The Institute hosts
a number of working groups and seeks to foster intellectual and
political debate in areas which touch on postcolonial issues.
Aborigines, Australia and
Agreements: Frameworks for Co-Existence between Indigenous and Settler
Australians
The working group spearheaded by Professor Marcia Langton, has made
great progress in fostering intellectual debate around the topic
of treaties and agreement-making in contemporary Australia. It has
met a number of times and has gained much support for its work from
within the academic and scholarly communities, as well as from political
groups committed to reconciliation and the concept of a treaty or
treaties between indigenous and settler Australians.
The group is currently working on a project entitled Aborigines,
Australia and Agreements: Frameworks for Co-existence between Indigenous
and Settler Australians. This has drawn heavily on the intellectual
and collegial environment created by the seminar series The Other
Frontier held at the Institute under Marcia's guidance in second
semester last year. The working group has commenced the tasks of
auditing the current state of treaty making between indigenous and
settler communities both in Australia and overseas, examining preferred
models of agreements and modes of agreement-making, placing the
Australian experience into legal and historical contexts and developing
a database on treaty-making to support future Australian political
and legal developments in this area. A website to publicise the
work undertaken as part of this project is also under development.
Marcia has also prepared a detailed submission to be made to the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) seeking
funding for a research and publication programme on treaties and
their potential for advancing the process of treaty and agreement-making
in Australia in which the Institute is named as a key partner.
She is also planning to make application for an Australian Research
Council (ARC) grant in support of specific aspects of the working
group’s project.
To contact the Working Group, email the Institute at postcol@netspace.net.au
The East Timor Working Group
The East Timor Working Group met and had some preliminary discussions
at the end of last year. In one meeting we were briefed by Bruce
Clezy about the initiatives being undertaken by the University of
Melbourne regarding East Timor. In another, some young East Timorese
students who had recently arrived in Australia spoke about issues
of corruption and nepotism in the current allocation of scholarships
for overseas study. The problem of a lack of appropriate books and
resources for the library of the new University of East Timor was
also discussed with a view to the Working Group assisting the National
Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) campaign in this area.
The nature and programme of this working group are still under consideration.
Suggestions included the group developing an advocacy role, while
also offering a space for intellectual and political reflection
on the processes of nation-formation in East Timor. The possibilities
of a seminar series and a policy directed conference or workshop
were also raised. One idea was to bring key policy advisers from
East Timor to discuss areas of language policy, environmental policy
and the issue of gender, politics and nation. It was suggested that
it would be good to have a gender workshop for East Timorese women
which coincided with the Women in Asia conference at the Australian
National University.
It is important to note that discussions around the focus of the
East Timor Working Group remain at an early stage and are continuing.
The group is concerned to complement the activities of other organisations
and groups in Melbourne involved in the reconstruction of East Timor.
Avoiding duplication, having a consultative and democratic approach
and developing a distinct identity are the group’s immediate
priorities. It is also eager to broaden its base and involve other
members of the East Timorese community plus academics and activists
with an interest in East Timor.
The East Timor Working Group can be contacted via Julie.Stephens@vu.edu.au
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