Boyd Hunter and Jerry Schwab analyse recent trends in the engagement of Indigenous people with the Australian education system between 1986 and 2001. Against the backdrop of a Commonwealth government policy emphasis on 'practical reconciliation' since 1996, the analysis shows that while there have been some absolute improvements in Indigenous educational outcomes over the period...

The recent release of the final results for the 2001 Census presents an opportunity to assess the net change in employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians for the period covering the first two Howard administrations. Boyd Hunter, Yohannes Kinfu and John Taylor use demographic techniques to make valid comparisons over time, and hence facilitate estimates of...

Jon Altman and Boyd Hunter examine changes in the socioeconomic status of Indigenous Australians during 1991-2001, a period that closely matches 'the reconciliation decade' using census data. Comparisons are made both of change in absolute wellbeing for the total Indigenous population, and of relative wellbeing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in five broad categories -...

Will Sanders updates earlier work on participation and representation in ATSIC elections, adding analysis of the fifth round of ATSIC elections held in 2002. Will argues that overall voter turnout is reasonable given the voluntary nature of ATSIC elections. He discerns a distinctive geography of both voter turnout and candidate interest, which are higher in...

Improving Indigenous people's access to banking and financial services must involve cooperation between Indigenous organisations, the financial services sector, and governments. The author evaluates the Tangentyere Bank Pilot Project in Alice Springs, covering various aspects of the banking and financial services provided by the Tangentyere Council, including the delivery of face-to-face banking services, the financial...