Abstract

State, Federal and private sector funding schemes increasingly incentivise Indigenous community organisations to apply or incorporate requirements for engagement, if not collaboration, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities more generally. While engagement with heritage varies within these schemes, communities are finding success in approaches that emphasise the far-reaching connections of culture, community and Country. Yet inherent in the structure of funding arrangements are barriers that constrain the sustainability and equitable distribution of the positive outcomes of this trend. This paper touches on a series of case studies centred on the grant opportunities behind funded collaborations with Aboriginal communities in Southeast/Central Qld, focusing on the systemic implications of funding requirements, adaptive approaches, challenges encountered, and thoughts on future directions for cultural heritage management informed by time working in this space.

About the presenter

Tom Dooley is an MPhil candidate at the University of Queensland. He has worked for several years as a cultural heritage consultant and commercial archaeologist, most recently in the role of Community Projects Coordinator and Grants Officer with the not-for-profit Everick Foundation since 2021. His research interests include community understandings of heritage in a changing climate, and the role of heritage in caring for Country. 

About Archaeology Working Papers

The Working Papers in Archaeology seminar series provides a forum for dissemination of archaeological research and ideas amongst UQ archaeology students and staff. All students are invited to attend the series and postgraduate students, from honours upwards, are invited to present their research. The aim is to provide opportunities for students, staff and those from outside UQ, to present and discuss their work in an informal environment. It is hoped that anyone interested in current archaeological directions, both within and outside the School and University, will be able to attend and contribute to the series.