Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Rabies Response, One Health And More-Than-Human Considerations In Indigenous Communities In Northern Australia, Christopher J. Degeling, Victoria Brookes, Tess Lea, Michael P. Ward

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Australia is currently canine rabies free; however, the spread of rabies in eastern Indonesia poses an increasing risk to northern Australia. Domestic dogs are numerous in East Arnhem Land (EAL) and the Northern Peninsular Area (NPA), usually unrestrained and living in close relationships with humans. The response to any rabies outbreak on Australian territory will focus on dog vaccination, controlling dog movements and depopulation. A One Health approach to zoonotic disease control should seek to co-promote human and animal health, whilst also seeking to accommodate the preferences of affected communities. We report on 5 collaborative workshops and 28 semi-structured interviews …

Engagement And Qualitative Interviewing: An Ethnographic Study Of The Use Of Social Media And Mobile Phones Among Remote Indigenous Youth, Kishan A. Kariippanon, Kate Senior

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 2012, Kishan Kariippanon began an ethnographic study on the use of social media and mobile phones by Indigenous youth practicing traditional culture in a remote community in Northern Australia. A prepaid mobile phone service is available in most Northern Territory remote Indigenous communities. This case study provides an account of the vital practical steps for engagement and conducting qualitative interviewing in an Indigenous community where traditional structure of kinship and communications is practiced. The case sheds light on the particular challenge of gaining trust and building an authentic relationship with individuals and the community as part of the engagement …

What Factors Contribute To The Continued Low Rates Of Indigenous Status Identification In Urban General Practice? - A Mixed-Methods Multiple Site Case Study, Heike Schutze, Lisa Jackson Pulver, Mark Fort Harris

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Indigenous peoples experience worse health and die at younger ages than their non-indigenous counterparts. Ethnicity data enables health services to identify inequalities experienced by minority populations and to implement and monitor services specifically targeting them. Despite significant Government intervention, Australia's Indigenous peoples, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, continue to be under identified in data sets. We explored the barriers to Indigenous status identification in urban general practice in two areas in Sydney. Methods A mixed-methods multiple-site case study was used, set in urban general practice. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and self-complete questionnaires with 31 general practice …

Judicial Indigenous Cross-Cultural Training: What Is Available, How Good Is It And Can It Be Improved?, Vanessa I. Cavanagh, Elena Marchetti

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Australian Indigenous focused cross-cultural professional development for the judiciary is an evolving area. In other professional service sectors, such as health and education, cultural safety is becoming the benchmark. However, for the Australian justice sector cultural awareness, and to a lesser extent cultural competency, dominate discussion, and cultural safety is only an emerging discourse. Most judicial officers (indeed most Australian public servants and legal practitioners) would be familiar with the concept of Indigenous cultural awareness as part of their standard professional development training, however, the significance of cultural competency, and the application of cultural safety principles are less well recognised. …

Systematic Review To Inform Prevention And Management Of Chronic Disease For Indigenous Australians: Overview And Priorities, Judith Streak Gomersall, Karla Canuto, Edoardo Aromataris, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Alex Brown

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To describe the main characteristics of systematic reviews addressing questions of chronic disease and related risk factors for Indigenous Australians.

Methods: We searched databases for systematic reviews meeting inclusion criteria. Two reviewers assessed quality and extracted characteristics using pre‐defined tools.

Results: We identified 14 systematic reviews. Seven synthesised evidence about health intervention effectiveness; four addressed chronic disease or risk factor prevalence; and six conducted critical appraisal as per current best practice. Only three reported steps to align the review with standards for ethical research with Indigenous Australians and/or capture Indigenous‐specific knowledge. Most called for more high‐quality research.

Conclusion: Systematic …

Routine Screening Of Indigenous Cancer Patients' Unmet Support Needs: A Qualitative Study Of Patient And Clinician Attitudes, Belinda Thewes, Esther L. Davis, Afaf Girgis, Patricia C. Valery, K Giam, Alison Hocking, J Jackson, Vincent He, Desmond Yip, Gail Garvey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Indigenous Australians have poorer cancer outcomes in terms of incidence mortality and survival compared with non-Indigenous Australians. The factors contributing to this disparity are complex. Identifying and addressing the psychosocial factors and support needs of Indigenous cancer patients may help reduce this disparity. The Supportive Care Needs Assessment Tool for Indigenous People (SCNAT-IP) is a validated 26-item questionnaire developed to assess their unmet supportive care needs. This qualitative study reports on patient and clinician attitudes towards feasibility and acceptability of SCNAT-IP in routine care.

The Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team Project - Building Indigenous Knowledge And Skills To Improve Urban Waterways In Sydney's Georges River Catchment, Vanessa I. Cavanagh

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Indigenous Ranger programs, which are predominantly located in regional and remote areas, are commendable for their jobs creation, for strengthening of livelihoods of individuals and communities, and for the cultural and environmental outcomes they engender. However, can similar outcomes be attained in a highly urban setting? This paper is a case study of a current project, the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team in the Georges River in Sydney's south-west. Through the narrative of the Aboriginal trainees who have been members of the Aboriginal Riverkeeper Team ('the Team'), this paper will illustrate how an environmental project has been successful in delivering significant cultural …

Principals As Literacy Leaders With Indigenous Communities (Pallic) Building Relationships: One School's Quest To Raise Indigenous Learners' Literacy, Tasha Riley, Amanda A. Webster

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 2011 to 2012, 48 schools in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland participated in the Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) project. Central to this project was the establishment of positive working relationships between school principals and Indigenous community leaders in order to improve Indigenous literacy rates. Professional development in leadership skills and effective literacy instruction was provided through five professional learning modules. Participants worked together to create an action plan to support the literacy achievement of Indigenous students in their schools and communities. This article presents a case study of one participating school in Northern …

'We Are History In The Making And We Are Walking Together To Change Things For The Better': Exploring The Flows And Ripples Of Learning In A Mentoring Program For Indigenous Young People, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Samantha Mcmahon, Amy Priestly, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article explores the unique mentoring model that the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) has established to assist Australian Indigenous young people succeed educationally. AIME can be described as a structured educational mentoring programme, which recruits university students to mentor Indigenous high school students. The success of the programme is unequivocal, with the AIME Indigenous mentees completing high school and the transition to further education and employment at higher rates than their non-AIME Indigenous counterparts. This article reports on a study that sought to deeply explore the particular approach to mentoring that AIME adopts. The study drew upon interviews, observations …

Biopedagogies And Indigenous Knowledge: Examining Sport For Development And Peace For Urban Indigenous Young Women In Canada And Australia, Lyndsay M C Hayhurst, Audrey R. Giles, Jan Wright

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper uses transnational postcolonial feminist participatory action research (TPFPAR) to examine two sport for development and peace (SDP) initiatives that focus on Indigenous young women residing in urban areas, one in Vancouver, Canada, and one in Perth, Australia. We examine how SDP programs that target urban Indigenous young women and girls reproduce the hegemony of neoliberalism by deploying biopedagogies of neoliberalism to 'teach' Indigenous young women certain education and employment skills that are deemed necessary to participate in competitive capitalism. We found that activities in both programs were designed to equip the Indigenous girls and young women with individual …

Colonisation And Fire: Gendered Dimensions Of Indigenous Fire Knowledge Retention And Revival, Christine Eriksen, Don L. Hankins

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter elucidates how gender is entwined in the spatial and temporal knowledge trajectories through which indigenous fire knowledge is retained and revived using a case study of eastern Australia and California, USA. Fire extends its roots far into the past of indigenous cultures worldwide, extending beyond basic domestic needs to responsible environmental stewardship. Fire has played a key role in the land stewardship practices of Aboriginal Australian and Native American women and men for millennia (Stewart et al. 2002; Gammage 2011). This includes cultural and gendered landscapes, such as indigenous sacred and ceremonial sites off-limits to women or men. …

Ethnography And Filmmaking For Indigenous Anti Tobacco Social Marketing, Kishan A. Kariippanon, Datjarranga Garrawirtja, Kate Senior, Paul Kalfadellis, Vidad Narayan, Bryce Mccoy

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The smoking rates of 82% in Aboriginal communities of North East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia are the highest in the country (Robertson et al. 2013). Macassan traders introduced tobacco as a trading commodity (Berndt, 1954) in Aboriginal communities in the 18th century and has since become part of culture. The influence of the Methodist Mission (Cole 1979) has also had a profound effect on tobacco consumption. Anti tobacco social marketing that is sensitive to Indigenous culture and history supports a more complex and gradual approach to reducing uptake amongst young people. The limitations of the Health …

Young And Savvy: Indigenous Hip-Hop As Regional Cultural Asset, Andrew T. Warren, Rob Evitt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores how Indigenous youth from two socioeconomically disadvantaged places - one in Australia's tropical north, the other just beyond the outermost edge of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area - marshal resources and find expressive voice through hip-hop music, dance and video production. In these locations, physical distance and poverty are conditions influencing the ability of creative artists to do their work, access opportunities and build careers. Yet remoteness is managed, and marginality negotiated through the expressive medium of hiphop and new recording and distribution technologies. Through their efforts, Indigenous hip-hoppers have built a new kind of network -semi-informal, …

Recognising Aspiration: The Aime Program's Effectiveness In Inspiring Indigenous Young People's Participation In Schooling And Opportunities For Further Education And Employment, Valerie Harwood, Samantha Mcmahon, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Gawaian Bodkin Andrews, Amy Priestly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A strong feature of the widening participation agenda is improving the aspirations of groups that are underrepresented in higher education. This paper seeks to reposition the utility of this as a focal point of educational interventions by showcasing the success of a mentoring program that takes a different approach. The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) significantly and positively impacts Australian Indigenous high school students' aspirations to finish school and continue to further study, training or employment. AIME is not read as a classic intervention program for raising aspirations. Instead, AIME builds upon the cultural wealth of participants and adopts an …

Eleven Design-Based Principles To Facilitate The Adoption Of Internet Technologies In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Internationally, the internet is a critical component of many projects that aim to improve literacy and build skills in indigenous communities. It is claimed that online platforms provide flexible learning opportunities to suit individual learner schedules and needs, enabling them to learn in 'anytime, anywhere' environments. However, good intentions and a learning platform deemed suitable by non-indigenous people do not necessarily lead to successful user outcomes. There is a need to understand how Western culture influences the design and implementation of online projects with Indigenous communities and to avoid technological colonisation of the local community. Flexibility, understanding and respect must …

Principals As Literacy Leaders With Indigenous Communities: Leadership For Learning To Read - 'Both Ways', Greer Johnson, Neil Dempster, Lynanne Mckenzie, Helen Klieve, Bev Fluckiger, Susan Lovett, Tasha Riley, Amanda A. Webster

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) project was funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) under Closing the Gap: Expansion of Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Programs for Underachieving Indigenous Students. Forty-eight (48) schools in three government jurisdictions, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory, took part. This Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) initiative was, first and foremost, a research-informed leadership development project. Leadership development, in this instance, focussed on improving Indigenous children's reading while enhancing local leadership capacity to continue with this task after the project's completion. A collaborative …

Identification And Evaluation Of Models Of Antenatal Care In Australia - A Review Of The Evidence, Erin Brock, Karen Charlton, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background Antenatal care has been routine practice throughout the world since early in the 20th century, and in most developed countries, antenatal care consists of a scheduled program of individual consultations with a healthcare practitioner, using a doctor or midwife. Women seek antenatal care that provides a physical review of the health and development of their unborn baby, the reassurance and ability to be listened to and the opportunity for their partner to be involved in their care. Aims To identify the types of antenatal care services that are available to Australian women and investigate the views and opinions of …

An Indigenous Commentary On The Globalisation Of Restorative Justice, Juan M. Tauri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The study and impact of the globalisation of crime control policy and related products have recently begun to receive significant attention from critical Indigenous scholars. The reasons for the increasing focus on this issue include the restorative justice industry's increasing utilisation of so-called 'Indigenous' philosophies and practices in the design of its various products; and the increasing global popularity of supposedly 'Indigenousinspired1 restorative justice initiatives, not only in settler colonial contexts, but throughout Western jurisdictions, as a response to crime control issues relating to minorities. The purpose of this paper is to provide an Indigenous critique of the globalisation of …

Emerging Geographies Of Conservation And Indigenous Land In Australia, Heather Moorcroft, Michael Adams

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

International examples of interactions between Indigenous peoples and the new conservation paradigm come mainly from developing countries and suggest divisions over priorities. As a Western settler society, Australia is at a critical time in conservation and Indigenous peoples' rights. Innovative approaches to conservation are promoted. The role and influence of non-governmental organisations is increasing. Indigenous peoples' rights to land are recognised and Indigenous involvement in conservation is growing. Yet, despite Australia being considered a leader in these arenas, particularly the latter, there has been little analysis of the relationship between innovative approaches to conservation and Indigenous Australians under the new …

Digital Storytelling: Capturing The Stories Of Mentors In Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Lisa Kervin, Samantha Mcmahon, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Digital stories are often considered in terms of artistic forms, as teaching and learning tools, and for their emancipatory capacity to capture the stories and experiences of marginalised social groups. This case joins the recent move to reconceptualise the digital story by positing it as a useful research method that generates rich multimodal narrative data. As a new method in social science research, it seems, at least so far, to raise more questions than it answers. Such methodological questions might include the following: What 'type' of digital story to use? How do you analyse, theorise and/or account for the overall …

The Retention, Revival, And Subjugation Of Indigenous Fire Knowledge Through Agency Fire Fighting In Eastern Australia And California, Christine Eriksen, Don L. Hankins

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article explores the potential impact of training and employment with wildfire management agencies on the retention of Indigenous fire knowledge. It focuses on the comparative knowledge and experiences of Indigenous Elders, cultural practitioners, and land stewards in connection with ''modern'' political constructs of fire in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, and California in the United States of America. This article emphasises the close link between cross-cultural acceptance, integration of Indigenous and agency fire cultures, and the ways in which knowledge types are shared or withheld. While agency fire fighting provides an opportunity for Indigenous people to connect and …

Aime And The University Of Wollongong: The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Paul Chandler, Valerie Harwood, Samantha Mcmahon, Amy Priestly, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The collaborative research partnership between the University of Wollongong and the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), an Indigenous community organisation, has grown from internal university funding to national funding. This mutually beneficial partnership has resulted in: outputs to AIME for use in their program; funded educational opportunities for Indigenous students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels; and the design of statistical tools for the collection of quantitative data on the program.

Youth Gangs In A Remote Indigenous Community: Importance Of Cultural Authority And Family Support, Teresa Cunningham, Bill Ivory, Richard D. Chenhall, Rachel M. Mcmahon, Kate Senior

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Indigenous community of Wadeye in the Northern Territory, Australia has been described as a community 'under siege from continual gang violence' (Rioting flares again at Wadeye. The Australian 7 August; Gang violence plagues Wadeye. ABC News 1 December; Wadeye worst in 50 years. NT News 2 November). The gangs appear to have emerged in the early 1980s and are generally defined through youth aligning themselves along cultural, clan and family affiliations into groups with contemporary Americanised gang characteristics, symbolic links with heavy metal music and clearly defined turf boundaries. Although they do engage in some relatively minor drug (predominately …

Longitudinal Nasopharyngeal Carriage And Antibiotic Resistance Of Respiratory Bacteria In Indigenous Australian And Alaska Native Children With Bronchiectasis, Kim M. Hare, Rosalyn J. Singleton, Keith Grimwood, Patricia C. Valery, Allen C. Cheng, Peter S. Morris, Amanda J. Leach, Heidi Smith-Vaughan, Mark Chatfield, Greg Redding, Alisa L. Reasonover, Gabrielle B. Mccallum, Lori Chikoyak, Malcolm I. Mcdonald, Ngiare Brown, Paul J. Torzillo, Anne B. Chang

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background Indigenous children in Australia and Alaska have very high rates of chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD)/bronchiectasis. Antibiotics, including frequent or long-term azithromycin in Australia and short-term beta-lactam therapy in both countries, are often prescribed to treat these patients. In the Bronchiectasis Observational Study we examined over several years the nasopharyngeal carriage and antibiotic resistance of respiratory bacteria in these two PCV7-vaccinated populations. Methods Indigenous children aged 0.5-8.9 years with CSLD/bronchiectasis from remote Australia (n = 79) and Alaska (n = 41) were enrolled in a prospective cohort study during 2004-8. At scheduled study visits until 2010 antibiotic use in …

Aim(E) For Completing School And University: Analysing The Strength Of The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Valerie Harwood, Samantha Mcmahon, Amy Priestly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose: Generally, theory and research investigating the effectiveness of mentoring has offered little resounding evidence to attest to mentoring programmes being a strategic initiative that make a real difference in reducing the educational inequities many minority students endure. In contrast to this existing research base, the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) has often been cited as one of the most successful mentoring initiatives within Australia. It is the purpose of this chapter to examine how AIME may impact on the educational aspirations and school self-concept of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Methodology: A series of multi-group analyses were centred …

Understanding Indigenous Consultation And Engagement In Engineering Education, Thomas Goldfinch, Jade Kennedy

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

BACKGROUND Higher education participation rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly lower than for other Australians (Behrendt, Larkin, Griew, & Kelly, 2012). In addition, Indigenous Australian participation rates in engineering and other technology related fields are lower than for other fields such as law, health and education (DEEWR, 2008). This presents a substantial challenge for engineering education to increase participation rates among Indigenous Australians towards those of other Australians. Engineering schools and Industry have responded with an array of outreach, scholarship, and support programs which have taken small steps towards this (BHP Billiton, 2012; EAA, 2013; Rio …

Connection, Challenge, And Change: The Narratives Of University Students Mentoring Young Indigenous Australians, Sarah O'Shea, Valerie Harwood, Lisa Kervin, Nici Humphry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article, we highlighted the stories of university student mentors who are involved in the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME). The AIME program works with young Indigenous school students, at primary and secondary school levels, to encourage continued participation in education and to consider university as a viable life goal. The AIME program is explored from the perspective of the university students who are selected to mentor young Australian Indigenous school students. Adopting a narrative inquiry approach, the article presents richly descriptive insight into the motivations of these mentors and highlights how this experience has impacted upon them. While …

Indigenous Knowledge And Climate Change In Australia: Can The Traditional Knowledge Of Australia's Indigenous Communities Keep Pace With Climate Change?, Michael Adams

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Indigenous knowledge systems are often characterised as including very detailed understandings of local environments, often over very long time periods. This combination of temporal and spatial knowledge is a strong base for thinking about change, both in terms of change brought about by climate change, and the sorts of adaptive change communities might need to make to appropriately respond.

Poor Food And Nutrient Intake Among Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Rural Australian Children, Josephine D. Gwynn, Victoria M. Flood, Catherine A. D'Este, John R. Attia, Nicole Turner, Janine Cochrane, Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, John H. Wiggers

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the food and nutrient intake of a population of rural Australian children particularly Indigenous children. Participants were aged 10 to 12 years, and living in areas of relative socio-economic disadvantage on the north coast of New South Wales. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study 215 children with a mean age of 11.30 (SD 0.04) years (including 82 Indigenous children and 93 boys) completed three 24-hour food recalls (including 1 weekend day), over an average of two weeks in the Australian summer of late 2005. RESULTS: A high proportion of children consumed …

Changing The Narrative: Shoalhaven Year 12 Indigenous Graduation Ceremony 10 Years On, Robbie Collins

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

Abstract presented at the 36th annual conference of the Australian and New Zealand regional science association international, University of Wollongong, 4-7 December 2012