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The term “elders” does not always mean men or
women over fifty or sixty years of age. A
relatively young (30s to 40s) man or woman
may be given the status of an elder because of
their highly respected position in the
community. They may possess specific skills
and knowledge in an area which endorses their
position of high esteem. The term
“Community” applies to Deeds of Grant in
Trust (DOGIT) Communities and small and
large Aboriginal Communities in cities, suburbs
of cities, country towns or on the fringes of
cities and towns.
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Confidentiality and privacy are major issues
with Aboriginal communities. Use of
information obtained should be negotiated.
Information that is “women’s business” should
be stored in such a way that only women have
access to it and information that is “men’s
business” stored in such a way that only men
have access to it. Media releases or comments to
media should only be made with the prior
agreement of the community concerned.
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Traditional decision making and discussion in
Aboriginal societies involved maximum
participation and representation because family
responsibilities and authority go beyond the
nuclear family unit. This may mean individuals
(particularly elders), nuclear families, extended
families, communities and community
organisations may all need to be included in the
processes of consultation and negotiation.
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It is also important, as part of the community
profile, to be aware of community politics. That
is, know or get to know through networking
what issues are priorities and which people are
the community power brokers associated with a
particular issue.
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Where key groups have strongly held adversarial
positions on a issue, mediation or facilitation
will be useful. The Alternative Dispute
Resolution Service of the Department of
Attorney General and Justice provides either a
direct service or training of staff from other
government departments in negotiation,
mediation, facilitation and general conflict
resolution. This service has recruited and
trained Aboriginal staff throughout the State.
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One crucial agreement partners need to agree on
is who has permission to speak to any media
organisations?
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Substantive rules that need agreement before
negotiations get underway relate to issues such
as - what are the givens, the non-negotiables,
what can the meeting discuss and decide, what is
not negotiable, do all participants have the
authority to negotiate, what use will be made of
the outcomes, are discussions confidential, will
participants agree not to withhold vital
information, will participants commit to a
mutually acceptable agreement they may make
and will all agreements be seen as a package or
can participants agree on certain points but have
the right to hold back from a final agreement
until all other matters are decided?
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protocols regarding consultation and negotiation continued
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4
22
D e p a r t m e n t o f A b o r i g i n a l and T o r r e s S t r a i t I s l a n d e r P o l i c y a n d D e v e l o p m e n t