; rather than to support the objectives that Indigenous people want to determine.