The focus on law and governance has enabled the project to examine a wide range of drivers and mechanisms that influence adaptation around extreme events and drawn attention to the many different actors involved in shaping how climate risk is managed in Victoria, including businesses, households, local and state governments.

Throughout Australia the native title claims of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are resolved primarily through negotiated consent determinations, whereby the court recognises native title following the agreement of the parties, rather than through contested litigation. Negotiations leading up to a consent determination often raise two separate legal questions: firstly, is the claimants’ case...

Throughout the legal profession and law schools of Australia, people are exploring how to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the legal profession. I recently visited universities in Canada, the USA and New Zealand (‘CANZUS’) to learn about the programs available to their Indigenous law students. Throughout the visit, it...

The VCCCAR funded project, Governance Models for Adaptation and Natural Disaster Risk Management, is investigating Victorian legal, financial and institutional frameworks for managing the risks of extreme events and natural disasters. It will identify specific risk management mechanisms in land use planning, catchment management, natural resource management and infrastructure development and make recommendations for incorporating...

Executive summary: This report presents the results of Australian Institute of Criminology research on issues and challenges of policing alcohol and illicit drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in metropolitan environments. This report is a companion to the 2006 National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund project The policing implications of cannabis, amphetamine...