Why do you criticise us for not living in the European way? (1) taps (2) bathrooms (3) stoves (4) toilets (5) houses (6) lights (7) kitchen.

When you like us to live in the European way we have to get all these things, but we do not have the money to buy all that. We need assistance of the Government because we had to change to money life and that means that we have to get jobs to get the money. We didnt need that in our way.

It is not easy to live in two ways, the Aboriginal way and the balanda way. You are telling us to combine the two ways, but that is not easy because on the one hand we depend on money and jobs and on the other hand we cannot live without our moieties, skingroups, dreamings, animals, country, totems and so on.

They say we are "full citizen" but we do not know what this really means, some of us think it means that you can drink as much grog as you like. As citizen we live in the balanda law, but we have our own law too.

Jack Mirritji, My People's Life An Aboriginal's Own Story, Millingimbi, 1976, p 71

Latest Papers

The working papers collection comprises historical papers as well as current ideas and works in progress on some of the major issues and topics of our times.

Governing NSW - Police (released 21 March 2007)
The Minister of Police has responsibility for 2.1 billion in expenditure and responsibility for 18,496 police employees including 15,206 police officers in NSW.
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Governing NSW - State Development (released 21 March 2007)
State Development is traditionally one of the important departments of government. Labor’s fightback to retain office was based around rebuilding the state through renewed spending on infrastructure and state economic services.
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Governing NSW - Citizenship (released 21 March 2007)
This, ironically, is just one of those portfolios that peforms some important services, but is underfunded and otherwise is there for political purposes and jingoistic malfeasance.
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Governing NSW - Deputy Premier (released 21 March 2007)
Barry O’Farrell has been a model of stability and credibility for the Liberals. Watkins has been very solid, if overworked, for the government.
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Governing NSW - Premier (released 20 March 2007)
Peter Debnam is a leader who came to power after the tragedy of John Brogden’s personal and political meltdown. Morris Iemma came to power as a virtual unknown Labor machine man. His backers tainted his Premiership. The battle between the two has been uninspiring.
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Governing NSW - Transport (released 20 March 2007)
The crisis in NSW public transport and road infrastructure, made the transport portfolio a hot portfolio with relatively high performance from the major parties. Gladys Berekjiklian in our assessment has just tipped the performance of John Watkins.
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The most accountable parliament in Australia? (released 10 March 2007)
Western Australia has the most accountable parliament in the country. Its hard working parliamentarians were in the chamber for seventy days of the 2006 calendar year. Premier Carpenter take a bow!
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Liblabs - the ultimate swingers (released 7 March 2007)
In the 2003 State and 2004 Federal election roughly 450,766 citizens of the great state of NSW voted for Bob Carr and John Howard.
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Fundamentals (released 3 March 2007)
In a bad week for Kevin Rudd its time to return to the fundamentals of winning Federal elections.
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State & Territory Taxing and Borrowing 2006-7 (released 8 February 2007)
This short brief shows the extent to which States and Territories tax or borrow on behalf of their citizenry in 2006/7.
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