Curtin University Faculty of Humanities School of Design and the Built Environment EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE TORRES STRAIT REGIONAL AUTHORITY Brian Raymond Riley A thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Curtin University February 2020 i Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material that has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: Date: 20 February 2020 ii ABSTRACT There is increasing level of expectation by government, donors and other funding agencies and the general public in Australia, for organisations charged with implementing development activities to clearly demonstrate improved social outcomes and impacts. In the face of escalating pressure to produce transparent and rigorous evidence demonstrating effectiveness and efficiency, small Indigenous and similarly oriented social development organisations often struggle with understanding, planning for, and measuring the social, economic, and environmental impacts of their activities in the communities within which they work. For over a decade, successive Australian governments sought to reduce the stark differentials in social and wellbeing outcomes experienced by Australia’s Indigenous and First Nations peoples, explicitly targeting funding to reduce these differences (e.g. to close the gaps). Agreed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2008, the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA) was premised on goals to close gaps in life course outcomes for Indigenous Australians, including dealing with: lower life expectancy; higher rates of child and maternal mortality; less access and lower participation in early childhood care services; lower levels of reading, writing and numeracy achievement; less senior school attainment levels (year 12), lower engagement in employment and unequal economic outcomes. The Closing the Gap (CtG) strategy is premised on ameliorating these differences in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians seeking ultimately to achieve congruence in wellbeing throughout the life-course. The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) is a regionally based Indigenous statutory agency founded in 1994 primarily to improve the wellbeing of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal individuals resident in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula region of Australia. Over time, the TSRA has administered more than AU$1 billion to advance economic, social, cultural and environmental development outcomes for the region’s largely Indigenous inhabitants. A 2014 performance audit by the Australian Auditor General found that while significant gains had been made, the TSRA’s framework for reporting did not facilitate an assessment of the impact it had made on closing the gaps in Indigenous disadvantage. Nor was there robust iii evidence to ensure that TSRA was able to clearly demonstrate (and therefore articulate) its contribution to improved wellbeing of Indigenous residents. This research focuses on the conceptual and methodological issues associated with conducting such an impact evaluation. It includes factors of measurement and reporting of outcomes for a regional peak Indigenous organisation charged with formulation and implementation of a broad social development mandate. The ultimate aim of this research is to analyse to extent to which the TSRA has impacted on the wellbeing of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal residents of the Torres Strait, and if so, how, and in what ways could development impact be more effectively and efficiently assessed. In doing so, this thesis makes a number of theoretical contributions to the field of Indigenous Impact evaluation, including: deconstructing the elements of scientific inquiry when applied to cross-cultural research settings, identifying structural political factors either facilitating or inhibiting the conduct of an evaluation of impact, how can an applied evaluation be undertaken in a remote context, and ultimately articulating a framework for building institutional data sharing, analytical capability and capacity for small agencies to develop an evidence base for policy making. Assessing the feasibility of conducting an evaluative analysis via the adoption of a mix-methods approach to evaluating the impact of key TSRA economic, environmental, social and cultural policies and programmes are central among the research priorities. This primarily ex-post analysis is undertaken as a case-study of the work of TSRA covers – an analysis at a broad level since its establishment, and more specifically covering infrastructure and grants activities delivered over the period spanning 2012 to 2018. The applied approach to evaluation and the assessment of performance monitoring and reporting incorporates quantitative and qualitative methods and data within a broad paradigm of systems and complexity theory. The research establishes an impact-oriented planning and design framework assessing existing infrastructure and grants administration to inform future TSRA policy and program design founded on sustainable development principles. Complementing this case study is a bespoke framework for continuous evaluation and reporting to assist TSRA to monitor and assess its impact over time. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / DEDICATION This thesis is the culmination of a five-year voyage, in concert with balancing work, family and those friends closest to me. For those of you that have had to endure my furrowed brow at times, along with the oft accompanying thousand-yard stare, I extend my deepest gratitude. I am particularly indebted to my wife Amy, who has had the resilience and fortitude to console me when things looked like becoming despondent. Not to mention all of the day-to-day help with keeping the wolves at bay, protecting me from the world, and making sure life carried on around me while I was ensconced in reading and trying my hardest to write. My son Chae, of course, deserves an immense amount of my endearing love and eternal gratitude for he has often missed out on the things that other children take for granted in terms of family time and relationships. For this, I hope that the result of this work will ultimately yield some fruit and we will get more quality time together. Just know that I love you dearly! I want to sincerely and gratefully thank my supervisors Professor Dora Marinova and Professor Jeffrey Kenworthy from the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute for the practical guidance and encouragement. Their support, mentorship and the art of timely checking in to see how things were progressing was invaluable for getting me over the line with this work, even during times of mental blocks and self-reflection. I could not have finalised this work without the detailed critique of final versions of the thesis drafts for which I am utterly grateful. This thesis is dedicated to Amy, Chae and my mother and father Kathy and John. For it is they who have imbued me with the work ethic that has assisted my focus at times when things looked pretty bleak. My deepest love and thanks always. This thesis is dedicated to the four of you…… v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................... II ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / DEDICATION ........................................................................................ V TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... VI LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. IX LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS ...................................................................................................... XI ACRONYMNS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... XII PREFACE …………………………………………………………………………………………..XVI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 OVERVIEW OF CONTEXT AND RESEARCH DRIVERS ......................................................................... 4 1.1.1 The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) ................................................................................. 4 1.1.2 Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) Performance Audit of TSRA (2014) ............................... 6 1.1.3 Key issues identified by ANAO ...................................................................................................... 6 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................... 8 1.3 SCOPE .......................................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE .............................................................................................................................. 12 1.4.1 Practical significance .................................................................................................................