Liaison and Collaboration with Aboriginal Communities

Much of Gondwana Consulting's senior personnel's professional experience has involved working closely with Aboriginal people and organisations across Australia – including over 20 years working in national park and natural area planning and management in Central Australia and the Top End, Northern Australia as well as in Victoria.  Numerous recent Gondwana Consulting projects have involved Aboriginal people and organisations in metropolitan, coastal and outback NSW and Aboriginal people and organisations in northern Queensland.

We have knowledge and experience working with a wide range of Aboriginal people – from people in very remote locations that are pursuing a semi-traditional lifestyle to largely urban Aboriginal people in Sydney and surrounding areas. 

This considerable experience and abilities in working with Aboriginal people and organisations, has included:

• involving Aboriginal people, and ensuring the protection of Aboriginal cultural sites/resources and values, during development projects; 
• collaborative planning for joint management areas, Aboriginal lands, existing or proposed national parks and adjoining marine parks or reserves;
• the management and protection of Aboriginal sites of significance and tangible cultural resources;
• the management of Aboriginal land to achieve cultural, conservation, or visitor use/tourism objectives; and
• "caring for country" management generally.

Our extensive experience in this challenging field has provided us with a very sound appreciation of, and practical experience in, the:

• issues associated with Aboriginal land management aspirations, and marrying Aboriginal cultural values with planning and management objectives;
• sensitivities, protocols and procedures appropriate in working with Aboriginal people or their representative organisations;
• confidentiality obligations that may be encountered when working with cultural or “secret-sacred” materials and sensitive sites information;
• structure, relationship and political “sensitivities” associated with Aboriginal organisations and their wider operating environment; and
• management and protection of Aboriginal sites of significance and both tangible and intangible cultural resources.