The document discusses the work of Ninti One Limited, a not-for-profit organization focused on improving conditions for people in remote Australia through research, innovation, and community development. It outlines various projects and research initiatives aimed at enhancing economic participation, education, and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Key insights emphasize the need for community engagement, contextually relevant education systems, and innovative solutions to address the unique challenges faced by remote region residents.

1. Remote Wisdom
Innovation for remote Australia
and its relevance to policy
Wednesday, 19 November 2014

2. Outline
1. Introduction to Ninti One Limited
2. New Managing Director
3. What is remote Australia and what does it
mean for mainstream Australia?
4. Ninti One’s innovative work
• Cooperative Research Centre for Remote
Economic Participation (CRC-REP)
• Other projects
5. The Future
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3. Ninti One also manages
the CRC for Remote
Economic Participation
and external
consultancy projects.
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1. Introducing Ninti One
Ninti One is a not-for-profit company that builds
opportunities for people in remote Australia through
research, innovation and community development.

4. 2. What is remote Australia and what does it mean for
mainstream Australia?
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3. Ninti One’s work

6. 4. Aboriginal Community Researchers
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This unique combination of Aboriginal
Community Researchers, matched with the
expertise of Ninti One Limited in delivering
community engagement projects across
remote Australia, represents a new model
for policy advice and future service
delivery.

7. 5. The future for Ninti One
• The CRC program is under review
• Indigenous Advancement Strategy
• Other funding sources
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8. Pathways to Employment Project

9. Research Questions
• How do Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who reside
in (very) remote communities navigate their way into meaningful
livelihoods?
• What kinds of work might help to support sustainable livelihood
outcomes?
• What kinds of learning could support meaningful livelihood
agendas, aspirations and pathways?

10. Engagement in the Economy = Good
GO TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY
GET CERTIFICATE III OR ABOVE
EMPLOYMENT

11. Microenterprise development as a pathway to livelihood
Key Stakeholder: ENTERPRISE LEARNING PROJECTS
Duration: 2012 – continuing
Methodology: Participatory action research using a range of
ethnographic methods of inquiry

12. Case Study 1
Explore
Enterprise Project Facilitation
Develop
Business incubation
Grow
Marketing support services
• How do you support the development of enterprising cultures
not just enterprising Individuals?
• How do you overcome the many infrastructure and access
limitations experienced by very remote entrepreneurs?

13. Economic participation pathways for Anangu youth
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands,
South Australia
Key Stakeholder: Umuwa Trade Training Centre
Duration: 2012- continuing
Methodology: to date - 16 semi-structured interviews (2013)

14. Case Study 2
Burton & Osborne (2014: pg) have asked,
Is it possible that an optimistic and hopeful “imagined future” for
Anangu youth looks different to the “externally imagined” linear menu
on offer in the Piranpa [non-Indigenous] education, training and
transition to employment context?

15. Prison learning experiences and employment aspirations
of inmates
Key Stakeholder: Northern Territory Department of Correctional
Services
Duration: 2013- 2014 (completed)
Methodology: 10 semi-structured interviews

16. Case Study 3
Aspiring beyond Reality
“Make you want to leave grog when you get out”
“The pain keep bouncing back. The old people gone now. We have
to drink to cover that sorrow, to hide it. Abusing our body the only
way – and then you think nobody loves us anymore and you can’t get
out”

17. How do Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who
reside in (very) remote communities navigate their way into
meaningful livelihoods?
Guenther et al. (2011: 9);
…creating opportunities for
employment requires more than
successful completion of a Certificate…
it requires a shift in identity so that the
trainees values become more closely
aligned to the workplace… We may at
first cringe at the thought of training as
a vehicle for identity change but that is
what we are indeed doing in training.

18. Investment in Belonging
Family, Community, Country
Learning Experiences
Voluntary & Negotiated
Honesty in unpacking the magic of
mainstream
Building positive cultural sense of self
Building decision making capabilities
Recognising interdependence
Fostering not fragmenting local identity
Economic Participation
Identity investment in work and the economy
Family and community investment in the legitimacy of employment or economic activity
Re-imaging beyond large industries and (old) industrial models of work activity
Systemic Barriers?
The Indigenous Pathways Industry
Dominated by non-Indigenous beneficiaries
Possessive investment in ignorance (Gilbey 2014)
Burden of ‘paper work’ - no time to hear (Osborne 2014)

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For further information, please contact:
Eva McRae-Williams
Email – eva.mcrae-williams@nintione.com.au
Phone – (08) 8951-8300
Questions?

20. Remote Education Systems Project

21. Remote education: A ‘problem’ in search of solutions
• Numerous reviews and policy responses but little to show for the
effort and investment.
• Responses so far have focused on:
• English language, literacy and numeracy
• Compliance measures
• Attendance strategies
• Residential boarding schools
• More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers
• Teacher retention, recruitment, incentives
• Programmatic approaches to pedagogy (e.g. DI, AL)
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22. No significant change over 6 years
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-
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Attendance rates, very remote
schools
-
100.00
200.00
300.00
400.00
500.00
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Year 5 numeracy results, very
remote schools
-
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
250.00
300.00
350.00
400.00
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Year 3 reading results, very
remote schools
Very remote schools with…
Up to 80% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
>80% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

23. RES project aim
To find out how remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
can get the best benefit from the teaching and learning happening in and
out of schools.
Research questions
• What is education for and what can/should it achieve?
• What defines ‘success’ from the remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander standpoint?
• How does teaching need to change to achieve ‘success’?
• What would an effective education system in remote Australia look
like?
Important focus
• Amplifying the voices of remote community stakeholders
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24. RES Project data sources
• Derived from analysis of publicly available datasets (my school
and Census)
• Community surveys in 10 remote communities
• Observations from site visits in 3 jurisdictions (WA, SA, NT)
• Engagement of over 190 remote education stakeholders in formal
qualitative research processes (20 Thinking Outside The Tank
sessions)
• Dare to Lead Snapshots in 31 Very Remote schools
• Reading of the relevant research literature
• 6 Post-graduate research projects in progress (topics include
technology, curriculum, health-wellbeing-interplay, year 12
completions, boarding schools)
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25. 3 years in, here are some key learnings from RES
• Success isn’t necessarily what we think it is.
• Nor is the concept of ‘aspiration’.
• Local people often see these things differently from non-locals.
• Context complexity demands more than simplistic responses.
• Responses need to consider an advantageous education, rather than
focusing on ‘disadvantage’.
• Communities are strong influencers of educational outcomes.
• Pathways through school to economic participation are unclear.
• While early years learning matters, learning for teenagers and parents
also matters.
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An intentional strategy
• Education Departments, Independent and Catholic systems
• More than 900 stakeholders engaged
• Thinking Outside the Tank sessions: more than 190 engaged
• Community involvement and collaboration
• Academic writing (see http://crc-rep.com/remote-education-
systems/project-outputs)
• Dissemination (e.g. Garma)
Think
differently
Talk
differently
Respond
differently

27. What do the findings suggest?
• Working with communities is essential.
• Strengthen local school governance.
• Investment in community development to complement investment
in schools.
• Recognise ‘success’ through alternative measures.
• Recognise the different ‘qualities’ of teachers needed for remotes.
• Build contextually relevant ‘red dirt curriculum’ which connects to
‘red dirt economies’.
• Offer a mix of local delivery and boarding options.
• Create knowledge exchange partnerships.
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28. Towards impact
• Connecting with current policy agendas (e.g. attendance,
boarding, community engagement, ‘teasing’)
• Filling evidence base gaps with a view to future trends (e.g.
‘Red Dirt Curriculum’, boarding schools)
• Engagement with university partners on quality teacher
preparation for remote contexts
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For further information, please contact:
John Guenther
Email – john.guenther@nintione.com.au
Phone – (08) 8959-6049
Questions?

30. Precision Pastoral Management Tools Project

31. Northern Beef Industry Analysis
• In the last decade (1998-2008)
• Costs have escalated
• Debt levels have doubled
• Returns on Assets have been only
0.3 - 2%
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• In 2013, no further improvement
• Poor business performance due to
poor herd productivity

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Research Questions • What new technologies can
assist the beef industry?
• Can we add technologies to the
RLMS to benefit producers?
• Can we build an integrated
decision-making tool?
• How much benefit is there for
beef producers in using this
tool?

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Benefits for beef producers
• Better matching of stocking rates to
available pasture
• Improved liveweight gain and calving rates
• Improved land condition
• Increased ability to make strategic
decisions
• Improved profitability

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How are we doing it?
1. Stakeholder consultations
2. Feasibility/Scoping Study
3. Prototype development
4. Business Plan
5. Focus Groups
6. Research & Demonstration Sites
7. Commercialisation

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Progress to date
• Stakeholder discussions
• Literature review of 62
technology products
• 35 shortlisted & 4 selected
• Human & Animal ethics
approval

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38. Progress to date
• Advisory committee appointed
• PPMS Prototype developed
• Business plan undertaken
• Student project
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Progress to date
• Developed our PPMS prototype

40. Progress to date
• Expressions of
Interest (n=25)
• First three sites
selected
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41. Current Research Sites
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42. Research Methodology
• Quantitative and qualitative
methodology
• Validation of technology products
• Business analysis and economic
evaluation
• On-going feedback and
development of PPMS
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43. How are the research sites going?
• “Tarrina”, Qld, drought &
destocking
• Newcastle Waters Station, NT,
well above average wet season
• Glenflorrie Station, WA, average
to above-average summer
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For further information, please contact:
Sally Leigo
Email – sally.leigo@nt.gov.au
Phone – 08 8951 8144
Questions?

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