From Segregated Institution to Self-Managed Community: The Contribution of Community Social Work Practice Towards Aboriginal Self- Management at Lake Tyers/Bung Yarnda Victoria Peter F.B.Renkin BComm, BEd, Dip.Soc.Studs. (University of Melbourne). Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2006 School of Social Work Faculty of Arts and Centre for Health and Society - School of Population Health Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences The University of Melbourne Abstract The central purpose of this thesis was to explore the contribution of community social work practice to a process of planned social change orchestrated by the Victorian Government's Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs during 1970-1971. This process aimed to reconstruct the living conditions of the residential Aboriginal population of Lake TyersrBung Yarnda so that the residents became land owners and managers of their physical, economic and social country. The thesis has sought to analyse the planned social change process that included two components - community development and legislation. The study found that legislation provided the necessary conditions to effect the social change sought by the residents, but the Government's grant of communal land title involved management of a corporate organisation, which conferred unexpected accountability standards and demanded new administrative skills of them. The study also found that the transfer of a new social and economic status required different attitudes and standards of behaviour from the residents, Government and the environment. Social change came with a price for all parties but especially the Aboriginal residents of Lake Tyers. The thesis has assessed the engagement of the community social worker, explored the theoretical ideas that guided the community social worker's practice, and analysed the social planning approach used by the Executive of the Ministry. An autobiographical method was used drawing on primary data from the community . social worker's practice records written during the intervention and collected materials. A content analysis of this data, from the perspective of practice ideas then and now, has facilitated the reconstructed account of what happened. Later historical, sociological, psychological, and community social work practice literature concerning the social and economic development of residential Aboriginal populations, was utilised to provide a contemporary contribution to the analysis of the process. The foundation of the study was the integration of a critical social theoretical approach with the qualitative Indigenous methodology of `decolonizing methodologies' (Smith 1999). Consequently, the central focus has been the Aboriginal residents', and the community social worker's cultural constructions of a social reality formed by colonisation and racial structure. The study found that the process of social change at Lake Tyers in 1970-1971 was primarily agency-controlled by the Ministry's Executive to ensure the Government's goals were realised; and that the process of locality development played a secondary and restricted role. The thesis has argued that past and present community social work practice knowledge has reflected a dominant Western world view. It has suggested that when formulating community development strategies, planners and practitioners have failed to recognise the fundamental importance of Aboriginal social organisation - the primary group relationships of Aboriginal extended kin networks, the under-development of secondary group relationships, and reliance on tertiary relationships with the state. The national Aboriginal land rights social movement and the organised protest over the future of Lake Tyers have been identified as key factors instigating the process of social change. Specific historical, sociological and psychological concepts have been suggested as crucial to gaining insight into the context that created the seriously under-developed economic conditions of the residents of Lake Tyers in 1970. They include the oppressive nature of the Station regime that ensured the people's livelihood depended on tutelage with the state, stultified individual initiative and squashed leadership, protected residents from experiencing separation of home from work place, limited participation in the market economy, restricted interaction with civil society, and inhibited the formation of a racial community or secondary group to promote social needs and cultural interests. The thesis has argued the need to conceptualise an Aboriginal approach to community social work in which the process of social change is controlled, negotiated and directed by an Aboriginal executive management; where social policies are shaped by Aboriginal people identifying their needs from their distinctive experience of colonisation and cultural adaptation; and where the engagement of a non-Aboriginal practitioner has been sanctioned by the Aboriginal executive. ii Declaration of Authorship This is to certify that (i) the thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD, (ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used, (iii) the thesis is less than 111,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Signature: Peter Francis Beckett Renkin Date: iii Acknowledgements I want to thank my supervisors, Phillip Swain and Alun Jackson for Û eir advice and support. Ian Anderson gave a direction to my endeavour which led to an appreciation of alternative values and modes of thinking. For the first years of the research process, the late Wendy Weeks initially provided enthusiastic encouragement and challenging supervision for which I am most grateful. Family members have supported my journey over many years. I am deeply indebted to each of them. Special thanks go to Chris for providing computer assistance, and to Ann who has given her unfailing encouragement. iv Table of Contents Abstract Declaration of Authorship Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents List of maps, tables and charts vi List of Appendices vii List of Attachments vii Glossary of Definitions and Abbreviations viii Chronology of important dates in the history of Bung Yarnda/Lake Tyers xiv Chapter I: Reflecting on past practice in the light of decolonising methodology 1 Chapter 2: Research Design 41 Chapter 3: Towards building Indigenous organising 53 Chapter 4: `What we want is self-respect' 101 Chapter 5: Identity and survival prior to 1970 149 Chapter 6: `The chance to prove ourselves' 193 Chapter 7: The process of community development: transferring land ownership 227 and self-management Chapter 8: `From little things big things grow' - a critical review of the episode 297 of social change at Lake Tyers Bibliography 339 Appendices 369 Attachments 403 v List of Maps, Tables, Charts Maps Map 1.1 Map of Victoria showing the location of Lake Tyers 9 Map 1.2 Map of Lake Tyers showing the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust property 10 Map 1.3 Map of Aboriginal language areas in Victoria: a reconstruction 14 Map 5.1 Location of Victorian Aboriginal missions, stations and reserves 1860- 158 1966 Map 5.2 Divisions of the Gunnai language group 160 Map 7.1 Lake Tyers - location of houses, buildings & facilities January 1970 234 Tables Table 4.1 Lake Tyers - population 30`11 June 1958 to 1966 121 Table 4.2 Families exiting Lake Tyers station 1958-1966 showing reasons 124 Table 5.1 Lake Tyers Aboriginal station population 1917-1929 160 Table 5.2 Employment of Aboriginal men & women East Gippsland April 1966 174 Table 6.1 Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust members showing age & gender July 1971 218 Table 6.2 Lake Tyers - population showing age & gender January 1970 241 Table 7.2 Lake Tyers — size & composition of households January 1970 241 Table 7.3 Lake Tyers - Commonwealth social service payments January 1970 284 Table 7.4 Lake Tyers - sources of household income May 1970 286 Charts Chart 3.1 Brager & Specht's process and tasks in community organization 62 Chart 3.2 Henderson & Thomas's nine-stage process of neighbourhood work 64 Chart 3.3 Lake Tyers -Components of the process of social change -1970-1971 99 Chart 4.1 Population of Lake Tyers station 30`h June 1958 to 1966 122 Chart 6.1 Components of the process of social change - Lake Tyers 1970-1971 193 Chart 7.1 Lake Tyers - Components of the process of social change 1970-1971 230 Chart 7.2 Lake Tyers — Ministry staff organization at January 1970 235 Chart 7.3 Lake Tyers — Strategic development plan January 1970 239 Chart 7.4 Lake Tyers — Plan of the process of community development April 251 1970-June 1971 Chart 7.5 First & Second generation kin connections between households January 280 1970 vi List of Appendices Appendix 7.1 Lake Tyers — The sufficient conditions 367 Appendix 7.2 Lake Tyers — Major events and activities January 1970 — December 369 1971 Appendix 73 Lake Tyers — Social development strategy January 1970 379 Appendix 7.4 Lake Tyers — Demographic data January 1970 381 Appendix 7.5 Lake Tyers — Strategic plan of the process of community 387 development April 1970 — June 1971 Appendix 7.6 Lake Tyers — Revised social development strategy May 1970 389 Appendix 7.7 Lake Tyers — Expert advice available 392 Appendix 7.8 Lake Tyers — Student education grants and additional family 393 disposable income Appendix 7.9 Lake Tyers — Adequacy of family disposable income at May 1970 395 List of Attachments Attachment A Explanation of Research 401 Attachment B Consent Form Lake