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Investing in Indigenous research and researchers to address Indigenous disadvantage

Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council Conference

Dinner Speech

Melbourne

21 February 2007

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Introduction: good evening friends, colleagues and distinguished guests.

I would like to begin by acknowledging and paying my respects to the Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri people, and to pay my respect to their elders. 

I would also like to thank Professor Marcia Langton and the organising committee for allowing me the opportunity to address you this evening.  I feel it is appropriate at this point to acknowledge the significant contribution Marcia and members of the Council have made and to acknowledge their commitment, influence and contribution to Indigenous research. 

Over the past two days this conference has hosted workshops on a diverse range of issues with the aim of fostering the best possible Indigenous research culture in Australia.  The principles that I will discuss this evening are relevant to all disciplines, but tonight I will focus my talk in part to indigenous health.  The reason for this focus is because improving the health status of Indigenous Australians is an imperative for all sectors of the community.  In particular, it is an imperative that all of us in the research and academic fields can and must play an instrumental role in achieving.

Tonight I will principally address Indigenous issues however, I believe it is important that Indigenous academics and researchers should not be pigeon-holed into focussing only on “Aboriginal Issues” but should also have the opportunity to influence mainstream society.  We are more than capable of having this influence, and it is critical that we do.  In saying that, it is also important that we do not walk away from Indigenous issues.  We must maintain an active interest and share with our non-Indigenous colleagues the variety and strength of our diverse knowledge and experiences.  Only through such an involvement can we ensure that future research is conducted with empathy and with a commitment to collaboration.   It is also incumbent on tertiary institutions and research funding bodies to create opportunities and innovatively support Indigenous researchers and research assistants including those who do not have tertiary qualifications.

Tonight, I shall express my views on the quality and type of Indigenous research being conducted in Australia today from the perspective of a consumer of research and a critic of public policy formulation. In doing so, I will convey my belief that we may need to modify some of our research practices and thinking in order to achieve the best outcomes for Indigenous peoples and Indigenous researchers.  And while I will cite some examples for illustration I acknowledge that there are many other initiates that are worthy of mention.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of good news being reported regarding the state of Indigenous health. Indigenous Australians live in a highly developed nation, but our life expectancy is more comparable to people living in rural Bangladesh.  On an international scale, current Aboriginal mortality rates are higher than those of Maori and Native Americans over 20 years ago. While non-Indigenous quality of life has steadily improved over the last century, Indigenous health standards have lagged behind at an almost static rate.

In 2003, the infant mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants was recorded as three times that of non-Indigenous infants. In 2004 it was found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were up to twice as likely to be hospitalised for mental and behavioural disorders as non-Indigenous Australians.  In 2005, two thirds of Indigenous Australians were reported to have a long-term health condition, and one in three had vision problems. Every year it seems that there are more and more statistics, in nearly every area of health, that heighten the desperate need for immediate action.  But progress has been painfully slow.

Frankly, our People’s current state of health is one of the greatest contradictions to the government’s claim that we live in a socially just nation of equal opportunities.   

Indeed, the medical problems of Indigenous Australians are so well documented that in some sectors of the community I fear they have ceased to be a cause for disbelief. And while we have seen a growing number of research projects into Indigenous health problems over the past decades, this research has failed to translate into the tangible results that we First Nations peoples deserve.

Of course, it is only fair to note that a number of research bodies have improved their standards and increased opportunities significantly in the past few years.   We have seen greater collaborative efforts to share knowledge by organisations such as the Committee on Indigenous Higher Education and Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council, and by others that many of you here tonight are involved in. We have also seen organisations such as the National Health and Medical Research Council develop ethical guidelines for the development of best practice methods in research. 

Further, bodies such as the Co-operative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health are now directing their programs by implementing long-term strategies. To illustrate, the Centre’s Indigenous Research Reform Agenda demonstrates a targeted approach to strengthening the capacity of Indigenous people to participate in the health sector in the future by ensuring that they are involved in the design, execution and evaluation of all research projects. 

Like other research bodies, the Centre also offers scholarships and assistance to those Indigenous students that are able to provide quality research into priority health areas. They also engage community representatives, such as health workers and other members of the local community in research activities as research team members. In my view, this is one of the best long-term strategies to ensure that Indigenous researchers and Indigenous people have a guiding role in the health service delivery of tomorrow.  Such practices should be replicated across all disciplines.

I also believe that researchers themselves are becoming increasingly aware of cultural sensitivities. In the past, many researchers were not trusted by Indigenous communities.  In many cases, this suspicion was not misplaced, given the history of stereo-typical and ethno-centric research directed at Indigenous communities throughout the past century.  Additionally, researchers inevitably brought their own political views and subjectivity to the task at hand, and were sometimes unable to bridge or articulate the differences between Western and Indigenous cultures. This has resulted in examples of cultural insensitivity, including the controversy surrounding the Hindmarsh Island Bridge litigation, the publication of photographs of deceased Indigenous persons, tampering with Indigenous remains under the auspice of scientific research and the mis-information surrounding the interaction of our customary laws with the non-Indigenous Australian legal system.

However, despite such examples, there is generally cause for optimism.  In part because of the increased level of support by our mob for research and tertiary studies; there is now a growing number of Indigenous people who are themselves involved in post-graduate and higher degrees and research, and these people might arguably be the best placed to lead or undertake health and other research relating to Indigenous peoples.

However, despite these significant steps forward, the health of Indigenous Australians is barely improving.  Too frequently, the problems arise from the very beginning of the research process.  Areas of research often appear to be selected on an ad hoc basis, influenced by the availability of funds, the expertise and personal preferences of the researcher and the capacity of the institution to supervise or support the researcher. This results in patchy coverage of issues and also considerable overlap in the type of work being done.

Increased domestic and international collaboration

Valuable resources are not being fully exploited because of the lack of coordination in research efforts.  Increased collaboration and knowledge sharing is essential and must occur on two levels: the international level and the domestic level.

First of all, collaboration needs to be encouraged and improved on an international scale. There is huge potential to learn from the experiences of other countries. New Zealand and Canada, for example, have had considerable success in improving the health of their indigenous populations. 

Thirty years ago New Zealand Maoris, Canadian First Nation Peoples and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had roughly the same life expectancy.¹  Today, the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is recorded as 59.4 years for males and 64.8 years for females ².  This compares to an average of 72 years for all Maori and Canadian First Nations peoples.  What this means is that a 12 year gap has opened up in our comparative life expectancies, and it is simply not acceptable that we have not kept pace with the progress of our Indigenous brothers and sisters.

But friends, this startling statistic highlights two things.  Firstly, it is proof that the goal is achievable - it is possible to improve the health of Indigenous peoples.

Secondly, it shows that there is potential to learn a great deal from the international community.  Australian policy makers and the research community should form strong formal relationships with decision makers in both New Zealand and Canada.  I acknowledge that this has already occurred to some extent but it can be improved. 

In 2002, the National Health and Medical Research Council established an alliance with equivalent bodies in both Canada and New Zealand.  This project aims to build on previous research networks and ensure that information on Indigenous health research is shared between researchers and health care professionals.    

It also involves funding for grants, with approximately $13 million being granted in total ³.  Unfortunately, the first three grants weren’t awarded until 2005.  Of these, Australia was only involved in one grant, with the other two being bi-lateral projects between Canada and New Zealand.  Another problem is that the initiative exists over only a 5 year time period that ends in 2007. 

On a brighter note, between 2004 and 2006, 11 Australian researchers and students involved in Indigenous health were granted funds to participate in international exchanges.  Such projects should be continued in the future and given greater government support. I lament over the abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Overseas Study Award Scheme and encourage the Council and DEST to consider lobbying for its resurrection. For those who are not aware, prior to it’s axing in the mid 90’s, the scheme supported formal and non formal overseas study opportunities for many of today’s Indigenous leaders, a number of whom are with us tonight. 

I also firmly believe that there is tremendous potential for Indigenous researchers and research centres to become involved in international technical assistance projects, especially projects directed to indigenous peoples and minorities in overseas countries.  These projects are generally sponsored by DFAT, AusAID, ACIAR, CSIRO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and others development agencies. 

Extensive cooperation within Australia is also needed.  For example, in 2002 the National Medical Health and Research Council developed a Road Map to identify what research has already taken place, and established six areas of future need. 

In order to address these areas, NHMRC has increased funding of Indigenous health research to at least five percent of its total budget; maybe the ARC should consider the same?  Additionally, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Forum was established to follow up on the Road Map by identifying emerging issues and monitoring current strategies.  Now while this is a useful tool in the area of health, I feel that we need to re-evaluate current methods of dissemination and sharing of information across all fields of Indigenous knowledge and research.

What I believe we need is a centralised resource repository that can act as a starting point for any Indigenous research.  One possible way to achieve this is through a national clearing house or the like to coordinate, record and index all research efforts in Indigenous Affairs being pursued, or previously carried out, around Australia by both Indigenous and non Indigenous researchers.  Such an initiative would encompass a variety of domestic resources but could also reference relevant international materials.  In this database I foresee everything from PhD dissertations to journal articles and case notes, speeches, government research, statistics and policy papers, legal, medical and scientific studies - as well as links to other web-based clearing houses, and perhaps even contact details of experts, academics, researchers and associate researchers in all fields. 

Ideally, research on a broad range of Indigenous issues would be included.  As a starting point, we need to record information on health, land rights, education, economic development, law and legal systems and justice.   Ease of public access would be paramount, and therefore I hope that such an initiative would be delivered via an electronic database, published on the internet and promoted broadly.  In order to maximise existing resources, it could be hosted by an already established centre for Indigenous research.  This might be a university department, an institution such as AIATSIS or the Indigenous Studies Academy discussed today. 

Obviously, the scope and magnitude of such an initiative is daunting.  However, the benefits of a comprehensive database of Indigenous research are more than worthwhile.  Such a program would act as a first point of contact for a wide variety of people - particularly for those who do not already have extensive knowledge of Indigenous issues.  For example, policy advisors in mainstream government departments could be offered a variety of resources on any topic.  This is especially important given the current whole-of-government approach to Indigenous affairs and the need to consider the social determinants of all aspects of civil society.  It would also reduce the incidence of public policy formation that is not evidence based.

A clearing house initiative would also be of assistance to researchers. The database would help identify issues that require attention as opposed to those that have already been explored exhaustively. 

Such a central resource might also, in time, if the academy does not materialise, find its home at the United Nations University Traditional Knowledge Centre in Australia.   For those who are not aware, one of the key purposes of the Centre is to document the body of experience that indigenous peoples world-wide possess about cultural, environmental and spiritual knowledge.  It would also include a compilation of all traditional knowledge registries, promote research on the role of customary law in the protection of traditional knowledge, and encourage capacity building activities on traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights.  By cataloguing our heritage in this way, it is hoped that the wisdom of our culture and the cultures of our indigenous brothers and sisters will not be lost to future generations.  So hop on board Minister’s Brough and Bishop; and the Government, to make this exciting initiative a reality. 

Descriptive vs Interventionist Research

But friends, while these initiatives, if implemented, would certainly streamline the process of conducting and collating research, there are other problems that need to be addressed.  The lack of coordination in research should not be considered in isolation.  Rather, we also need to examine why, where applicable, the research taking place is not resulting in the development of effective Indigenous public policy. One possibility for this is that there is a lack of political will to respond to the conclusions drawn by researchers.  For this reason, I call on governments to actively set targets and construct policies that are informed by research. 

There also exist other reasons for why research is not effectively translating into policy initiatives.  With respect to medical research, a recent topical issue that has been identified is the difference between descriptive research and research that focuses on health intervention strategies.  Specifically - which is more effective in influencing government policy?

According to findings published in the Medical Journal of Australia, descriptive studies that explore the frequency or patterns of disease in Indigenous peoples comprise around 90% of all research being conducted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and America.  Only the remaining 10% is directed at interventionist research, which evaluates the impact of health policies in indigenous communities. 

There are a variety of reasons for the dominance of descriptive research in the field. Studies on the prevalence and extent of certain health problems are easier to compile, have less cost and ethical implications, and are often more suitable for publication. 

But while descriptive research has a variety of uses, it is much more difficult to translate its findings into public policy goals.  Indeed, some have argued that the dominance of descriptive research actually perpetuates a sense of hopelessness in the mainstream community regarding the possibility of improving Indigenous health.   

In my view, research and studies should increasingly focus on testing the effectiveness of existing government policies. Only then will we stop seeing research that allows people to blame Indigenous communities and people for our parlous state of health or wellbeing or economic circumstance.  And only then will we shift the focus of research to assessing how adequately, or inadequately, the government is fulfilling its statutory obligations to our People. 

While there have been extensive failures in this area in the past, I am encouraged to note that on the 16th of October 2006 the federal government launched their program “Implementation matters: the better practice guide to the implementation of programme and policy initiatives.” ⁴  This program emphasises the importance of dealing with problems from a whole of government perspective or, given the concurrent responsibilities of our federal system, across jurisdictions. 

Such an initiative is a good first step towards redressing the failure of various policies.  However, having a good initiative such as this is one thing - getting bureaucrats to sign on and implement it throughout their organisations is another!  I believe that Indigenous researchers should be at the forefront of analysing and reporting on the adoption of such initiatives, and take lessons learned messages to government.  I know I will be as the Social Justice Commissioner.

Improving Tertiary Standards    

So, to ensure that we have a healthy Indigenous research culture for tomorrow we must continue to improve the experiences of Indigenous Australians in the tertiary institutions of today.  A variety of responses will be needed.  For example, we must nurture promising Indigenous candidates throughout their tertiary careers.  The ARC’s Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development program, the scholarship supplementation programs, the other incentive programs in various universities - deserves commendation and replication.

Mentoring schemes are crucial to ensure that Indigenous people in the research field reach their full potential.  These initiatives should be replicated wherever possible, and in all areas of tertiary research and development - and governments, universities and the corporate sector must recognise their worth and fund them generously and creatively. 

Conclusion

Friends, to briefly summarise what I have been discussing tonight, I would say, first of all, that there have been some excellent advances in developing the Indigenous research culture in the past 10 years - and many people in this room have been responsible for the implementation of many of these developments and are the products of these developments.  However, there is still much to be done, by both governments and the research community. 

From researchers, I call for continued commitment to sharing and disseminating information across the widest possible field.  Increased domestic and international collaboration are some of our best options to maximise progress.   Further, I call upon our higher education institutions and the research community to continue to respect and uphold ethical practices, and also to nurture Indigenous students participating in the research area.  Finally, I call upon the research community to carefully consider the types of research being undertaken, and to determine which form best translates into, and has the greatest potential to, effectively influence government policy.

To all Australian governments, I call for a continued commitment to improve the health and socio-economic status of Indigenous Australians.  Increased funding will always be integral to the solution, but I believe that true progress can only be achieved when goals are set within a framework of targets and benchmarks, when policies are based on priorities and levels of actual need and are evidence based, and we promote and celebrate our successes. 

And government departments and agencies must take the initiative to encourage, welcome and support Indigenous researcher’s involvement in technical assistance projects and we must bring the international indigenous affairs learning’s of government departments and agencies back to Australia.  One way to facilitate this is to have the Head of AusAID become a formal member of the Government’s Secretaries Group on Indigenous Affairs. 

Once more, I thank the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council for organising this conference and wish Marcia and retiring members all the best for the future.   I hope that I have been able to provoke in you some thoughts and ideas on how to improve Indigenous research outcomes and more broadly, I hope you are motivated to respond with enthusiasm to the challenges that will arise when strengthening the Indigenous research culture. 

I am proud and humbled to share my thoughts with you, my esteemed brothers and sisters. 

Thank you.

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Endnotes