Dear friends and colleagues
| Ninti One news | CRC-REP news | Camels news |
| Mobilising experience | Views of camels | |
| Wealth that lasts | Cows from space | |
| RemoteBiz researchers | Better decisions | |
Mobilising experience
 |
| Meg Wheatley, Jan Ferguson, Angela Blanchard and Sam Graham |
Leadership for the future was a strong focus of the latest meeting of the Ninti One Board, held at the Desert Knowledge Precinct in Alice Springs. A highlight was a Board workshop with renowned mentor Meg Wheatley, who asked us to focus on how we can support one another as a Board to step forward with greater fearlessness for the issues and causes we all believe in.
Meg also gave stirring performances at a workshop for our Partners on how we maintain focus, competence and energy in the midst of uncertainty, and another forum for Ninti staff where she helped us explore our strengths and collective wisdom to see us well into the future. “Organisations and people who persevere through difficult times know where they come from,” she counselled. “They have a sense of roots; they know their history and use it to make decisions going forward.”
The Board received presentations from three of our partners – the Central Land Council, the Desert Peoples Centre and Desert Knowledge Australia – in which each organisation explained its present focus and priorities, followed by a discussion on how and where we can work productively together. We also attended an ideas-sharing lunch with three Alice Springs project partners – DesArt, Centrefarm and Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi – and joined the Desert Peoples Centre for the unveiling of a mosaic of their logo and to learn about developments at the Precinct.
The work of the Board included an annual evaluation of its own performance and a review of the audited financial statements. In December the Board will review the full suite of research projects that have been under development. back to top
Wealth that lasts
Relevant to our research into creating enduring community benefit from mining, Ninti One Chair, Paul Wand, gave a keynote paper to the Rural Futures Matter Summit at Flinders University. In it he described the profound changes that have taken place in attitude in the mineral sector over the past two decades, with particular reference to the creation of Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), and sovereign wealth funds, which are enabling some Aboriginal communities to invest today’s mineral wealth into tomorrow’s opportunities. Our current minerals boom is, at least in part, a product of a great enlightenment in how we deal respectfully with one another, he said.
Paul also drew attention to the emerging role of mining companies as protectors and curators of some of the world’s most special cultural and spiritual heritage – a lesson learned particularly in their dealings with Australian Aboriginal people, but now being practised with other cultures around the world. “More and more miners are realising that respect for a people’s cultural heritage and traditions lies at the very heart of good community relations – and they are working increasingly hard to demonstrate that respect,” he said. A full copy of his paper is at: http://www.crc-rep.com.au/resource/NintiOne_PaulWandRuralFuturesSummitt2011.pdf back to top
RemoteBiz researchers
 |
| Ntaria Community Researchers, Mark Inkamala using an iPad to survey Tjuwunpa Rangers. Photographer Judy Lovell |
Looking for talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research partners? RemoteBiz™ is an affiliate of Ninti One which can help to find suitable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers to work on the ground in CRC-REP and Ninti One projects. It currently collaborates with five communities in central Australia and four in northern Australia. RemoteBiz™ services include helping to plan community researcher involvement, selection and recruiting of researchers, managing employment details and providing training and mentoring. back to top
Vale Elliott Johnston
On behalf of the Board and staff of Ninti One, I wish to pay heartfelt tribute to Elliott Johnston QC, the former SA Supreme Court Judge who headed the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and who died in Adelaide recently, aged 93.
Elliott Johnston was a champion of equality for all under the law and will long be remembered for his fairness, integrity and hard work in bringing this tragic episode in our history to the attention of all Australians in such a way, hopefully, that such things can never be repeated. He took over the Commission after Jim Muirhead resigned and was responsible for delivering the inquiry’s final report in 1991, which contained more than 300 recommendations aimed at improving the lives of Aboriginal Australians. back to top
Art moves
 |
| Nyanyarna Jackson at work in the studio. Photographer Rhett Hammerton, courtesy of Warakurna Artists |
Our investigation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander art economies is under way. The last few months have been a hectic round for project staff Tim Acker and Dr Lisa Stefanoff, meeting with the stakeholders from Perth to Cairns, Adelaide to Darwin and numerous remote communities – such as in the Ngaanyatjarra lands and the Torres Strait, including festivals, forums and industry gatherings, talking to artists, representatives from art centres and art galleries, collectors and curators. “It’s all about making sure the scope, nature and emphasis of our research reflects the wishes and priorities of artists and their communities,” he explains.
This project will be a major national investigation into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art industry, establishing crucial information about an industry that is now four decades old. There are key questions to answer about “how many, how big, how much” as well as about the aspirations, inspirations and motivations of artists and other people working in the market chain, and about the success factors and the relationships crucial to the market.
An early message is that “there isn’t one Aboriginal art market – there is a huge range of perspectives, styles, segments and different experiences that go to make up a very complex and interrelated ‘economy’,” Tim says. Another strong message from stakeholders is about the importance of not over-emphasising commercialism. “Commercial issues are important, but good art comes from a rich cultural and social environment and people are concerned this issue is not lost sight of.”
The project focuses on three ‘zones’: first, the artists themselves, what they are producing, what motivates them and what they need for their art to thrive; second, the agents (such as galleries or art centres) and their different commercial models and approaches; and third, the audience, the people who buy Aboriginal art, what they are seeking and what motivates them, whether they are Australian or overseas buyers.
As the research gets under way, Tim hopes to supply information and answers to many of these fascinating questions – and you can read about it first in this newsletter.
More information: tim.acker@nintione.com.au or ph 0410 038 226 back to top
Cows from space
 |
Managing cows and their tucker from space is one of the goals of CRC-REP’s Precision Pastoral Management Tools project. Project leader Sally Leigo reports that research partners gathered in Darwin recently to nail down details of the research program, prior to seeking Board approval in December.
A primary objective is to carry out a feasibility study of the various technologies and tools for assessing the quantity and quality of Australian rangelands pastures using satellites and other remote sensing techniques. Once the best technology has been identified it will then be coupled with Ninti One’s existing Remote Livestock Management Technology (RLMT), Sally says. Stage three is to take the combined technologies out and test them ‘live’ on collaborating pastoral cattle stations in WA, the NT and Queensland.
“Thanks to RLMT, we’re now able to get very accurate data on pastoral cattle performance, and we want to bring it together with equally reliable information about pasture performance and see what gains we can achieve, both in terms of profitability and landscape sustainability,” she says.
More information: sally.leigo@nintione.com.au or ph 0467 770 661 back to top
Seeking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars
CRC-REP is seeking to recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars as part of its postgraduate program, to help build a brighter future for remote Australians.
“Applicants can apply for scholarships worth $23,000 a year for three years, and for $6k top-ups for travel and conferences,” says CRC-REP Education Manager, Wendy Cowan. “They will carry out research that has a direct benefit to the jobs, lives, enterprises and communities of remote Australia. They will be supported by industry and research mentors, and will have numerous professional learning opportunities.”
Research areas where the students can work cover all the CRC’s main research programs, such as population mobility and labour markets, remote climate adaptation, precision pastoralism, bush tucker and art economies, remote education, the links between health and work and pathways to employment.
The closing date for receipt of online application forms is 31 October 2011. Details and application forms are available at: http://crc-rep.com/education/scholarships back to top
Gubinge gathering
Developing a new industry around the bush fruit gubinge (aka the billy goat plum or Kakadu plum) will be the focus of a bush enterprises meeting to be held in Darwin this month. A meeting last July explored current features and prospects of the market for gubinge, the quality and seasonal supply patterns, how to grow the best quality products and the nature of the value chain.
This meeting is being organised by Ken Moore, RIRDC’s Senior Research Manager, National Rural Issues. Kevin says that having engaged gubinge stakeholders in the West, RIRDC now wishes to include NT Aboriginal communities interested in driving industry development as well as interested researchers. The meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn Esplanade, Darwin, from October 10–12 and will include a field trip to The Fogg Dam/Aboriginal Bush Traders on the 11th.
More information from Slade Lee: slade.lee@scu.edu.au or ph 0419 474 251 back to top
Canada calling
Our research programs in Enduring Community Value from Mining and Population Mobility and Labour Markets received an ideas boost recently with the visit of our Canadian partner, Ralph Matthews, a Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Ralph is an internationally recognised authority on the relationship between social change and economic development at a community and regional level, and how public policy can influence it.
His visit took in Perth, where he met with project leaders Prof. Fiona McKenzie and Dr Mike Dockery, as well as the Minerals Council of WA and Rio Tinto, before heading to South Australia for a visit to UniSA and Whyalla. It is all part of the growing international reach of CRC-REP as we build links with like-minded organisations and individuals worldwide, says General Manager Research, Quality and Innovation, Prof. Murray McGregor. “Learnings about remote economies from Australia and Canada, how to analyse them and what helps them grow, will flow both ways with further exchanges between our researchers,” he says. back to top
Views of camels
 |
| Butler Landy being interviewed about the damage feral camels cause |
One of the most effective ways to understand the impact of feral camels on Australians in regional and remote Australia is to hear people’s stories first-hand. A range of video interviews is now available on the Australian Feral Camel Management Project website providing the views of people from Aboriginal communities, pastoralists, commercial users, outback residents and scientists. Feral camels can have a profound impact on our social, economic and cultural way of life and it is important to understand their true impact through the eyes of our stakeholders. From the Pilbara in north-west Western Australia, through the remote regions of South Australia and up into the Northern Territory and across the Queensland border, the population of over a million feral camels causes extensive damage every year. back to top
Lake Eyre Forum
In September, Andy Bubb and Quentin Hart attended the 4th Lake Eyre Basin (LEB) Aboriginal Forum in Tibooburra, NSW. The event focused on activities that are occurring throughout the Basin and on how Aboriginal participation can be increased into the future. Feral camels range widely across the LEB’s 1 million square kilometres and Andy and Quentin spoke to participants about the Australian Feral Camel Management Project. During 2012 a survey of Aboriginal communities will be conducted to collect views about the feral camel issue in Australia and the LEB Aboriginal Forum provided a great network to introduce this work. The forum also included presentations on monitoring of desert wetland condition, which is of direct relevance to the on-ground monitoring work of the AFCMP. back to top
Better decisions
A workshop to guide the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for feral camel management was held in Adelaide on 23 September. Its focus was to use recent South Australian operational examples to explore the cost effectiveness of aerial shooting under different scenarios. This information is required for setting priorities among assets to be protected from feral camel impact and to meet landholder preferences. The Australian Feral Camel Management Project plans to use a DSS to guide immediate operational decisions as well as supporting long-term feral camel management. back to top
New publications
Callender G and Marsh P. 2011. Scoping study on procurement in desert Australia. DKCRC Research Report 65. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs. (pdf 3.8MB)
Merne Altyerr-ipenhe (Food from the Creation time) Reference Group, Douglas J and Walsh F. 2011. Aboriginal people, bush foods knowledge and products from central Australia: Ethical guidelines for commercial bush food research, industry and enterprises. DKCRC Research Report 71. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs. (pdf 4.5MB)
Rola-Rubzen M, Gibbs J, Gabunada F, Burritt R, Altangerel D, Fung L, Rubzen B and Carter A. 2011. Growing businesses in the desert: Case studies of Australian desert micro, small and medium enterprises. DKCRC Research Report 74. Alice Springs. (pdf 8.5MB)
Storer C, Rola-Rubzen M and Carruthers G. 2011. Review of existing regional, environmental and societal brands: exploring issues in setting up a desert brand. DKCRC Research Report 58. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs. (pdf 3.8MB)
Tedmanson D, Muirhead M and Fisher S. 2011. ‘Anangu serving Anangu - Plenty Ninti!’ The PY Ku Network on the APY Lands. DKCRC Research Report 68. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs. (pdf 4.1MB)
Wright A and Elvin R. 2011. Assessing Shared Responsibility in Ali Curung. DKCRC Working Paper 82. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs. (pdf 5.0MB) back to top
Remote diary
Indigenous Economic Development Forum
October 13, 2011 - October 14, 2011
Northern Territory Research and Innovation Awards
October 14, 2011
The 5th Annual Indigenous Career Development and Mentoring Conference 2011
November 15, 2011 - November 16, 2011
May 15, 2012 - May 17, 2012
International Rural Network World Forum
September 24, 2012 - September 28, 2012 back to top
-----------------------
With best wishes,
Jan Ferguson
Managing Director,
Ninti One Ltd
