Lessons from international development for Aboriginal Australian poverty reduction

Abstract

This thesis concerns Aboriginal poverty reduction in Australia. Aboriginal Australians, whether they live in cities, towns or remote locations, can be seen as Fourth World peoples who experience Third World conditions inside a First World country. Australian government policies have failed to impact on Aboriginal poverty. It is arguably getting worse and has been described as genocide. This thesis considers the question: Are there lessons from international development for Aboriginal Australian poverty reduction? It explores the transfer and limitations of international development approaches by Australian aid agencies (international development non government organisations) to work in/with Aboriginal Australia. It considers the history of the aid agency industry's involvement with Aboriginal Australians, before exploring the present Aboriginal development work of World Vision Australia, Oxfam Australia and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Common approaches include the human rights framework, community development, and advocacy. Common principles reflect activities at the invitation of, with long-term commitment to, and in partnership with, Aboriginal Australians. The competing worldviews of Aboriginal and mainstream Australians are a theme in the research. Aid agencies validate Aboriginal worldviews in their work and, by doing so, strengthen Aboriginal identities. The daily work of development practitioners involves balancing the demands of what they do, with how they do it. How they do it involves working in a third space which escapes the polarities of either-or thinking. The policy implications of the research include the fundamental distinction between relief and development; government control of funding to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations as an inhibitor of Aboriginal civil society; and the relationship between Aboriginal social exclusion and mainstream Australian worldviews and identity.