DKCRC had strong things to say in its submission to the Federal Government s inquiry into the NT Emergency Response.

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1 1 of 5 All Content Desert Knowledge CRC 2006 From the desk of the Managing Director in September 2008 Dear friends Beyond intervention DKCRC had strong things to say in its submission to the Federal Government s inquiry into the NT Emergency Response. In particular we commented that strategies for developing sustainable desert communities need to recognise and understand the unique characteristics of remote desert regions. We saw the Intervention as a classic top-down approach which risks further entrenching the problems it was set up to address. Looking beyond the Intervention we argue it is critical for Aboriginal people to be active participants in defining and managing change in their lives: our research clearly shows that local involvement builds capability and strengthens communities. In housing, we argue for house designs that reflect regional differences in Aboriginal ways of living and definitions of family rather than European concepts of relationship, space and need. In education, desert schools and the systems that support them need a flexible approach that can recognise and accommodate Aboriginal cultures, like systems we ve seen operating in New Zealand and Canada. We also argue for community-based environmental management programs that allow people to live healthier lives on country and feel their traditional knowledge is of real value to Australia. For the full DKCRC submission, go to: /news/submissionresponses.html. Future in our hands A highlight of the month for me was attending the UN Association of Australia conference in Brisbane on the theme The Future is in Our Hands. The conference dealt with many topics of acute relevance to desert Australians, from climate change to governance and sustainability. Particularly outstanding in our context was a talk by Prof. Amareswar Galla (pictured) on UNESCO s Memories of

2 2 of 5 the World program which addressed many issues of concern to Aboriginal people such as the need not only to ensure memories are available in perpetuity but that they are also readily accessible, particularly to young people. In the Climate Change session I described DKCRC s work on desert syndrome, the sense of powerlessness that desert people sometimes feel when distant governments and economic powers dictate to them and impose inappropriate policy on them. In this context I explained how important it will be for desert people to have a key role in designing and implementing their own responses to the challenge of changing climate. There was great interest in this perspective, as our work is new and still unfamiliar to many people. More information: Country caring Caring for Country seems to be on a genuine roll. When Jocelyn Davies, David Campbell and Michael La Flamme of DKCRC s Livelihoods inland project attended the recent forum at the Garma Festival, they were delighted at the interest and enthusiasm from all sides in their research findings about the health, cultural and livelihood benefits of having more Aboriginal people employed to look after country. They were joined by Steven Jampijinpa Patrick of Lajamanu to present a key to this through Steven s ground-breaking study of Warlpiri people s worldview Ngurra-kurlu. It explains how an understanding of the five elements of Warlpiri culture land, law, language, ceremony and kinship are of central importance in building a better future for the people. Jocelyn says that this and other Aboriginal world views, such as Garma itself, provide the foundation for Caring for Country, offering young people a real sense of place, purpose and pride in their culture, helping communities plan for a brighter future and to find their place in contemporary Australian society. To read the Ngurra-kurlu report, go to: Desert wisdom on display A top lineup of national and global talent will be Rethinking the future at the Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase, in Alice Springs from November 3-6. Topics to be addressed at the conference include opportunities and challenges from climate change in the deserts, developing sustainable communities and businesses, medicines from the deserts, building business networks across a continent, designing better desert livelihoods, new pastoral opportunities, better health for people living in remote settlements, sustainable energy in isolated areas and new outback tourism opportunities. The Symposium s 120 speakers include: Meg Wheatley, internationally acclaimed systems thinker and management expert Ifor Ffowcs Williams, globally-recognised business clustering expert

3 3 of 5 John Scanlon, a Principal Advisor with the UN Environment Program Melanie Stutsel, the Minerals Council of Australia s Director of Environmental and Social Policy Amit Kapoor, Chairman of the Competitiveness Initiative, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, India Aidan Ridgeway, Chairman of Indigenous Tourism Australia Carl Binning, BHP Iron Ore Vice President Sustainability Prof Jeanie Herbert, Vice Chancellor, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Dr Gregor Ramsay, Chair of Teaching Australia. The Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase 2008 is hosted jointly by Desert Knowledge Australia, the Desert Peoples Centre and DKCRC. See you there! More information: Water outcomes DKCRC staged a highly successful water forum, Science Outside the Square, attended by more than 120 people in Adelaide recently, where Robyn Grey-Gardner and Meryl Pearce presented their research. Robyn s work suggests the key to good water management in remote settlements lies in giving residents responsibility for looking after their own water and allowing them to put into practice their own water plans based on risk management. Under this approach residents test their own water and manage it to prevent various kinds of contamination, making regular checks and moving quickly to deal with problems. Meryl presented convincing evidence that a blanket user-pays system of charging for water as proposed in the National Water Initiative would adversely affect people living in remote settlements whose incomes are already low. The following day we held an in-depth briefing for policy makers. The success of both events is largely thanks to Linda Cooper, Kate Shepherd and Amanda Tyndall of the SA Department of Premier and Cabinet who organised it. We could well see DKCRC presenting more of our research findings in this way in future. More information: Masquerade mystique Staff of DKCRC attended the recent Red Cross Masquerade Ball on Saturday 30th August to help raise money for charity. To unmask the revellers: Back row: Kelly Franklin, Eleanor Dennis, Jan Ferguson. Front row: Renée Westbrook, Ruth Brown, Julia Valentin. Gender agenda The United Nations Development Fund for Women UNIFEM (Australia) and the Gender Consortium of Flinders University are running 10 workshops on Gender Analysis in each capital city, Alice Springs and Cairns.

4 4 of 5 DKCRC has agreed to support the program by providing a venue for the Alice Springs workshop and members of the DKCRC and our partners are welcome to attend. The workshops will discuss key gender concepts and a selection of gender analysis frameworks, approaches, tools and questions. The workshops have been funded by the Office for Women under the Leadership Grants, and attendance is free. Each workshop is restricted to 20 places. More information: Julie McKay, ph , julie.mckay@unifem.org.au. Latest DKCRC publications Presentations Abolhasan M Pearce M, Willis E, McCarthy C et al DKCRC Grey-Gardner R Campbell D, Davies J and Wakerman J Ganter E Willis E, Pearce M, Ryan F et al Boyle A, Wallace R, Curry C et al Presentation at the University of Wollongong_Wollongong: Sparse Ad Hoc Networks for Desrets [ pps 3.4 Mb] [Abstract] What's the story with water in desert settlements_adelaide: A response to the National Water Initiative from four remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia [ pps 1.6 Mb] [Abstract] What's the story with water in desert settlements_adelaide: Handout [ pdf kb] [Abstract] What's the story with water in desert settlements_adelaide: Remote Community Water Management [ pps 1.4 Mb] 38th Public Health Association of Australia Annual Conference_Alice Springs: Realising Economies in the Joint Supply of Health and Environmental Services in Aboriginal Central Australia [ pps 1.1 Mb] History Work-in-Progress Seminars_Canberra: Aboriginal Senior Officials in the Self Governing NT [ pdf kb] Developing World Conference_Adelaide: Domestic water supply and health status in a remote aboriginal community in South Australia [ pps kb] Territory Fair: How do we get there?_darwin: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using technology for expanding options and showcasing strengths in educational contexts [ pdf 6.0 Mb] Submissions DKCRC Intervention Submission [pdf kb] Media releases DKCRC Media Release August 14_Water charge risk for small settlements.pdf [pdf kb] DKCRC MR August 15_Making the desert's lifeblood safer [pdf 75.3 kb] DKCRC MR August 28_Desert wisdom on display [pdf kb] DKCRC Media Release September 2_Desert movement and living in spotlight [pdf kb] Kind regards

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