ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) (Now POLIS Centre for Indigenous Policy Research)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/114085
The Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) is a unique national and international centre, a leading research think-tank on Indigenous policy issues, and operates in a complex political arena. Since 1990 it has established an unrivalled reputation and track record in a difficult public policy area of national significance. A central goal at CAEPR is to continue to create and build long-term partnerships with Indigenous stakeholders with a view to supporting and working with key individuals and organisations in the areas of research, education and policy development.
The Centre is funded from a variety of sources including the ANU, the Australian Research Council, industry and philanthropic partners, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and State and Territory governments. The principal objective of CAEPR is to undertake high-quality, independent research that will assist in furthering the social and economic development and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia. It aims to combine academic and teaching excellence on Indigenous economic and social development and public policy with realism, objectivity and relevance.
CAEPR is committed to disseminating its research as widely as possible through print and electronic publication and since 1991 has undertaken an active publications program.
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Item Open Access Working Future': A Critique of Policy by Numbers (or The Weakness of Collaborative Federalism in an Emergency)(North Australian Research Unit (NARU), 2009-08-19) Sanders, WillThis paper uses 2006 Census and Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey statistics to critique Working Future, a policy initiative of the Northern Territory Government announced in May 2009. It shows that the 20 proposed Territory Growth Towns (TGTs) in Working Future are geographically skewed towards the more densely settled, tropical savannah north of the Northern Territory and away from the southern arid zone. By focusing on some the Northern Territory's more populous discrete Indigenous communities, Working Future has also, perhaps inadvertently, focused on the north of the Northern Territory. Indigenous people in the southern arid zone have reason to suggest that this policy does not reflect their interests or existing settlement patterns. The paper also identifies the extent to which there is already a settlement hierarchy among discrete Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, in which 70 or 80 communities act as central-place service hubs for a more widely dispersed remote area population. It also notes that, small 'open towns' sometimes act as service hubs, and asks why many of these have been overlooked as potential TGTs. The final section of the paper suggests that Working Future reflects recent policy change in remote Indigenous housing which has been developed through collaborative federalism. This helps us understand and explain the strange mal-distribution of TGTs in Working Future.Item Open Access 2024 Commonwealth Budget Analysis and Living Standard Trends in Australia(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2024) Gray, Matthew; Phillips, Ben; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThe major household financial measures in the 2024 Commonwealth Budget are modelled using the ANU PolicyMod model of the Australian tax and welfare system. Results provide average household financial impacts across different income and financial wellbeing levels. The policy settings for the latest budget are also compared with those just prior to the election of Labor in 2022 to better understand the distributional impact of the new Labor government. To better understand ‘cost of living pressures’ financial living standard trends are provided for 26 different household types since just prior to COVID up to December 2023 and projections provided based on budget assumptions up to December 2024. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee (EIAC) provided 22 recommendations to government in the lead up to the budget and the paper estimates the impact that selected measures would have on the finances of a range of households and different regions around the country.Item Metadata only Learning on Country Program: Progress Evaluation 2.0(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR)) Fogarty, William Patrick; Bulloch, Hannah; Bellchambers, Kate; Brachtendorf, Liza; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchItem Metadata only Caring about Care(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR)) Klein, Elise; Hunt, Janet; Staines, Zoe; Brown, Chay; Glynn-Braun, Kayla; Yap, Mandy; Murray, Minda; Williamson, Bhiamie; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report presents the findings of research that aimed to support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner’s work on Wiyi Yani U Thangani,and contribute to understandings of the scope of care work performed by Indigenous women. Specifically, the project explored: 1) how Indigenous women conceptualise care work, including its scope and nature, 2) how Indigenous women value and experience care work, 3) what volume and type/s of care work Indigenous women are regularly engaged in, and 4) how the care work of Indigenous women might be better recognised and valued in policy. The report draws on ABS data and fieldwork, including interviews and a time-use survey, conducted between August 2022 and May 2023 with Aboriginal organisations in five locations spanning remote, regional, and urban Australia. Drawing on these data, the report also calculates the approximate economic value of the care work Indigenous women undertake. The findings indicate that ‘mainstream’ definitions of care do not include the broad ways in which care is defined by Indigenous women. In women’s stories, care repeatedly emerges as a source of personal and cultural strength. The research also finds, however, that women’s care loads are exacerbated by historic and ongoing colonisation. The report concludes with seven recommendations indicating how policy could be reshaped to centre and support Indigenous women’s care.Item Open Access Exploring the spatial distribution of Aboriginal food security and insecurity in New South Wales using survey and Census data(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023-07) Dinku, Yonatan; Walsh, Corinne; Markham, Francis; Puri, Chase; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis study presents estimates of the prevalence of food insecurity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households in small geographical areas in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Using the 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) and 2021 Census of Population and Housing, the research investigates the factors associated with food security in Aboriginal households and estimates the prevalence of food insecurity at the Statistical Area 2 (SA2) level across NSW. Logistic regression results reveal associations between household food insecurity and income, financial stress, household size, housing tenure, food preparation facilities, and remoteness. Notably, the study finds that food insecurity is driven primarily by financial resources rather than access to grocery stores. The research highlights the prevalence of going without food in urban parts of NSW for Indigenous households relative to non-metropolitan areas, and suggests a concentration of food insecurity among Indigenous populations in urban and inner regional areas. Maps of the predicted prevalence of food insecurity across NSW are provided.Item Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Evaluation: Illawarra Wingecarribee Alliance Aboriginal Corporation Evaluation Report : 4/2023(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Thomassin, Annick; Maher, Geoffrey Jr; Macdonald, Lea Keya; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Illawarra Wingecarribee Alliance Aboriginal Corporation (IWAAC) Local Decision Making Accord implementation. The evaluation was co-designed with IWAAC and key public sector officials involved in implementing the Accord. Its findings are based on the research team’s independent assessment of the data collected. The evaluation methods included a workshop with IWAAC delegates, interviews or group discussions with IWAAC staff, delegates and former delegates, Elders and board members, and other community members, as well as interviews with senior government staff involved in the Accord’s implementation. Acknowledgments The CAEPR research team acknowledges Country and Elders past, present and future in Illawarra Wingecarribee Alliance Aboriginal Corporation (IWAAC) communities. The Illawarra-Wingecarribee region sits on the lands of the Dharawal, Yuin and Gandangara peoples which include the Wodi, Elouera and other local language groups. We wish to thank IWAAC, their member organisations and associated community-controlled organisations for their time and helpful collaboration in carrying out this evaluation including for allowing us to conduct workshops during their IWAAC meetings. We thank and acknowledge the contributions of employees of the NSW Government and one external consultant. The team would also like to acknowledge and thank the members of the OCHRE Evaluation Steering Committee for their guidance and support.Item Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Evaluation: NCARA-State Accord Evaluation Report : 5/2023(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Howard-Wagner, Deirdre; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThe NCARA–State Accord is the first multi-regional Accord in New South Wales (NSW), making it an important milestone under the Local Decision Making (LDM) initiative, a key initiative under the OCHRE plan for Aboriginal affairs in NSW. It commits the NSW Government and the New South Wales Coalition of Aboriginal Regional Alliances (NCARA) to work together to support, renew and return Aboriginal peoples to prosperity. The NCARA–State Accord is a principle-based agreement centred around self-determination which provides a framework for collaboration between the two parties. The NCARA–State Accord Evaluation Report is an outcome evaluation. It investigates if and how the NCARA–State Accord is achieving ‘what it set out to do’ in relation to transforming government and transforming relationships under the LDM initiative. The first part of the report examines the outcomes of establishing a separate Aboriginal governance body, known as NCARA, at the state level under the LDM initiative and its role within the broader LDM governance network. It also evaluates the outcome of signing the NCARA–State Accord. The second part of the report focuses on findings relating to transformational change around reclaiming, renewing, and returning Aboriginal people in NSW to prosperity, and transforming Aboriginal service delivery in NSW. It examines the outcomes of the NCARA–State Accord in terms of transforming government, including improving working relationships, sharing decision making, improving service delivery ownership, and sharing data. It finds that the NCARA–State Accord has fallen short in practice, particularly with respect to public sector engagement with NCARA. The report recommends improvements that would strengthen the way that NSW Government agencies engage with NCARA to achieve the intent of the NCARA–State Accord.Item Open Access Area-level socioeconomic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the 2016 and 2021 Censuses(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Biddle, Nicholas; Markham, Francis; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchSince the 2001 Census, the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) has developed the Indigenous Relative Socioeconomic Outcomes (IRSEO) index to assist Indigenous communities and organisations in advocating for resource allocation based on relative needs, and assist governments in directing services toward areas with the most significant impact on Indigenous populations. This study replicates previous analyses using data from the 2021 Census. After describing the 2021 IRSEO index, this paper expands on previous analysis in four ways. First, it examines the ongoing need for an index of socioeconomic outcomes that is specific to the Indigenous population. Second, it examines changes in relative Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes over time, asking which sorts of places have become relatively more advantaged and which relatively less advantaged. Third, it investigates the validity of a new census question about long-term health conditions for the Indigenous population, and investigates whether it provides a useful measure of Indigenous health outcomes to include in the IRSEO index. And fourth, it examines the potential impact of COVID‑19 restrictions on the Indigenous relative socioeconomic outcomes recorded in the 2021 Census. Our findings indicate that spatial inequalities in Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes have widened from 2016 to 2021, with regional areas experiencing more rapid improvements compared to other urban or remote locations. Conversely, outcomes in remote Indigenous towns and locations in the Northern Territory have further declined relative to the rest of the country. Despite the 2021 Census occurring amidst heightened COVID-19 governmental interventions, the impact on relative Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes appears to be minimal. We also find that newly introduced health-related questions in the census exhibit limited internal validity for evaluating Indigenous health outcomes. Accordingly, they have been excluded from the IRSEO index. The 2021 IRSEO index, as detailed in this article, can be accessed and downloaded from the CAEPR website.Item Open Access Culture and Indigenous wellbeing: Literature review for the Kimberley Strong Culture, Strong Place, Strong Families Research and Evaluation Project(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Birchmeier, Katrina; Buchanan, Geoff; Dinku, Yonatan; Haviland, Maya; Kinnane, Stephen; Yap, Mandy; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report is the first published output from the Strong Culture, Strong Place, Strong Families Research and Evaluation Project. This project is a co-design partnership between the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC), the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the Australian National University (ANU), and communities in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The project partners are working with participating Aboriginal groups and communities to co-design and co-produce an outcomes measurement framework for culture and wellbeing, drawing on the lived experience and perspectives of Aboriginal people and communities in the Kimberley. This report presents the results of a review of the literature on the measurement of culture and wellbeing in Australia and internationally, with a focus on Indigenous examples. This literature review aims to complement the collection of primary data to support the development of a set of culture and wellbeing indicators that will ultimately form part of an outcomes measurement framework to evaluate cultural initiatives. To ensure that the indicators are centred on Kimberley Aboriginal peoples’ lived experience and perspectives, they will be developed primarily from one-on-one interviews and focus groups conducted by KALACC Community Research Practitioners with members of their communities. This report highlights evidence of how culture contributes to the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in Australia and elsewhere. It identifies key examples of research and analysis that has sought to identify domains, determinants, and indicators of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing – including those that have identified cultural indicators and validated their association with wellbeing outcomes. The report shows how a growing evidence base and related advocacy driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and community-controlled organisations has informed key Australian government frameworks around Closing the Gap, health, and mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. This report notes that there is still significant work to be done to convert recognition into action at a whole-of-government level. This work involves the development of rights-based, strengths-based and evidence-based responses that support the implementation of cultural determinants of health and wellbeing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Item Open Access Indigenous 'Elder' Organisations: Resilient Adaptive Governance as a Capability for Renewal and Longevity(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Indigenous Policy Research, 2023) McCulloch, Mia; Drieberg, Lara; Markham, Francis; Smith, Diane; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchItem Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Evaluation: Three Rivers Regional Assembly Evaluation Report(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Hunt, Janet; Lonsdale, Aleshia; Olsen, Sheena; Thomassin, Annick; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report presents the findings of an evaluation of the implementation of the Three Rivers Regional Assembly (TRRA) Local Decision Making Accord. The evaluation was co-designed with TRRA and key public sector officials involved in implementing the Accord. Its findings are based on the research team’s independent assessment of the data collected. The evaluation methods included a workshop with TRRA delegates; interviews or yarning circles with TRRA staff, delegates and former delegates, Elders, Local Aboriginal Land Council Chief Executive Officers and Board members, and many other community members, as well as interviews with senior government staff involved in implementation of the Accord.Item Open Access Governing Country: A literature review of Indigenous governance principles in Indigenous Ranger groups & Indigenous Protected Areas(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR)) Bellchambers, Kate; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis paper reports on a literature review of Indigenous governance principles and practices in Indigenous Ranger groups and Indigenous Protected Areas. While existing scholarship has explored the policy frameworks and benefits associated with these programs, there has been less assessment of how Indigenous people govern these initiatives on the ground. I draw on methods of systematic literature review to identify relevant scholarship over the last 40 years and analyse this material using a conceptual framework of Indigenous governance principles. I found that all nine of the defined Indigenous governance principles were evident in the scholarship, often intersecting and overlapping to produce compounding governance strengths. This paper also maps the indicative locations, type of host organisation, and primary funding source for current Indigenous Ranger groups and Indigenous Protected Areas across Australia. This literature review illustrates the infinite potential to care for diverse landscapes, as well as foster Indigenous leadership, governance, and self-determined development, through investment in Indigenous Country governance. I argue that such investment must recognise and actively support the Indigenous governance principles at the heart of these initiatives and their success.Item Metadata only Advancing Aboriginal interests in the New South Wales renewable energy transition(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Norman, Heidi; Briggs, Chris; Apolonio, Therese; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchAs the NSW government steers the transition of the energy system to renewable energy, we examine what opportunities this presents for Aboriginal communities. The renewable energy transition could present opportunities for Aboriginal land holders in NSW to participate in new and sustainable economies, leverage land for renewable energy projects, address issues of energy security, derive benefits including collective income generation and capacity-building, and for Aboriginal values and aspirations to be built into the foundation and long-term operation of renewable energy projects. To date, benefits for aboriginal communities have been limited but the NSW renewable energy zone model is the first to include First Nations economic participation and community support in renewable energy auction criteria. Whilst the NSW approach should improve the employment, training and business participation, our research highlights more needs to be done to engage Aboriginal people and enable projects on Aboriginal land where ownership can underpin greater social and economic impact. Our research reveals that Aboriginal land holders are optimistic about the possibilities of renewable energy and can see the benefits of being involved in this sector, but have limited resources to engage strategically in the bold energy transition plans. We argue that Local Aboriginal Land Councils have an important role to play at the interface of community, industry and government, and require support, further resources, and capacity-building in order to support their long-term participation in the state-wide energy transition.Item Open Access Preliminary Findings of The Ochre Local Decision Making Evaluation Stage 2(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2023) Howard-Wagner, Deirdre; Markham, Francis; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchLocal Decision Making (LDM) is a NSW Government initiative that aims to transform the way that NSW Government agencies engage with Aboriginal communities regarding service delivery. The aims and approach of the LDM initiative are characteristic of the contemporary emphasis on partnerships, agreements, and accountability structures in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public policy in Australia. This report presents the overarching preliminary findings of the OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Evaluation. It considers those findings in the context of the evaluation’s primary goal of understanding the operation of the OCHRE LDM initiative in order to improve its processes and outcomes. The report presents case studies that illustrate how communities are strengthening their leadership and governance around service delivery through regional governance bodies. It discusses how regional governance bodies are providing NSW government agencies with a key point of access for community engagement and advice, and examples where regional governance bodies are instrumental in securing improvements around community control over service delivery. It describes occasions where regional governance bodies have worked with NSW Government agencies to secure new innovative approaches to the way that government does business with them. While highlighting these examples of success, the report finds that progress under LDM has been ad hoc. LDM is not implemented well across the board. There have not been systematic transformations of relationships between Aboriginal communities and the NSW Government under LDM. The report discusses areas where the design and implementation of LDM are falling short. It provides evidence and recommendations that may be used to improve outcomes under LDM in future.Item Metadata only Advancing Aboriginal interests in the New South Wales renewable energy transition(Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, The Australian National University, 2023) Norman, Heidi; Briggs, Chris; Apolonio, ThereseItem Open Access What’s the catch? The criminalisation of Aboriginal fishing in New South Wales(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2022) Hunt, Janet; Ridge, Kathryn; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchA recent Parliamentary Inquiry in NSW concerning the non-commencement of s21AA of the Fisheries Management Amendment Act 2009 (NSW) which would give First Nations fishers a state based statutory right to ‘cultural fishing’ has highlighted two key concerns about the way the Department of Primary Industries applies the law and management of the fisheries at the intersection of fundamental human rights. This leads to resource conflict, and significant impacts upon Aboriginal people, particularly with respect to their pre-existing rights in high commercial value fisheries such as abalone and lobster, which are also species of high cultural value to Aboriginal people. The NSW government’s failure to uphold and protect native title fishing in accordance with law and custom under section 211 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth) matched by its failure to recognise and respect the First Nations fishers’ marine governance system, or traditional lore, which has a focus on sustainability of the resource, impacts the rights of Aboriginal people, particularly the South Coast Peoples of NSW whose native title claim was registered in 2018. The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry has also raised serious issues about principles of parliamentary sovereignty, and accountability of the elected government to the NSW Parliament. When the NSW Parliament has passed laws to address a public interest outcome, what rights do agencies or Ministers have to ignore the will of the Parliament by failing to have them proclaimed?Item Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Accords Negotiation: Barang Accord Negotiation Evaluation Report(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2022) Howard-Wagner, Deirdre; Harrington, Morgan; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThe report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Barang Regional Alliance Accord Negotiation. This evaluation was conducted by researchers from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), and its findings are based on their independent assessment of the data collected. This included a series of discussion circles with six Barang Regional Alliance Negotiators; five in-depth interviews with NSW Lead Negotiators, and one with an Independent Facilitator; minutes from meetings held as part of the Accord negotiation process; and documents published by the NSW Government about the Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment (OCHRE) and Local Decision Making (LDM) policiesItem Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Accords Negotiation: Riverina Murray Regional Alliance Accord Negotiation Evaluation Report(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2022) O'bryan, Marnie; Thomas, Archie; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report focuses on Accord negotiations between the NSW Government and the Riverina Murray Regional Alliance (RMRA). It considers all aspects of developing the RMRA Accord, including the pre-negotiation phase, negotiations and signing of the Accord, also described as the Ngunggiyalali, and the subsequent negotiation of Schedules under it. As no Schedule has been signed into operation, this review has not been able to consider the implementation phase. RMRA commenced negotiations with the NSW Government in 2019 using a distinctive case study methodology to highlight the inter-connectedness of issues across communities. Negotiations resulted in the RMRA Ngunggiyalali being signed on 19 August 2020. This Accord includes statements of key principles and processes which will shape the overarching structure for future negotiations. Since its signing, negotiations have centred around developing Schedules to the Accord. The first Schedule, Health, Healing and Wellbeing, was agreed by all NSW Government parties and RMRA and is awaiting sign-off from the Minister. Other Schedules will focus on Law and Justice, Housing, Governance and Community Engagement, Employment and Business Development, Education and Training, Aged Care, and Transport. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of LDM Accord negotiations as a process of agreement-making. It builds on a suite of previous evaluations all of which seek to assess whether Accords-making processes are working as intended. It considers whether issues identified in previous evaluations have been mitigated and what can be done to further strengthen LDM structures in the short to medium term. Findings here are also relevant to understanding the extent to which LDM helps meet key Closing the Gap priority reform areas, and the wider NSW Government commitment to empowering Aboriginal communities.Item Metadata only Local Decision Making Accords Negotiation Evaluation: Synthesis report(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2022) Howard-Wagner, Deirdre; O'bryan, Marnie; Harrington, Morgan; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThe Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research was commissioned by Aboriginal Affairs NSW (AANSW) to evaluate Accord negotiations in three Local Decision Making (LDM) sites (represented by three Aboriginal Regional Alliances). Accord negotiation is part of the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s LDM initiative, which is itself part of the broader OCHRE (Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment) plan for Aboriginal affairs in NSW. LDM aims to redefine the relationship between NSW Aboriginal communities and the NSW Government, based on a new emphasis on partnerships, agreements, and accountability. LDM and the Accord-making process is currently taking place in several regions across NSW. The research team was commissioned to evaluate Accord negotiations in three LDM sites (represented by three Aboriginal Regional Alliances) over a period of five months. The evaluation focused on the three phases of Accord negotiation outlined above: the pre-negotiation phase, the negotiation phase (including pre-Accord workshops and formal Accord negotiation), and the post-negotiation phase (including Accord implementation). Findings from the evaluation are presented in site-specific reports for each LDM region, and in this synthesis report. The commissioned LDM Accords Negotiation Evaluation had two main goals. The first goal was to increase understanding of the three phases of Accord negotiation (pre-negotiation, negotiation, and post-negotiation). The second goal was to identify the strengths of the Accord negotiations processes, the challenges encountered, strategies for addressing these challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Those two goals were to be achieved via interviews with Regional Alliance Accord Negotiators, NSW Public Official Accord Negotiators, and Independent Facilitators, as well as the analysis of various documents (see below). This synthesis report compares the findings of the CAEPR Evaluations with previous Evaluations and situates the LDM Accord negotiation process within the wider context of agreement making, including the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap. LDM and the Accord-making process focus four important key achievements, which are in line with the objectives of LDM and wider policy agendas in NSW and nationally. It is a vehicle for voices of community and regions to reach NSW Government and NSW Government agencies through bottom-up, Indigenous-led regional governance structures. The negotiation of Accords, and LDM as a whole, promote greater involvement of Aboriginal people in priority setting and decision making regarding how government programs and services are conceived, developed, and implemented. Accord negotiation is an important mechanism for agreement making between government and Aboriginal peoples in NSW. Regional Alliances demonstrate significant strategic foresight and capacity to negotiate in good faith toward resetting the relationship between Aboriginal communities and the NSW Government. Aboriginal regional governance structures, which engage with communities through community working parties and other forms of community engagement, empower Aboriginal people in their engagement with NSW Government agencies in ways that are complementary to the arrangements instigated under the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.Item Metadata only OCHRE Local Decision Making Stage 2 Accords Negotiation: Murdi PaakiI Regional Assembly Accord II Negotiation Evaluation Report(Canberra, ACT: Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), 2022) O'bryan, Marnie; Markham, Francis; Harrington, Morgan; Australian National University. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy ResearchThis report presents the findings of an evaluation of the negotiation of the Murdi Paaki Local Decision Making Accord II (hereafter referred to as Accord II). The evaluation was conducted by researchers from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), and its findings are based on their independent assessment of the data collected. This evaluation finds that the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly (MPRA) is a model of strong governance. MPRA has been part of the Local Decision Making (LDM) program since its inception in 2013 and, in 2015, became the first Regional Alliance to sign an Accord with the NSW Government. This cumulative experience has resulted in increased community understanding of the function and importance of Accords negotiations. Self-determination, Aboriginal governance, genuine voice, and improved relationships are positives of the Accord negotiation process. While the pre-Accord negotiation phase could be better resourced, it is working well. This evaluation finds that progress is being made in implementing Accord II, although this progress is uneven across agencies. Contributors to this evaluation believe that identified improvements will enable the LDM process to respond to regional and local contexts, and support local communities to determine their own priorities and make decisions which will ultimately achieve better outcomes for those communities.