• About
  • Toolkit topics
  • Resources
  • Case studies
  • Governance watch
  • Contact
  • Home
  • 01 Understanding governance
    • 1.0 Understanding governance
    • 1.1 The important parts of governance
    • 1.2 Indigenous governance
    • 1.3 Governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations
    • 1.4 Case studies
  • 02 Culture and governance
    • 2.0 Culture and governance
    • 2.1 Indigenous governance and culture
    • 2.2 Two-way governance
    • 2.3 Case studies
  • 03 Getting started
    • 3.0 Getting started on building your governance
    • 3.1 Assessing your governance
    • 3.2 Mapping your community for governance
    • 3.3 Case studies
  • 04 Leadership
    • 4.0 Leadership for governance
    • 4.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership
    • 4.2 The challenges of leadership
    • 4.3 Evaluating your leadership
    • 4.4 Youth leadership and succession planning
    • 4.5 Building leadership capacity to govern
    • 4.6 Case studies
  • 05 Governing the organisation
    • 5.0 Governing the organisation
    • 5.1 Roles, responsibilities and rights of a governing body
    • 5.2 Accountability: what is it, to whom and how?
    • 5.3 Decision making by the governing body
    • 5.4 Governing finances and resources
    • 5.5 Communicating
    • 5.6 Future planning
    • 5.7 Building capacity and confidence for governing bodies
    • 5.8 Case studies
  • 06 Rules and policies
    • 6.0 Governance rules and policies
    • 6.1 What are governance rules?
    • 6.2 Governance rules and culture
    • 6.3 Running effective meetings
    • 6.4 Policies for organisations
    • 6.5 Case studies
  • 07 Management and staff
    • 7.0 Management and staff
    • 7.1 Managing the organisation
    • 7.2 The governing body and management
    • 7.3 Managing staff
    • 7.4 Staff development and training
    • 7.5 Case studies
  • 08 Disputes and complaints
    • 8.0 Dealing with disputes and complaints
    • 8.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous approaches
    • 8.2 Core principles and skills for dispute and complaint resolution
    • 8.3 Disputes and complaints about governance
    • 8.4 Your members: dealing with disputes and complaints
    • 8.5 Organisations: dealing with internal disputes and complaints
    • 8.6 Practical guidelines and approaches
    • 8.7 Case studies
  • 09 Nation building and development
    • 9.0 Governance for nation rebuilding and development
    • 9.1 What is nation rebuilding?
    • 9.2 Governance for nation rebuilding
    • 9.3 Governance for sustained development
    • 9.4 Networked governance
    • 9.5 Kick-starting the process of nation rebuilding
    • 9.6 Case studies
  • Glossary
  • Useful links
  • Acknowledgements

9.2 Governance for nation rebuilding

 09 Nation building and development

Definition: When we talk about governance for nation rebuilding, we’re talking about the practical mechanisms that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use to collectively organise how they go about trying to get the things done that matter most to them.

Simply put its how they can govern in a way that maximises their ongoing self-determination.

For many Indigenous Australians a transition is occurring from the pure ‘rights battle’ to the ‘governance and development challenge’ where practical capacity to govern is critical to future outcomes.

9.2.1 Two different approaches

“Many Indigenous groups have spent so much time and energy fighting for recognition and rights, and dealing with internal disagreements along the way, that they have cut short building their own governance foundations. As a result, when nations and communities do emerge from the maelstrom with rights, resources and development opportunities, they then face the challenge of having to implement and sustain those—but do so with ineffective or underdeveloped governing arrangements. They then have to race to catch up, or worse, they miss out on opportunities and get continually hammered by a downwards spiral of crises, loss of confidence and disengagement by citizens.”
(Steve Cornell, quoted at ‘Common Roots, Common Futures:
Different Paths to Self-determination—An international Conversation’,
University of Arizona, 2012)

What worked to get people through times of political advocacy or hard legal negotiations with colonial governments is not necessarily what will work to implement the rights and benefits secured out of those actions.

In Australia, governance arrangements have often been imposed on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups from the outside, according to the agenda, priorities and values of mainstream governments, missionary churches, and others.

In general this ‘standard’ approach to governance and development is very different to that of a nation-rebuilding approach:

Snapshot: Different approaches to governance and development

Standard approach

Nation-rebuilding approach

Culture is portrayed as problematic.

Culture is seen as a strength and asset.

Decision making is short term, non-strategic and often externally controlled.

Decision making is able to be longer term, strategic and under the control of the nation.

External parties set the future direction.

Future agenda setting is directed by the nation.

Development is treated as primarily an economic problem and goal.

Development is seen as an interrelated social, economic and cultural goal.

Leaders act as hunters and distributors of resources and services, and make ill-informed decisions.

Leaders act as stewards, nation-builders, mediators and mobilisers, and can make decisions based on plans.

Accountability is upwards to external parties and focuses on financial administration.

Accountability is downwards to the nation’s members and focuses on collective goals.

Governing rules and frameworks are based on external values, standards and concepts.

Governing rules and frameworks reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander political cultures and concepts.

The result is failed governance and enterprises; politicised decisions; a governance culture that is dependent on external funds and remedial intervention; an impression of chaos and dysfunction; and continued poverty.

The result is growing governance capacity; consensus decision making; sustainable enterprises and community development; a governance culture where risk is evaluated, managed and diversified; an impression of competence and resilience; and socioeconomic progress.

(Adapted from S. Cornell, ‘Two approaches to the development of native nations’, Rebuilding Native Nations, University of Arizona Press, 2007)

9.2.2 The ladder of self-governance: where are you?

The ladder of self-governance for nation rebuilding: where are you?

PDF View/download

The ladder of self-governance for nation rebuilding is a simplistic diagram that sets out the levels or rungs on the climb towards achieving genuine governing authority and responsibility that will support nation rebuilding. In real life there are many more rungs and complications involved. The move from the standard approach to a nation-rebuilding approach is usually a slow and stop-start process. Every rung needs to be accompanied by building the capacity to practically exercise the governing authority that has been secured. The descriptions in this tool will help you decide where on the ladder of effective self-governance you feel your group, community or organisation is currently located. Adapted from Sherry Arnstein, 'A Ladder of Citizen Participation', JAIP, Vol.35, No.4, July 1969, pp.216-224.

9.2.3 The nation-rebuilding approach

A nation-rebuilding approach requires a new conversation about the role and the strategic vision of tribal, clan or community governance—and how to go about achieving it.

Redesigning governance arrangements is, in effect, a sovereign decision—it’s what ‘self-determination in action’ is about.

Initially it may be about a small area of decision-making control and responsibility. But whatever the focus, under a nation-rebuilding approach, the governance arrangements must, first and foremost, be the result of informed decisions made by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved.

Beginning a nation-rebuilding strategy will necessarily involve your group or community in conversations and some hard decisions about how you can:

  • draw on your unique governance cultures and traditions, and work from a basis of respect for and protection of your cultural identities
  • determine what constitutes legitimacy for your nation—who can speak when, for whom, to whom and about what. This includes ensuring the vulnerable within your nation are equally represented
  • determine what kind of leadership you need, what effectiveness and capacity means for your nation, and then design appropriate processes, rules and structures to implement those
  • build a strong mandate from your members and provide them with a voice to participate in decision making about governance priorities, aspirations and arrangements
  • engage with the wider governance environment and your networks, and insist on your governance arrangements being respected in relationships with other parties.

The next topic provides you with practical tools and advice about how to get started on these conversations.

< Previous Next >

You can view this online or download the whole Topic + Resources as a PDF

Download Toolkit

Case Studies

NPY Women’s Council – strong culture, strong women, strong communities

  NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) was set up in 1980 and incorporated in 1994.  The organisation was founded in response to the concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women throughout the APY lands.   The women were concerned about the …

Read more...

Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly

Self-determination and community control The Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly (MPRA) is comprised of the Chairs or representatives of 16 Aboriginal Community Working Parties (CWP’s) across the Murdi Paaki Region of NSW. MPRA see self-determination as the key success to their …

Read more...

NPY Women’s Council: Building your cultural guiding principles into your rulebook

The NPY Women’s Council became incorporated under new legislation in 2008. The council undertook a significant period of consultation with its members—spread across a large geographic region—in the lead-up to lodging its new rulebook (formally known as the constitution) with …

Read more...

News

ORIC Top 500 Report 2014-15

The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) released the 2014-2015 top 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations report in December 2015. This is ORIC’s seventh report on the top 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations. It collates and …

Read more...

Social Justice Commissioner launches 2014 Social Justice and Native Title Report

Mr Mick Gooda is the current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. The Commissioner has a unique role at the Australian Human Rights Commission, responsible for advocating for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Australians. As part …

Read more...

Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2014 Report

The Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage report: Key Indicators 2014 (OID Report) was released by the Productivity Commission in November 2014. The OID Report measures the wellbeing of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. The report provides information about outcomes across a range of strategic …

Read more...

The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute

The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute is a unique Indigenous led national centre of governance knowledge and excellence. We know that practically effective and culturally legitimate governance is the staple building block for delivering real change.

We assist Indigenous Australians in their diverse efforts to determine and strengthen their own sustainable systems of self-governance by identifying world-class governance practice, informing effective policy, providing accessible research, disseminating stories that celebrate outstanding success and solutions, and delivering professional education and training opportunities.

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Copyright