Dissertation project

Aboriginal Economic Freedom and the Indigenous Industrial Complex

My research project, undertaken as a part of the Settler Decolonization in Country/on Land: Rehearsing Collaboration project, will explore the lasting impacts of government policies in solidifying economic freedom for Aboriginal peoples. Since colonisation began in Australia, Aboriginal people have been severely underrepresented in the economy. This is in part due to ineffective government policies which fail to enable and create economic freedom in Aboriginal communities. As such, Aboriginal peoples continue to experience high rates of abject poverty, as well as education, employment and social disparities. 

There are three focus points my research will explore: government accountability; the Indigenous Industrial Complex; commodifying culture. I will utilise policy analysis to exemplify how the Australian government perpetuates the lack of economic freedom for Aboriginal people. Similarly to the Non-profit Industrial Complex, the Indigenous Industrial Complex is used to describe the relationship between government, organisations and Aboriginal communities. Through decolonial research methodologies I will also investigate how the sustainable commodification of Aboriginal culture may be achieved. Ultimately, my research simultaneously calls for economic reform at a systems level and argue for increased Aboriginal economic engagement on a grassroots level.

Biography 

Brigalow Joaquin Mcintosh, a proud Muruwari and Kooma man, is a researcher in the Collaborations unit under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Anja Schwarz. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours from the University of Melbourne. His Honours thesis, ‘Analysis of Youth Justice Policies in Aboriginal Communities: Government accountability and Aboriginal-led solutions,’ offered an in-depth, well-positioned exploration of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Closing the Gap initiative, and the Victorian Youth Justice Strategy, arguing for Aboriginal-led justice reinvestment as the alternative to failed policies.

While pursuing his Bachelors, Brigalow had the experience working as a policy officer at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), where he deepened his understanding of governance within Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs). This experience coupled with his academic background fuelled his commitment to embark on a PhD to further interrogate governance structures that fail to embed Aboriginal self-determination in policies and organisations.

Fields of Interest  

-   Indigenous Studies

-   Internationalising Indigeneity 

-   Indigenous Governance Structures 

-   Government Accountability 

-   Policy Reform 

-   Youth Justice

-   Criminology