Welcome
You are warmly invited to a National Conference (featuring Australian and international speakers) to consider how policy can be made better for, with, and by First Nations peoples. The Conference will bring together diverse perspectives from the fields of research, policy, and practice and engage participants through a variety of forums and participatory sessions. This special event will also showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural contributions to film, literature, art, dance, astronomy / astro-physics and music.
This national event will be held on December 8th-11th in the 31st year of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR). Having been at the forefront of policy research for three decades, CAEPR is inviting you to contribute to a new narrative and discourse, as we reflect on the past thirty years and envision our future.
This Conference comes at a time of deep deliberation about the concept of 'voice' and First Nations place in Australia's national affairs.
Conference themes and streams
The Conference has three themes:
- Country: to explore how policy development can better reflect the diversity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being, doing and opportunities of 'Country' as understood by First Nations peoples and others. For example, do First Nations peoples have the answers to better land, fire, and water management practices? Is Country the answer to wellbeing?
- Livelihoods: to consider past, present and future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander livelihoods from the perspectives of economy, employment, wellbeing, and place development. What does a life well lived for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait person mean? What are our current policy assumptions? Whose voices are heard and engaged with in shaping policies as they relate to livelihoods? Which voices are being unlistened to?
- Political settlement: to examine how self-determination and sovereignty might gain greater traction in Australia? Are 'Voice' and 'Treaty' the only answers? What could they contribute? How do we reflect the diverse possibilities of First Peoples, time, and place?
Showcasing culture
As part of the conference, ANU will be hosting a small-scale festival of culture and connection, story and art. Drawing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expressions and knowledges through music, dance, stories, film, language, science and art (including the many cultural treasures that reside in ANU), the festival will allow participants to engage in deep reflection and conversations about our collective stories, relationships, connections, custodianship of cultural spaces and possibilities.
Keynote Speakers
Mr Romlie Mokak
Ms June Oscar
Key Dates
- Call for Presentations Opens - Early July 2021
- Participant Registration Opens - August 2021
