An Overview of Current Directions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy in Australia to September 2006

This paper provides an overview of current directions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy in Australia and a brief overview of the historical policy context. There has been a recent shift from decentralised policy and programs with structures for self governance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, to a more centralised whole-of-government model that removes the self-governance arrangements and replaces them with advisory structures. The past decade saw an escalation in the quantity of services and service providers including local organisations. A changing set of regionalised concepts has guided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy formulation in recent times. This project provides a guide to national, state and territory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy strategies and frameworks. It should be noted that this guide reflects arrangements current in September 2006, and that they are susceptible to change at any time.