Indigenous Land and Sea Management Programs (ILSMPs) Enhance the Wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.

Conservation and environmental management have been reported as offering opportunities to substantially improve the wellbeing of Indigenous people. Using the holistic wellbeing impact evaluation (W-IE) approach-well suited for use in Indigenous communities-we interviewed 190 Indigenous Australians across four communities. All communities were involved in the Indigenous land and sea management programs (ILSMPs). Our study explored the conceptualisation of 'wellbeing' by participants. In particular, we were interested in the aspects of wellbeing perceived to be affected by ILSMPs. Out of the 26 wellbeing factors explored, 'Health centres'; 'Language'; 'Schools'; and 'Safe community' emerged as being of highest importance to the largest percentage of the respondents. When grouped using principle components analysis (PCA), the 'Community and society' domain emerged as the most important; accounting for 52% of the overall importance of all wellbeing factors. The second most important domain was the 'Country and culture', contributing 31%. Lastly, 'Economic aspects' contributed only 17%. Respondents believed that ILSMPs have played a considerable causal role in improving wellbeing, by positively changing factors most important to them. Specifically, 73% of perceived causal links were related to improvements in the 'Country and Culture' and 23% to 'Community and Society' domain. We thus conclude that land management for Indigenous people is much more than ecological or environmental management with ILSMPs, perceived to cause a wide range of cultural and social benefits. We also propose ways in which the future design of such programs could be improved to further increase benefits.

Assessing research impact: Australian Research Council criteria and the case of Family Wellbeing research.

Researchers worldwide are increasingly reporting the societal impact of their research as part of national research productivity assessments. However, the challenges they encounter in developing their impact case studies against specified government assessment criteria and how pitfalls can be mitigated are not reported. This paper examines the key steps taken to develop an Aboriginal Family Wellbeing (FWB) empowerment research impact case study in the context of an Australian Research Council (ARC) pilot research impact assessment exercise and the challenges involved in applying the ARC criteria. The requirement that researchers demonstrate how their institutions support them to conduct impactful research has the potential to create supportive environments for researchers to be more responsive to the needs of users outside academia. However, the 15-year reference period for the associated research underpinning the reported impact and the focus on researcher's current institutional affiliation constitute potential constraints to demonstrating the true impact of research. For researchers working with Indigenous people, relationships that build over long periods of time, irrespective of university affiliation, are critical to conducting impactful research. A more open-ended time-frame, with no institutional restrictions for the 'associated research' provides the best opportunity to demonstrate the true benefits of research not only for Indigenous people but for Australian society more broadly.

Adolescent and young adult substance use in Australian Indigenous communities: a systematic review of demand control program outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying preventative approaches to substance use in Indigenous communities is the foundation for developing evidence-based responses. This study reports the findings of a systematic review of the published literature evaluating the impact of substance use programs on Australian Indigenous youth. METHODS: Evidence about the impact of substance use programs for Indigenous young people was identified from a systematic review of the literature conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS: Only four original studies that met the inclusion criteria were identified, although a further 19 papers that described characteristics of programs that may be associated with improved outcomes were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence relevant to the outcomes of demand control programs that target Australian Indigenous youth substance use is both weak and inconsistent. There is a need to support the type of evaluation activity required to better understand program effectiveness and build the Indigenous knowledge base. Implications for public health: These findings are discussed in relation to the development of evidence-based practice and the type of knowledge that is likely to be of most use to those seeking to address problems associated with youth substance use.

Time to trade for health.

There is a growing realization that present levels of healthcare provision can only be maintained with the engagement of the community in the maintenance of their own health, and that stronger communities are healthier communities. 'Time 2 Trade for health' looks at a different approach to public engagement. Time banking is a 'community currency' which uses the hour as the unit of exchange, where every single person's input is valued equally.