Government Decision Making and Indigenous Communities in Contemporary Society

This course will take students on a journey through Australian history, and through the Australian legislative system. The course will reflect on indigenous peoples in Anglo-Australian society and under Anglo-Australian common law, the history of British settlement and the changes in Aboriginal societies in the last 250 years, Aboriginal people in the colonies and the evolution of Federation. Discussion of segregations, assimilation and integration since 1788 will also be key to the first part of the course. The second part of the course will focus on government decision making, covering parliament and the process of law making, legal bases for making administrative decisions within the public sector (with examples including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous elements), administrative or government decisions (who makes a ‘decision’, what is a ‘decision’, who is considered the ‘decision maker’ for issues that clients of government services might seek to query). Avenues available for the public to challenging such decisions (Ombudsman, Administrative Tribunals and the Courts) will be discussed, along with key legislation affecting the public sector: The PGPA Act (Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013), ADJR Act (Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977).