Legally incorporated Indigenous organisations in Australia operate in a complex intercultural environment. They face competing expectations from their Indigenous members, the public and private sectors, and the market economy, at the same time as dealing with frequent changes in government policy and funding frameworks. They have experienced growing pressure to perform, not only during global crises such as pandemics, floods and bushfires, but also from the opportunities arising from the land rights successes of their community and group members. Much depends on their effectiveness. As a consequence, when an Indigenous organisation fails, for whatever reasons, damaging repercussions are felt far and wide. Much has been written about the failures; very little about the successes. This paper looks at the Indigenous organisations who have survived the longest – the ones we call the ‘Elder’ organisations – with the aim of identifying the positive factors at play in their longevity. Particular attention is paid to the institutional and practical ways they have strengthened, adapted and harnessed their own capabilities for governance and administration during times of tumultuous change.

We define ‘Elder’ organisations as a subcategory of the larger group of incorporated organisations, being those established from 1976, through till 31 December 1999, and still operating in 2022. In researching these long-established organisations, we paid attention to identifying the kinds of crises and opportunities that generate survival tipping points for them. And specifically, we focused on uncovering the internal capabilities and solutions they brought to bear on such junctures, in order to remain viable. The research lens is on the real-world practice of governance and management – what could be called a ‘capability-based, problem-solving’ frame. One goal is to identify any common factors that might usefully inform other organisations and communities.

The paper firstly presents a context-setting quantitative analysis of incorporated organisations, using data collated from the main national regulatory body of Indigenous organisations – the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC). This is cross-referenced with data extracted from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Then follows an analysis of the responses by Elder organisations to an online survey, asking them to rank the enabling factors involved in different circumstances of change. The ‘thicker’ qualitative insights from followup Zoom interviews with organisational leaders are integrated into the survey analysis, to highlight the actual practice conditions and experiences on the ground. From these evidentiary analyses, the paper next identifies common themes and learnings about the kinds of capabilities that appear significant in promoting organisational survival in times of great change.

The paper concludes that Elder Indigenous organisations demonstrate a specialised capability function for ‘resilient adaptive governance and management’, which significantly contributes to their renewal and longevity. With these matters in mind, the paper’s conclusion draws out implications and recommendations for government policy and organisational practice.