This project considered the challenges and opportunities arising out of engagements between Indigenous peoples and natural hazard and land management government agencies in southern Australia. The majority of this activity has focused on cultural burning, which has also been our focus.

Significantly, there is very limited existing research about these engagements, and limited public sector experience in engaging with Indigenous peoples. This constrains evidenced-based policy and practice and practitioner decision making. This lack of capacity was clear in the responses to the 2019-20 bushfires. 

The research team undertook qualitative research, primarily through forming partnerships with key practitioners working in this space and undertaking research activities that iteratively learnt from these partnerships. In this, researching both Indigenous and non-indigenous values has been important in order to navigate and analyse this intercultural context. 

The research findings are structured in two sections: the first presents the results from our literature review, the second presents a synthesis of the research findings arranged under six headings (unfamiliarity with the context itself, trust and partnerships, centring Country and First Peoples, administration and regulation, expert evidence and erasure, accounting and reporting), with recommended first steps for the natural hazard sector under each heading. Given previous sector and research practices, the suggested first steps require significant sector leadership and investment in Indigenous-led research.

Read the final report here.

View the Cultural burning in southern Australia illustrated booklet and posters