University of Queensland researchers are leading the field in attempts to address a critical shortfall of high quality research capacity and personnel in the resolution of native title claims.
With the help of a $100,000 grant handed down by the federal Attorney-General’s Department last year, UQ will next month host the first in a series of three workshops devoted to tackling pressing issues of professionalism in the native title arena.
Entitled Improving Capacity in Native Title Research: Anthropological Issues and Concepts, the workshop will be held across three days (March 26-28) at the University’s St Lucia campus, with each day involving a mix of presentations and round table discussions.
Event co-coordinator, Professor David Trigger, said the workshop series signified an important step towards addressing some of the key issues facing native title professionals today.
“Over the past 10 years or so…we have found there is an insufficient supply of adequately trained graduates and furthermore, that there is some negative feeling across the profession about native title work,” Professor Trigger said.
“Currently, the demand for high quality research capacity in native title broadly outstrips the existing supply of personnel who work in disciplines such as anthropology.
“With these workshops we hope to improve the professional capacities of persons working on native title matters, assist in retaining such professionals in this area of work, and attract new graduates to the area.
“This will assist in achieving faster and more satisfactory resolution of native title claims…and a greater understanding of the social science issues involved in native title.”
As well as providing practical training and leadership, Professor Trigger hopes the workshops will facilitate much-needed debate and professional exchange and in so doing, contribute to professional development activities and to the pool of researchers available in the field.
“Research reports prepared by people trained in anthropology (and other disciplines including history) are central to both negotiated agreement and contested court cases,” he said.
“[However], at the moment, training new graduates for this area of work is made difficult because of lack of open availability of the results of research since the development of native title.
“To take an obvious example, connection reports that have been successful in the resolution of claims in various state jurisdictions are typically not available as models and prompts for discussion among researchers.
“As well as seeking to publish the results of one workshop in a set of professional papers…, [we] will investigate ways to progress development of a research archive in an apt location such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies located in Canberra.”
For more information about the workshop, including details of presentations and registration forms, visit http://www.socialscience.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=76324. Registrations for Improving Capacity in Native Title Research: Anthropological Issues & Concepts close on March 3.
Media: For more information contact Lucy Manderson at UQ Communications (07 3365 2339 or l.manderson@uq.edu.au), Professor David Trigger (07 3365 3170 or d.trigger@uq.edu.au) or Ms Cameo Dalley (0403 713 888 c.dalley@uq.edu.au).
