Australian Indigenous Policy

This course explores public policy towards Indigenous Australians both in recent years and historically. The idea of competing principles in Indigenous policy and practice is introduced. How the balancing of these might vary, both over time and geographically, is discussed. The roles of specialist knowledge, evidence, ideology and morality in the Indigenous policy arena are also discussed, while introducing a ‘three accounts’ approach to policy and governance. The course then examines a number of policy sectors which are central to recent debates in the Indigenous policy arena. These may change over time but could include: income support, alcohol, child protection, health, housing, land and education. Different sectors are used to think about various aspects and patterns of Indigenous policy processes, such as relations between Indigenous–specific and general policy mechanisms, the changing balancing of competing principles and the differential involvement in various sectors of the levels of Australian government. Recent experiments in ‘mainstreaming’ and whole-of-government policy will also be explored, both for their strengths and limitations. Finally we look at the ideas of failure and success in Australian Indigenous policy and how they relate to rhetorical registers and generational dynamics.