Desert Knowledge CRC

Australia is in the grip of a ‘dust age’, a five year-long spell in which the winds sweep tens of megatonnes of topsoil from the face of the continent.

“Dust is a measure of the care we are taking of Australia, just as the sediment in a river reveals how you are looking after its catchment,” says Professor Grant McTainsh, who heads the dust research team in the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre.

“Up till 2001, we thought we were getting better at it, based on the previous 40 years’ data. Then a major dust era erupted, from 2002-04, which still persists in NSW and parts of northern SA and western Queensland.”

A single giant dust storm took 4.85 million tonnes of soil, Prof. McTainsh and colleague Dr John Leys, calculated. In the same year 20 other events took over a million tonnes apiece. Accentuating the continent’s violent contrasts they recently observed a huge dust plume rising right alongside a flooding creek.

One of the reasons Prof. McTainsh and his team can be so precise about the scale and origin of dust storms is a newly-formed network of ground observers spread across the continent who supplement the satellite imagery with details of the dust colour (indicating its origin and composition) visibility (indicating volume) and wind direction, things not easy to determine from space.

The Dust Watch network was established in 2002 in NSW by Dr Leys from the NSW Dept of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources and Prof McTainsh from Griffith University. Today it has 200 volunteers – mainly enthusiastic pastoralists – who report in whenever they see a dust storm brewing. Some race it in their utes to assess its speed and use fencelines to calculate visibility.

The network has also given rise to the “dusties”, a new inland …

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At least another generation of desert Aboriginal people is likely to suffer from extreme hardship if the failure of compulsory and post compulsory education services to build their capabilities is not addressed urgently, an international conference will be told.

Metta Young, from the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, will be presenting her research into education and training pathways for desert Indigenous peoples at tomorrow’s International Geographical Union (IGU) conference in Brisbane.

“Evidence about the interaction between desert Aboriginal people and the vocational education and training (VET) sector gives us fresh insight into the potential impact of new mainstreaming arrangements for Aboriginal people,” she said.

“Already mainstreamed services such as VET have trouble meeting escalating need. Relying solely on mainstream services in education, health and transition to work initiatives may condemn at least another generation of Indigenous people to extreme hardship.”

Alice Springs – based Ms Young, who has worked with Aboriginal peoples across Australia for the past 20 years, says the transition to mainstream jobs, as required by the new CDEP arrangements, without drastically building the educational and social capabilities needed to make that transit is doomed to fail.

Ms Young said her presentation, “Growing the desert: Are we being served?”, analyses VET delivery to desert Aboriginal people and the tension between livelihood activities in remote settlements, such as ‘caring for country’, and the types of vocations considered valid by Australia’s mainstream, industry-driven training system.

“My research has found little will to work with the strengths and assets of Aboriginal people and the value their skills and knowledge have for the nation.”

Her findings show that Aboriginal people in remote settlements study VET courses predominantly for personal and community development reasons and that this participation has had minimal impact on their transition from CDEP to real jobs.

“Most desert Aboriginal …

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Sweeping changes to the way services are delivered to remote Aboriginal settlements and new thinking about wealth creation have been urged by researchers at a national conference in Perth today.

For remote settlements to be sustainable we must find a better way for services providers and consumers to work together, starting with a reduction of the administrative overload, said a key note speaker at the Sustainability of Indigenous Communities conference at Murdoch University.

“People in remote settlements are drowning in growing amounts of paperwork, ironically in order to administer their own self determination. No non-Aboriginal council would put up with this,” said Dr Mark Moran from the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).

“When added together, the number and complexity of reports required by different levels of government is mind-boggling and often beyond the capacity of local communities,” he said.

Dr Moran, the leader of the Desert Knowledge CRC’s new Sustainable Services for Desert Settlements research project, said the service system has to become much simpler and much more responsive to consumers if Aboriginal people are to achieve their aspirations.

He said we must come up with innovative ways for consumers in a restricted budget environment to express their demand, which balance the tradeoffs and the contributions they are prepared to make.

”This is not only about money, but also long term investments in time and effort,” he said. “We must also find ways to involve consumers in decisions about budget and program allocations that are currently made by service providers alone.”

“Changing funding mechanisms and redistributing service functions at different levels of the system are just some of the solutions our research is exploring.”

“It investigates whether some service functions, such as regional road works, should have been made the responsibility of people in remote settlements and, conversely, if …

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Some of the best minds, community entrepreneurs and business brains from the world’s deserts will gather at the Alice Springs Convention Centre from November 1-3 to share success stories, new insights and practical lessons.

The Desert Knowledge Symposium: Global Desert Opportunities is a rare opportunity to sample the expertise and creativity of desert regions, home to one sixth of humanity.

Coming at the end of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification and Australia’s Year of the Outback, the event will explore and showcase enterprises, innovations, business opportunities, science and technology solutions, culture and collective knowledge thriving in the global desert.

Over 60 national and international presenters will discuss new and innovative ways to do business in the desert and to manage and create sustainable livelihoods from natural and cultural desert resources.

Water and energy solutions for desert people, education and the desert knowledge economy, and the future of inland towns are also on the agenda.

Australian businesses will benefit from the event’s expo-style business showcase, providing an opportunity for desert enterprises and those wishing to do business in desert regions to network and promote their services and solutions globally.

Three hundred participants are expected for the two-day symposium which, according to conference organisers, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) and Desert Knowledge Australia, and will inject an estimated $100,000 into the local economy.

The event marks the half-way point in the seven-year life of the Desert Knowledge CRC, a research network linking Aboriginal and local knowledge with science and research training.

“I am excited about this chance to share our early research results with desert dwellers from around the globe, to learn from them and strengthen our links with the world-wide desert knowledge movement”, said Desert Knowledge CRC Managing Director, Jan Ferguson.

Desert Knowledge Australia builds networks and …

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Two Central Australian Aboriginal organisations have joined with the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre to create new research training, employment and enterprise opportunities for desert people.

They are Tapatjatjaka Community Governance Council, which runs Titjikala community near Alice Springs, and Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Association (Waltja), an Aboriginal women’s non-government organisation which supports families and services on remote Central Australian communities.

Jan Ferguson, the Managing Director of the CRC, welcomed Waltja and Titjikala as the newest affiliate partners of the national research network.

“The agreements with both organisations bring us a step closer to our goal of genuine participation of Aboriginal people in research that is useful to them”, she said. Tapatjatjaka Community Governance Council wants to tap into a broader knowledge network to develop their community.

Titjikala elder, Mr Johnny Briscoe, said he hoped the collaboration with the Desert Knowledge CRC would help his community.

“We like to see our projects to combine the best of our knowledge with the best of Western science. We think this is the best way forward”, he said. Titjikala, which already operates a successful cultural tourism business, is exploring the potential of traditional bush foods and medicines for enterprise development in partnership with the Desert Knowledge CRC.

Mr Briscoe became involved with the Desert Knowledge CRC when researchers started to work with his community on the Plants for People project.

The groundbreaking community development project provides research training, documents and protects Aboriginal knowledge about bush medicines and investigates the plants’ medicinal properties and commercial potential.

The Desert Knowledge CRC and its new research partners have agreed on stringent protocols that protect the intellectual property each organisation brings to the collaboration.

They also ensure that the rights to jointly developed intellectual property are shared equally between partners.

Earlier this month, Waltja and the Desert …

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An Aboriginal business leader from Western Australia has been elected as Deputy Chair of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre Board, the organisation’s Chair, Mr Paul Wand, announced today.

Mr Noel Bridge is a business development consultant with a strong track record of helping Aboriginal enterprises and not-for-profit organisations to succeed.

Mr Bridge has been a director of the Desert Knowledge CRC Board since its inception in 2003.

An inaugural member of the Telstra Country Wide Advisory Board, Mr Bridge continues to represent the interests of the people living and working outside metropolitan centres and to promote the best possible telecommunications solutions for them.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and also serves as a member of the Governing Council of Central TAFE in Perth.

“Noel brings more than 15 years’ experience in Aboriginal economic development, business planning and the mining industry to the Desert Knowledge CRC,” said Mr Wand. “He has been a significant contributor to the Board’s work on strategy and serves on the Audit and Risk Management Committee.”

“Coming from a remote inland town, I am always interested in the practical application of research that benefits people and communities throughout desert Australia,” said Mr Bridge.

“We need to encourage creative ideas that further support sustainable livelihoods, service provision and structures that make people want to stay and live in our deserts – this includes research that respects and builds on the knowledge and efforts of those who have come before and that links them to new ways of thinking and the new technologies of the future.”

Mr Wand also welcomed two new directors to the Desert Knowledge CRC Board, Ms Christine Charles and Mr Mark Chmielewski.

Ms Charles is the Regional Director, Environmental and Social Responsibility of the Australia/New Zealand operations of …

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Desert knowledge from around the globe will spark debate and create new business opportunities at the Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase, which kicks off in Alice Springs tomorrow.

Architects and builders have a chance to find out what the traditional architecture of the Sahara can teach them about sustainable building for desert climates.

Dr Mohammed Sherzad, an architect from Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates, will share his knowledge of adapting buildings and settlement layouts to the beautiful but harsh desert environment.

US architect Gustaaf Brest Van Kempen will talk about building design in Tunisia and Algeria with members of the Desert Knowledge Australia Sustainable Buildings Network.

The symposium will also hear how the joint cross-border business networking pilot project by Desert Knowledge Australia (DKA) and the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) managed to generate millions of dollars of extra income for desert businesses.

International business clustering expert, Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, will talk about the rewards of getting competing businesses to collaborate across state and territory borders.

John Huigen, the CEO of DKA, says desert entrepreneurs from across Australia will share their networking success stories at the Business Showcase.

“Take Joel Butcher from Alliance Engineering in Broken Hill,” he said. ”Thanks to DKA’s Mining Services Network his and four other Broken Hill businesses were able to negotiate a $5 million contract which they could not have won on their own,” said Mr Huigen.

“Business networking helps desert people in industries such as bush foods, sustainable building, mining support services and tourism to network and share ideas even though they live thousands of kilometres apart.”

“We are leading cross-border networking in Australia, and communications technologies such as video conferencing play an important part in this success.”

Virtually linking desert people, wherever they are, is the subject of a symposium …

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A comprehensive independent review has found the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is well on track to achieve its objectives and to deliver its proposed outcomes.

“The review found that we have performed extremely well in our first three years of operation,” said Desert Knowledge CRC Managing Director, Ms Jan Ferguson.

“It said that some of our research projects are likely to lead to the development of commercial processes and products. This is an exceptional result for a public good CRC.”

The review endorsed the Desert Knowledge CRC’s priorities and found that the nationwide research network had developed strong relationships with stakeholders and a reputation for making a sensitive and productive contribution.

It commended the organisation’s “unique achievements in engaging Aboriginal people in research, an outcome that is expected to be enduring”.

The panel said the organisation’s “significant Aboriginal engagement is an achievement that no other organisation or CRC could have created” as “others undertake research but do not achieve diffusion amongst local Aboriginal communities”.

The review findings were backed up by an industry survey which found that the Desert Knowledge CRC:

• is very well connected to end users and creates significant tangible and intangible value for them
•  receives strong support from end users for its approach to collaboration and engagement
•  attracts strong satisfaction from end users for its research communication, its strategies for achieving commercial outcomes from its research
•  is strongly believed to deliver improvements to the desert economy through the development of new business.

“We could not have achieved such an excellent result without the support of our partners and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed,” said Ms Ferguson.

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) requires all CRCs to undergo an independent review after their first three years of operation.

The review …

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Aboriginal pastoral employment and enterprises across Northern Australia are coming under the spotlight as part of the most thorough review of the industry ever undertaken.

Cattle for Country is a new Desert Knowledge CRC research project that brings together pastoralists, Aboriginal organisations and enterprises, government departments and industry groups all over northern Australia.

It is the first time the cattle industry, hard hit by the national skills shortage, is funding research into Aboriginal employment initiatives.

The three-year project will find out how to best strengthen Aboriginal cattle enterprises, build productive partnerships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cattle companies and create and sustain employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal people in the industry.

The CRC’s Managing Director, Ms Jan Ferguson, said research benefits will go beyond helping to create jobready local workforces and more viable cattle businesses.

“It’s also about learning how the industry can best realise a range of cultural, environmental and social benefits.”

“Strengthening existing initiatives will lead to improvements in the governance and business management capacity of remote communities, more collaborative management operations such as joint musters between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cattle enterprises, easier access to country for traditional owners through better roads and infrastructure and a healthier environment through the control of weeds, feral animals and fires.”

Cattle for Country has three components:

• Review of Aboriginal employment in the pastoral industry
•  Evaluation of the Indigenous Pastoral Program
•  Evaluation of Kimberley Indigenous Management Support Services (KIMSS)

In the first of these, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) are cofunding the Desert Knowledge CRC to conduct a 12-month review of Aboriginal employment initiatives in the mainstream pastoral industry.

The review will document and analyse case studies of successes and failures to develop best practice employment models.

“Many northern beef producers are struggling to source labour …

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The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has appointed a community development champion from rural South Australia to lead its research into bush products.

Born, bred and based in Port Augusta, Ms Jenny Cleary manages a national team of researchers working on a wide range of projects aimed at strengthening the bush foods industry across desert Australia.

The Bush Products Project contributes to the development of this emerging industry in areas such as horticulture and wild harvest of bush foods, wood, fibre and craft products.

Ms Cleary said the research seeks to boost the dollar value from bush products and the number of desert people, especially Aboriginal people, making a living from the industry.

“It is one of seven core research projects of the Desert Knowledge CRC and investigates the economic benefits desert people and their communities may derive from this growing industry and the capacity they need to support it.

The project involves research on market and industry development, branding and policy related matters, on how to attract investors, the diversification of bush livelihoods and the creation of Aboriginal enterprises,” she said.

Ms Cleary joins the nationwide research network from Rural Solutions SA, a South Australian Government owned consultancy business, where she was Program Leader Community Development.

Her passion for building sustainable desert communities has seen her and her team accomplish several successful initiatives.

Among them are Outback Connect, a project funded by the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Training (DFEEST) which trains people from rural and remote communities in internet use, and a multi-agency partnership that developed an electronic tool for these communities to self-assess their capacity to take part in natural resource management.

With considerable experience in program management, community health administration and vocational education, Ms Cleary is currently completing a Masters Degree in Human …

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