Challenges for Australian native title anthropology: practice beyond the proof of connection

Traditional and contemporary decision-making processes 19 Identifying the contemporary polity and interests within the group 20 Anthropology and third party management of agreement-making and dispute management processes 21 David Martin is a consultant anthropologist as well as a School Visitor at the Australian National University in the School of Anthropology and Archaeology. His research and applied interests include welfare reform, Aboriginal economic and community development, native title, and governance. He has provided policy advice on settling native title claims and undertaken reviews of connection reports for government agencies in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria as well as providing advice to Native Title Representative Bodies. He has undertaken research at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the ANU on the capacity of mining agreements to deliver sustainable development outcomes for Aboriginal people, conducted reviews of native title agreements and assisted in their implementation, and more generally has undertaken extensive research and applied work on Aboriginal governance issues, including those relating to Prescribed Bodies Corporate. Toni Bauman is a Research Fellow at the Native Title Research Unit and an anthropologist, mediator, facilitator and trainer. She has over thirty years experience in Indigenous matters including: land and native title claims; agreement-making; governance including decision-making and dispute management processes; cultural heritage; negotiation and partnering; National Parks and joint management; government policy; art and craft; evaluation; social impact; feasibility studies and tourism. She has worked as a staff member and consultant for a range of organisations such as Land Councils, Native Title Representative Bodies, and Government Departments. Between 2003 and 2006, Toni ran the Indigenous Facilitation and Mediation Project in the NTRU. In 2008, she advised the Federal Court on its Indigenous dispute resolution and conflict management case study project. She also undertakes a range of speaking engagements and facilitates workshops. Jodi Neale is a Canberra-based consultant anthropologist of Aboriginal and British descent who specializes in native title and cultural heritage. Jodi was previously employed as the coordinating anthropologist at Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. During her six years in the Pilbara her work included claim research, claimant liaison, strategic planning, managing research staff, and culminated in the authorship of a successful Connection Report. Abstract This Discussion Paper arises from a concern that the current contributions of anthropology in the Australian native title arena are often unnecessarily confined to the production of expert reports and other …