Governing Aboriginal self-determination in NSW:1980-2025

The Australian Research Council has awarded a grant to Professor Heidi Norman to lead the research project: Governing Aboriginal self‑determination in NSW: 1980‑2025.

This project will document the administration of NSW Aboriginal Affairs starting from the announcement of Aboriginal self-determination as a policy in 1980 to the present significant juncture in Indigenous affairs policy.

Using an ethnographic approach to study political power through time, the project draws on archival research and oral history techniques to focus on those in positions of power – politicians, their advisors and senior bureaucrats – shed new insights into how the NSW government has managed its relationship with Indigenous peoples.

Today, government agencies and Indigenous peoples continue to search for ways to transform their relationship to one based on partnership and shared decision-making. This project will deliver social, economic and cultural impact by generating a vital account of government policy processes, producing actionable insights on effective policy-making that can be debated and adopted by both government agencies and Indigenous peoples. 

For further information, please contact Professor Heidi Norman.