AlterNative

Abstract

This paper is designed to be the beginning of a dialogue about Indigenous wellbeing in government policy contexts in Australia, rather than a definitive analysis. It arises from a larger report prepared for the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) (Grieves 2006). The Cultural Heritage Branch seeks to analyse current government policy approaches to Indigenous Australian wellbeing to establish where Aboriginal cultural heritage activities are included and can be included. The major project, of which the report referred to above is a component, addresses the research question: How does cultural heritage, as an activity field, enhance Aboriginal wellbeing and how can cultural notions of wellbeing be applied to government policies concerned with Aboriginal people in NSW?