The future of outstations/homelands

Abstract

  In October 2009 the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) convened a workshop at the Australian National University in Canberra on Homelands/Outstations. Invited to the workshop were homeland/outstation residents, their resource agencies, peak Aboriginal organisations, social and physical scientists, educationalists, medical practitioners and bureaucrats. This report seeks to record the broad commentary from the workshop, over which there was consensus demonstrated in the unanimous endorsement of a final Communiqué. The aim of the workshop was to give voice to homeland/outstation residents in relation to their growing concerns about being excluded from policy development about their futures. Image: Yolngu Matha Bible translation team, davidfntau / flick