Conference: Strong foundations - rebuilding social norms in Indigenous communities.

Strong foundations: rebuilding social norms in Indigenous communities
Organisation: Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership
Dates: 25-Jun-2007 09:00 AM to 26-Jun-2007 at 05:00 PM
Address: Pacific International Hotel, Cairns QLD

Phone: 07 4046 0600, Email: info@cyi.org.au
Web: www.cyi.org.au

This conference challenges the predominant view that the 'answer' to Indigenous disadvantage in Australia (particularly in remote communities) lies exclusively in improving service delivery. Better services are important but will only go so far in addressing entrenched socio-economic problems. What is needed in concert with better services, is a rebuilding of the social norms which form the foundation of a healthy society.

However, determining what social norms are necessary for a strong community and how they can be fostered are difficult questions. They raise the issue of how existing norms are tied to our identity and how Indigenous identity can be maintained while operating in mainstream Australia.

Based in Cairns, the Cape York Institute is a leading policy institute tackling Indigenous disadvantage. In the two years since it was first established, it has done ground breaking work examining economic viability, health reform, education reform and poverty reduction in Indnigenous communities in the Cape. It is currently embarking on its biggest undertaking to date, in reviewing and redesigning all the welfare payments made to Indigenous individuals and families in four Cape York communities, with the aim of reducing passive welfare and creating positive social norms.