Facilitating the development of Australian Indigenous tourism enterprises: The Business Ready Program for Indigenous Tourism

Tourism has been identified as a sector capable of offering economic opportunities for Indigenous people in Australia. In 2004, the Federal government introduced a mentoring programme aimed at helping Indigenous people establish or to further develop sustainable tourism businesses. This paper provides a critical examination of the implementation of this programme and factors which affected its outcomes. The examination will hopefully assist in a more effective development of future government programmes. The research was conducted in tandem with the administration of the mentoring programme and was informed by interpretivist and Indigenous research methodologies. A series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with stakeholders took place over three and a half years; the duration of the programme. The findings suggest that while the programme could be considered relatively successful there were some problems that reduced its effectiveness. For example, mentors had too many businesses in their portfolio, the programme timeframe was too short and there was a lack of specific key performance indicators. Many stakeholders believed that prior consultation with the proposed Indigenous programme participants would have resulted in an improved programme

Untangling the “messy” legislative basis of tourism development planning : five cases from Australia

This article reports on a scoping study examining the legislative basis for tourism development and planning in Australia. While planning is vital to facilitate strategic decision-making regarding the appropriate nature and scale of tourism-related developments within a destination, the legislative frameworks that provide for, control and regulate many aspects of tourism development have neither been identified nor collated in an integrated manner. This research used a case-study methodology to examine the range and scope of legislation impacting tourism development in Australia. The study identified 285 current Acts that were categorized into five broad themes. On the basis of these findings, a number of recommendations for identification, collaboration and education regarding the legislative environment have been postulated.Griffith Business School, Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel ManagementNo Full Tex

Sustainability Mining: Water for Mining, and Mining Water

This chapter examines the multifaceted nature of the relationship between water and mining. Several perspectives are offered. Mines are located to gain access to the mineral, but this is always in the context of water. The conditions under which the water has carved a catchment are strongly influenced by the climatic regime and the geological foundations under which the soil has been formed and vegetation has evolved. Mining is an embedded activity, located unambiguously in a landscape shaped by water. Mining as an activity must have a strategy for accessing, disposing of and using water. Mining relies on water for its operation, often using it intensively to achieve its production quota. This chapter also explores the relationship between mining and the use of water in the urban setting. Engineering feats, technological developments and regulatory frameworks facilitated by a history of mining in Western Australia (WA) have led to accessibility and exploitation of water for other purposes. How water is extracted can be likened to ‘mining water’ and how the treatment of water for human consumption uses mining by-products is considered. These perspectives highlight societal vulnerabilities to the environmental, psychological, sociocultural and political impacts of mining, that go beyond traditional perspectives of the advantages or disadvantages and cost benefit analysis of mining in society. The consequence of this traditional perspective is that water can be treated solely as a commodity, while other values of water are overlooked. Reconsidering the fundamental value and importance of water to society together with the embedded nature of mines in the landscape enables an insightful perspective on the contribution that mining and water make to society. Secondly, recognising the influence that mining has on patterns of water use, regulation and distribution may enable further consideration of sustainable water use in other settings

The future of renewable energy in Australia: A test for cooperative federalism?

In the context of the Australian federal system industry development will be influenced by the policies of each sphere of government. When announcing a set of policies in 1997 to develop the renewable energy industry the Australian federal government acknowledged the need for a cooperative approach between all governments and industry. The objective of this article is to analyse the government policies over the 1997–2007 period to promote the development of the renewable energy industry in Australia. The article highlights a number of factors that have served as barriers to the development of the industry. The research provides important insight into the difficulties associated with establishing cooperative national arrangements in areas of state government responsibility in the Australian federation. The lessons also inform the current debate on the policy initiatives needed to more effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from stationary energy from the increased availability of renewable energy