This paper examines the concepts of 'governance', 'good governance' and 'sustainable development' in the context of Australian Indigenous communities and regions. It explores the hypothesis that there is vital link between governance and sustainable development.

David Martin argues that a fundamental issue confronting Australian Indigenous groups and communities is how to develop the capacity to engage strategically with the general Australian society, in particular with its political and economic dimensions. 'Strategic engagement' refers to the processes through which Indigenous individuals, groups and communities interact with the formal and informal institutions...

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...

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...

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...