GALNYA ON WOKA PROSPERITY ON COUNTRY: HOW TO REPOSITION THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE GOULBURN MURRAY REGION Raelene L. Nixon ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7532-0995 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science December 2020 1 DECLARATION This is to certify that: I. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD II. Due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used III. The thesis is approximately 79 081 words Raelene Nixon December 2020 2 ABSTRACT Prime Minister Gillard's 'Closing the Gap' speech in February 2011 called on the country's First Peoples to take responsibility for improving their situation. This kind of rhetoric highlights one of the underlying reasons there has been no substantial improvement in the position of Indigenous Australian peoples. Indigenous peoples are predominately identified as 'the problem' and positioned as the agents who need to 'fix it', which ignores the influence of dominant culture in maintaining the current position of Indigenous peoples. Drawing on the experience and knowledge of Indigenous and government leaders working on strategies to empower Indigenous communities, this thesis captures the work undertaken in the Goulburn Murray region of Victoria in the quest to reposition the social, cultural and economic value of Indigenous peoples. For substantive change to be made, power relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians need to be realigned and dominant social structures reconstituted. Only once these shifts have been made can the country’s original inhabitants enjoy parity in education, health, employment, and economic prosperity. A collective approach that recognises the need for all Australians – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – to play a role in creating these shifts is needed. This thesis is the story of the Yorta Yorta people’s quest to find prosperity on country to reposition the social, cultural, and economic value of Indigenous people in the Goulburn Murray region of Victoria. The research seeks a solution to address the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from one regional community’s perspective. A shared sense of humanity is central to repositioning the value. An ability to recognise and envision a world of tolerance, kindness, and acceptance in the hearts and minds of all cultures, regardless of race, colour, or religion, can alter everything. The perspectives of participants throughout the thesis make it clear why repositioning the value of Indigenous people is so important. 3 Terminology Throughout this report, the term Indigenous has been used to refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In some circumstances, Yorta Yorta is used for Indigenous people in the Goulburn Murray region, Koori is used for Indigenous people of Victoria. For this document, Goulburn Murray region refers to Yorta Yorta Traditional Owner boundaries, which include the local government areas of the City of Greater Shepparton, Moira Shire Council, and Campaspe Shire Council. While Yorta Yorta boundaries extend into parts of Strathbogie Shire Council, this has not been included in the research presented unless otherwise stated. Even though Yorta Yorta extends beyond the Victorian border into NSW, this research project focused only on the Victorian local government areas, as indicated above. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to start by acknowledging the Traditional Owners on whose land we live, work and continue to learn. I belong to the Gunggari people of South West Queensland. I acknowledge the eight clans on the lands that comprise the Yorta Yorta Nation – Kailtheban, Wollithiga, Moira, Ulupna, Bangerang, Kwat Kwat, Yalaba Yalaba, and Ngurai-illiam-wurrung – where this project was undertaken. The Aboriginal words in my title are not my own – they belong to the Yorta Yorta Nations because this research is on their country. To support the revival of their language and the language of my husband and my son, I choose to use them throughout this project. Galnya translates to honesty, goodness, and happiness or prosperity. Woka means country, and also earth, ground, land, district. Kaiela represents the Goulburn River, and Dungala is the Yorta Yorta word for what is known as the Murray River. My heartfelt thanks to the leaders who generously gave their time to share their insights, expertise, knowledge, and experiences for this research. I am indebted to the Indigenous organisations – Kaiela Institute, Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperation, Rumbalara Football Netball Club, Academy of Sport Health and Education – for their generosity, guidance, and support. Thank you to the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and the University of Melbourne, including the School of Population and Global Health, the Department of Rural Health, and Murrup Barak, for their guidance and commitment to improving the educational outcomes and building the capacity of Indigenous Australians. I express my gratitude for the support, guidance, and commitment of my supervisors, Professor Shaun Ewen, Professor Margaret Kelaher, and Doctor Christina Malatzky, for the intellectual and emotional support during my PhD candidature and for going beyond your roles as ‘supervisors’. I consider it a privilege to have worked with you all, and I am grateful for the parts you have played in shaping my development as a researcher. I would also like to make special mention of my Academic Chair, Professor Richard Chenhall, and also Professor Jane Freemantle and Professor Marcia Langton. They each pioneered pathways for my 5 academic journey. To Joanna Dolan, who edited this dissertation in line with the Australian Standards for Editing Practice. Thank you to my fellow PhD candidates on Yorta Yorta country, of which there are three – Karyn, Sharon, and Tui. I am so glad we got to do this together, and I hope we can continue that support and look out for each other as we now go out into our perspective areas and work hard to influence change. My biggest source of inspiration and strength is my mum and sisters: thanks for teaching me that circumstances don't dictate outcomes. My two brothers, one of which passed away suddenly the week my thesis was passed. My last message from him read Congratulations sis big ol Dr sis now aye well done, and all the best. The values we were bought up with taught us that with hard work, we can achieve anything. My family, we had our challenges over the life of this PhD, as many families do. Thank you for your support and understanding over the past few years and for allowing me the time and space to pursue an education. Finally, I want to thank my greatest cultural and spiritual guide and unofficial mentor, Uncle Paul Briggs. I don't know how you do it. The sacrifices you have made in your pursuit of parity for Aboriginal people are far greater than what I have time to mention here. Thank you for your aspiration and vision of creating a better future for our people. This year has been particularly challenging. While it feels like the beginning of an amazing revolution for people of colour all over the world, it has been met, at times, with soul-crushing resistance. If everyone were to open themselves up a little more to the prospects of compassion, empathy, and hope, the world would be a much better place for everyone. 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AAL Australian Aborigines' League ABDU Algabonyah Business Development Unit ABS Australia Bureau of Statistics ACC Algabonyah Community Cabinet ACCO Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations ACHOs Aboriginal Community Health Organisations ACCHO Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation AEP Algabonyah Employment Program ANU Australian National University ASHE Academy of Sport Health and Education BDU Business Development Unit CAEPR Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research EC Empowered Communities GM Goulburn Murray KRIC Koori Resource and Information Centre KI Kaiela Institute KA Kaiela Arts MCRE Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence NEAL North East Arnhem Land RA Reconciliation Australia RAC Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative RFNC Rumbalara Football Netball Club SPPU Shepparton Planning and Policy Unit YYN Yorta Yorta Nations 7 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................ 2 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. 5 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................ 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 15 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 15 The consequences of History ............................................................................................... 17 The Yorta Yorta People ........................................................................................................ 18 CONTEXT