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Native Title Anthropologist Grants Program

• Background
• 2011-12 funding round
• The Program
• Priority areas and essential criteria
• 2010-11 funding round

Background

On 28 May 2010, the Attorney-General’s Department announced the start of the Native Title Anthropologist Grants Program. The program will provide $1.4 million in grants over the first three years through annual funding rounds, with ongoing funding to follow. The program seeks to attract a new generation of junior anthropologists to native title work, and encourage senior anthropologists to remain working in the area.

The total funding available over the first three years is approximately $342,000 in 2010–11, $526,000 in 2011–12 and $539,000 in 2012–13.

One-off additional funding of $400,000 was made available to the Program on 23 June 2011. All fifteen Native Title Representative Bodies and Native Title Services Providers were offered funding for initiatives that will attract and retain anthropologists to native title work.  Fourteen organisations accepted and one declined the funding offer. The funding will promote training, professional development and support of anthropologists across the native title system. The University of Adelaide also received funding to develop and hold a meeting of national convenors on courses of native title anthropology to consider a national curriculum.

Applications will open in early 2012 for the 2012–13 funding round.

2011–12 funding round

Five funding recipients under the Native Title Anthropologist Grants Program in 2011–12 were announced by Attorney-General Robert McClelland on 3 June 2011.

The successful recipients are:

1. The Cairns Institute, James Cook University
2. Australian National University School of Anthropology and Archaeology
3. University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences (project 1)
4. University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences (project 2)
5. University of Sydney, Department of Anthropology, School of Social and Political Sciences

Additional details for each recipient are below.

Recipient 1: The Cairns Institute, James Cook University

Program title: So You Want to Work in native title? A master class for early-career anthropologists working in native title.

Purpose: A professional short course for graduate and early career anthropologists, using industry experts to focus and direct skills and methods in native title projects.

Details: The project will develop industry-ready anthropologists by establishing an intensive 10 day course that uses a pool of specialists experienced in native title to ensure graduate and early career anthropologists are given specific skills in native title to make them ‘job ready.’ The course will provide targeted skills-based training to graduate and early career anthropologists who have begun work or are about to start working in the field of native title. A particular focus will be native title across northern Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and the Torres Strait). The course will include a mix of fee paying students and grant recipients.

Recipient 2: Australian National University (ANU) School of Archaeology and Anthropology

Program title: Centre for Native Title Anthropology.

Purpose: The Centre for Native Title Anthropology draws on ANU’s extensive expertise for training and mentoring of native title anthropologists. The Centre offers accredited student placements, short-term research writing placements, workshops and a post-graduate course in native title anthropology.

Details: The Centre for Native Title Anthropology will offer opportunities for three students to be mentored in the field by working with native title consultants and academic mentoring for native title practitioners researching and writing at ANU. Students will be paired with senior native title anthropologists for short-term field placements to gain experience in native title anthropology on the ground. In addition, a visiting fellowship program will provide opportunities for four early or mid-career native title anthropologists to undertake 10 weeks of research towards a peer-reviewed publication. At least one native title workshop will also be hosted by the Centre focusing on issues pertinent to anthropological native title research. Finally, the Centre will present a post-graduate course in native title and anthropology for teaching in the first semester of 2012.

Recipient 3: University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences (project 1)

Program title: Society and Governance in Native Title Anthropology.

Purpose: To establish a hub for the anthropology of society and governance in native title dedicated to developing rigorous inquiry, professional training and development.

Details: The project seeks to enhance the capacity, rigour and vitality of native title anthropology with an ensemble of initiatives which focus on the nexus between ‘society’ and ‘governance’ in native title anthropology. A native title subject at the University of Adelaide will be developed on the topic of society and governance to complement existing programs in Australia. Native title field placements will be integrated into the University of Adelaide’s Faculty of Arts internship program at the University of Adelaide, and a workshop will be hosted to inform the development of a curriculum for a course on Indigenous social organisation and governance in the native title context. A virtual network on the anthropology of society and governance will also be established to support the professional development, practice and preparedness of native title anthropologists.

Recipient 4: University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences (project 2)

Program title: Study Leave Fellowships for Native Title Anthropologists.

Purpose: To enable native title anthropologists to prepare research and training publications and to contribute to curriculum design, teaching and mentoring in a collegiate academic environment.

Details: The project provides for practitioners at various career stages to take sabbaticals from their applied practice to develop their careers and professional experience. They may use this time to prepare scholarly publications and contributions to teaching and learning in a university environment. Career support and professional development will be provided for native title anthropologists, and native title anthropology will be developed as a scholarly and applied field of knowledge through research publications and the development of teaching and learning materials and opportunities. Mentoring relationships will also be developed.

Recipient 5: University of Sydney, Department of Anthropology, School of Social and Political Sciences

Program title: Anthropology for Native Title in ‘Settled’ Australia.

Purpose: To increase the value of and engagement in native title anthropology by attracting anthropology students into native title work, providing on-the-job training for junior practitioners, and encouraging academic debates on issues of significance to native title anthropology.

Details: The project is designed to provide training for current practitioners as well as to provide introductory training in methodology and skills acquisition for anthropology students with an interest in entering this arena of anthropological practice. It will address the particular challenges of native title in ‘settled’ Australia. Initiatives will include a field work-oriented research thesis opportunity for two honours students, a targeted workshop and development of a Masters course unit elective.

The Program

Anthropologists are vital to the successful operation of the native title system. Native title claimants rely on experienced anthropologists to provide high quality expert connection evidence to support their application. Government parties also need anthropologists to help assess connection evidence in relation to particular native title claims. As the native title system matures, anthropologists are also increasingly involved in the negotiation of complex native title agreements.

The critical shortage of experienced anthropologists currently working in native title has the potential to lead to further delays in the resolution of claims and impact on the quality of native title outcomes for all parties.

Priority areas and essential criteria

The Attorney-General’s Department has identified three priority areas of need based on consultation with stakeholders, including anthropologists currently working in the native title system. Applicants will need to demonstrate how their initiative targets one or more of these areas:

• training and development for anthropologists to smooth the transition from study to native title field work
• professional development and support for anthropologists working in the native title sector, and/or
• strengthening linkages between academic and applied anthropological work.

Each application was assessed against these three priority areas as well as two essential criteria:

1. the proposed activity did not replicate existing programs, and
2. the proposed activity demonstrated value for money (ie the cost of the proposal was proportionate to the work involved and expected outcomes).

Who should apply?

Applications are invited from consultants, organisations, educational institutions and other interested parties working directly with anthropologists in the native title sector.

2010–11 funding round

The two successful recipients of the Native Title Anthropologist Grants Program for 2010–11 were:

1. The Australian National University’s Centre for Native Title Anthropology, and
2. The Australian National University Enterprise’s Native Title Anthropology Field School.

Details of the successful recipients in 2010-11 are as follows:

Recipient 1: Australian National University (ANU) School of Archaeology and Anthropology

Program title: Centre for Native Title Anthropology: field placements, writing fellowships, workshops and new course.

Purpose: To create a new Centre for Native Title Anthropology incorporating student field placements, short-term writing fellowships, workshops, and a new course to draw on ANU’s expertise in anthropological training and mentoring.

Details: The Centre for Native Title Anthropology will offer opportunities for students to be mentored in the field through working with native title consultants and academic mentoring for native title practitioners researching and writing at ANU. Students will be paired with senior native title anthropologists for short-term field placements lasting up to two months to gain experience in native title anthropology on the ground. In addition, a visiting fellowship program will provide opportunities for early or mid-career native title anthropologists to undertake research towards a peer-reviewed publication. At least one native title workshop will also be hosted by the Centre focusing on issues pertinent to anthropological native title research. Finally, the Centre will host an online email forum and website and develop a course in native title and anthropology for teaching in 2012.

Recipient 2: Australian National University Enterprise

Program title: Native Title Anthropology Field School, Northern Territory: pool of skilled and experienced anthropologists.

Purpose: To create a pool of skilled and experienced native title anthropologists through field schools in the Northern Territory and workshops at ANU.

Details: A field-based training program will provide participants with an introduction to the techniques of site survey, position fixing, mapping, photography, recording, reporting, consultation and pitfalls. Lectures will be provided on the various research methods and techniques used by field anthropologists. The course program will comprise practical exercises, field work and associated lectures/seminars. The program will also expose early career anthropologists to the procedures and skills of organising complex field work projects including logistical issues regarding remote area field work. Participants who successfully complete the two modules will receive an accreditation.

Given the merit of the applications prepared by the two recipients and the breadth of the proposed outcomes, the decision-maker determined it was appropriate to approve funding amounts above the notional cap of $150,000 (exclusive of GST) for individual applications in the 2010–11 funding round.

The two successful recipients met the three priority criteria (outlined below) as follows:

For further information contact the Native Title Unit on (02) 6141 4726, or email native.title@ag.gov.au.