Recording

available here

Abstract:

When the Fred Hollows Foundation decided to commence work on their next Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Reconciliation Australia gave the Foundation a challenge: to apply the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to its humanitarian work, both domestically and internationally.

The Foundation put out a tender to assist it with developing an assessment tool to guide the application of UNDRIP to the Foundation’s work.  SGS Economics and Planning and Terri Janke and Company were selected to undertake this work.

This presentation will outline how the project was undertaken, provide an insight into the work that is being done globally in implementing UNDRIP in different contexts, an overview of the tools developed for the Foundation, and what happens next.  The presentation will include some insights into how the concepts of self-determination and free, prior and informed consent are being applied in different contexts.

About the Speakers:

Jaki Adams, Director Social Justice and Regional Engagement, The Fred Hollows Foundation

Jaki was born and raised in Garamilla (Darwin) on the beautiful lands of Larrakia Nation. Jaki is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, with ancestral links to the Yadhaigana and Wuthathi Peoples of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, traditional family ties with the Gurindji Peoples of Central Western Northern Territory and extended family relationships with the people of the Torres Straits and Warlpiri (Yuendumu NT).

Jaki's professional journey includes Hospitality; Secondary Teaching; and, over 18 years in the Australian Government spanning a variety of portfolios, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Aged Care programs, and some 8 years within the Australian Department of Defence. Jaki joined The Fred Hollows Foundation in April 2012 and has held key leadership roles, including Country Manager of the Indigenous Australia Program (2012-2017) and Regional Programming Director roles (2017 - 2020) encompassing program implementation across Australia, Pacific (Trachoma and funding through FHFNZ), Timor Leste, Philippines, and Indonesia. In 2022 Jaki is leading the Social Justice and Regional Engagement Team within the Office of the CEO, with a focus on health equity, elevating the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and allyship.

Jaki has a personal and professional commitment to do whatever she can to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are leading decision making, and also advocating for the right to good health for those most marginalised across the Australia/Pacific/Oceania regions.

Dr Terri Janke, Solicitor Director, Terri Janke and Company

Dr Terri Janke became a lawyer to advance the social justice of Indigenous Australians. She is of Meriam and Wuthathi heritage, and is the owner and managing director of Terri Janke and Company, an award winning legal and consulting firm founded in 2000. The team at Terri Janke and Company strive to empower Indigenous people to manage their culture and attain their business goals - The key to Indigenous self-determination is being able to control and manage their own future.

Terri was admitted to practice in 1995. She holds an Unrestricted Practising Certificate and is a member of the Law Society of NSW. In 2019, she was awarded a PhD from the Australia National University for her thesis True Tracks: Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Principles for putting Self-Determination into practice. Terri is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Resolve Mediators. She is currently on the board of the National Gallery of Australia and the Australian Copyright Council. Previous board positions include: National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (Deputy Chair), State Library of NSW, Jawun, Tourism Australia, First Nations Rugby Committee (Chair) National Indigenous Television (Chair) and Ngalaya Indigenous Lawyers Association (Chair).

Dr Ed Wensing (Life Member) MPIA, FHEA, Associate and Special Adviser, SGS Economics and Planning

Ed Wensing is an experienced planner, policy analyst and academic.  Ed has worked in government, the private sector, non-government organisations, professional associations and has engaged in teaching and research in several universities around Australia.  For over 25 years, Ed has had the privilege of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities across Australia on the intersection between their rights and interests (however defined by them) and the Crown’s systems of land ownership and management, land use planning, and environmental management.  Ed has extensive knowledge and understanding of the statutes relating to land administration, land use and environmental planning, Aboriginal land rights, native title rights and interests, environmental protection, natural resource management, cultural heritage protection and local government in every jurisdiction around Australia.  Ed has a long track record of academic publications in a wide range of fields.  His current research interests are in the intercultural contact zone between Indigenous peoples’ rights and interests (however defined by them) and the Crown’s land tenures and land use planning and environmental management systems, and the application of the international human rights frameworks to conventional land use policy and planning. Ed is also a Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW and an Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU.