RESEARCH THEME

Indigenous Peoples
and cultural heritage

Research programs and groups

Indigenous Peoples and Mining Resource Hub: Knowledge Hub in the
Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining

Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining

Development Minerals: transdisciplinary research program that undertakes research, education, technical assistance and capacity building on the local materials most important for local development

Highlight projects

The Indigenous Exchange Forum: transitions in mine closure

See news and impact

ARC Archaeology Training Centre to drive innovation in cultural heritage protection in the resources sector

Published on: 25 August 2025

Flinders University will lead the newly funded ARC Training Centre for Advancing Archaeology in the Resources Sector, recently awarded $5 million through the Australian Research Council (ARC)’s Industrial Transformation Research Program.
Rodger Barnes recognised for his contribution to Indigenous business procurement in mining

Published on: 26 November 2024

CSRM’s Research Manager Rodger Barnes has received AEMEE’s prestigious Lifetime Supporter Award at its annual conference in Perth.
Resourceful Acts: Producing Cultural Livelihoods on Resource Extraction Frontiers

We had the privilege of spending the week in Roebourne for rehearsals, to attend the prison performance and the final community concert at the invitation of Big hART (arts and social change organization) and the local Indigenous members of their board. The aim of the visit was to start building relationships with First Nations artists as we undertake our research project Resourceful Acts Cultural Livelihoods on Resource Extraction Frontiers.
Indigenous business procurement project showcased at national conference

Published on: 19 September 2023

A collaborative project to benchmark how Rio Tinto Iron Ore works with Indigenous businesses has been showcased at the Aboriginal Enterprises In Mining, Energy & Exploration (AEMEE) Conference in Cairns.
Minding the governance gaps in rush for critical minerals

Published on: 16 June 2023

The urgency to provide metals for the energy transition is putting pressure on the legal safeguards and approval processes governing mining, according to University of Queensland (UQ) researchers, and the consequences could compromise sustainable development.
54% of projects extracting clean energy minerals overlap with Indigenous lands, research reveals

Published on: 5 December 2022

Energy transition minerals are essential to tackling climate change. But First Nations people must have a genuine say in where and how this happens.
Repatriation of cultural material gives new life to traditional songs

Published on: 22 November 2022

When researcher Dr Sarah Holcombe was undertaking her PhD field research in the late 1990s, she didn’t realise how important the recordings she made of story and song would become for the next generation.