Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group - UNSW

Join us for the next Aboriginal Political History Seminar!

We're delighted to welcome Dr Naomi Parry Duncan, Senior Research Officer with the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group, to discuss her new book:

Musquito: The Real Story of a Legendary Colonial Warrior (Allen & Unwin, 2026).

After more than 20 years of research, Naomi uncovers the remarkable story of Musquito—one of the best-known First Nations resistance fighters of the early colonies—and reflects on how her own convict family history unexpectedly became entwined with his.

The seminar explores the writing of Aboriginal history and what Musquito's life reveals about conflict, resistance and Aboriginal resilience in colonial Australia.

📅 Tuesday 18 August 2026
🕧 12:30–2:00 pm
📍 Hybrid – UNSW Sydney or online

Registrations are essential: https://buff.ly/efvzSGb

Please contact [email protected] if you plan to attend in person.

📢 Calling renewable energy professionals ⚡

UNSW is conducting research on the Australian energy industry’s capacity to deliver First Nations outcomes through the energy transition (iRECS11510).

👷‍♀️👷‍♂️ If you work in renewable energy project development, community engagement, construction, finance, or related fields across all levels of seniority, we invite you to participate in a short survey.

🔗 Survey link: https://unsw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82E3YooGKIKyvGK

⏱️ 15 minute survey + option for EOI for follow-up interview

📣 We encourage everyone to share this invitation with others in your organisation or professional networks who may have relevant experience and may wish to participate.

🎁 Each participant who completes the survey will go into the running to win a $500 digital gift card as a token of our appreciation for your contribution to this research.

📈 Findings will inform practical recommendations for industry, policy and capacity development.

📧 For any questions contact project lead: Anna Cain

E: [email protected]
P: 02 9348 8192



Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Clean Energy Council RE-Alliance NSW Aboriginal Land Council NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water The Climate Council Climate-KIC UNSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering Australian Renewable Energy Agency Original Power Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

This week, Australia's Full Federal Court will hear the appeal brought by Torres Strait Islander Elders Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai.

Their case asks whether governments have a legal responsibility to protect Torres Strait Islander peoples from climate harms that threaten their homes, Country and culture.

The appeal follows an earlier Federal Court decision that recognised the particular vulnerability of the Torres Strait to climate change but found the Australian Government did not owe a duty of care under negligence law.

The outcome of the appeal could have important implications for the relationship between climate change, Indigenous rights and the protection of cultural heritage in Australia.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/has-the-government-failed-to-protect-torres-strait-culture-from-rising-seas-the-full-federal-court-is-about-to-decide-287687?fbclid=IwY2xjawTXki9wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMW9GaDF1N0pENEJBU213UEpzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeVCpEQP5nZCypZdanMRwk2vNXGrAV7pH6TuoihvZNuOm7-ZQtYw83th_TlQI_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

Has the government failed to protect Torres Strait culture from rising seas? The full Federal Court is about to decide Rising seas threaten low-lying islands in the Torres Strait. Does the government have a duty of care?

How have Aboriginal people shaped Australia's landscapes over thousands of years?

New research undertaken in partnership with the Mithaka people, examines the genetics of channel millet, a native grass that was an important food source in Queensland's Channel Country.

The study identifies genetic traits often associated with domesticated crops and explores how thousands of years of harvesting, storage and care may have influenced the evolution of the species. Rather than seeing plants as simply "wild", the research points to long histories of Aboriginal knowledge, stewardship and interaction with Country.

The work combines genomics, archaeology and Indigenous knowledge to better understand Australia's cultural landscapes and explore the potential of native foods into the future.

Read more: https://buff.ly/XjrRAor

Aboriginal people harvested this native grass for millennia. Scientists have now found an odd trait in its DNA Natural selection may not be the only force that has contributed to the evolution of channel millet’s unusual genetics.

As NAIDOC Week begins, we're taking the opportunity to celebrate the depth, diversity and impact of First Nations research.

This year marks 50 years of NAIDOC Week recognising the enduring leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and looking ahead to the next generation.

To mark the occasion, Wiley has made its 2026 NAIDOC Research Collection freely available throughout July. Spanning multiple disciplines and featuring First Nations authors and Indigenous research, the collection provides an opportunity to read, reflect and learn.

Explore the collection:

Just a moment...

More than 40 Elder Aboriginal women gathered in Moree last week to launch the Gamilaroi Water Carriers a new Aboriginal women-led advocacy group focused on the future of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Gathering centred conversations about river health, cultural responsibilities to water, and the place of Aboriginal women in caring for Country. Participants also called for greater recognition of Aboriginal cultural rights in water governance.

The formation of the Gamilaroi Water Carriers adds an important voice to ongoing discussions about how Australia's rivers are governed and cared for.

Read more:
https://firstnationsnews.com.au/new-aboriginal-women-led-group-in-moree-launches-push-for-water-rights/

National Indigenous Times | Australia's Indigenous News & Views Stay informed with the latest Indigenous news and views from Australia. Covering business, justice, culture, and more.

A great keynote from Professor Lorena Allam opening the Australian Historical Association conference.

A thoughtful discussion about journalism, truthful history, and the role of public storytelling in shaping historical understanding.

If you're interested in literature, decolonial thought, or the politics of storytelling, this upcoming talk by our colleague Associate Professor Michael Griffiths will be well worth attending.

Drawing on his forthcoming book, Michael explores how anticolonial thinkers such as Édouard Glissant and Edward Said challenged and reworked debates about authorship, while considering the continuing role of storytelling in anticolonial thought.

A fascinating conversation on literature, history, and critical theory.

For more info on the event: https://buff.ly/jkCb4i3

The Death of the Author and Anticolonial Thought: Storytelling and the Case of Édouard Glissant This talk is drawn from my book, The Death of the Author and Anticolonial Thought, which promises to transform a decades-old debate in literary studies about the relation between structure and agency, form and intention by giving a detailed account—previously unstudied—of the way colonized write...

In case you missed it...

SBS/NITV's The Point recently explored the question: "Land rights: what do we want?"

As debates continue around what is claimable Crown land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, the inclusion of Aboriginal people in renewable energy transition and wider economic development, and Aboriginal self-determination, land rights remains one of the defining policies of Australia. The episode examines where land rights stand today and how a just future can be achieved with an Aboriginal land base.

Featuring:

- Clare McHugh, NSW Aboriginal Land Council
- Illarrah Roberts, NSWALC Youth Council
- Sean Gordon AM, Gidgee Group
- Professor Heidi Norman (Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW)

Watch here:
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/2500621891704

UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture UNSW SBS Australia NSW Aboriginal Land Council NITV

www.sbs.com.au

Ten Australians have launched the Hard Truths case before the UN Human Rights Committee, arguing that Australia's continued support for coal and gas exports is contributing to climate harms that affect their human rights.

For First Nations claimants, those harms are described not only in environmental terms, but through their impacts on Country, cultural practice, language, family, and community life.

The case brings Indigenous perspectives on climate change into a human rights forum and raises questions about how law and policy recognise climate impacts on Country.

Hard Truths: The Australian Coal and Gas Exports Case We are 10 Australians who argue the Australian Government is failing to meet its obligations under international human rights law.