Entangled political institutions and forms: From corporatisation to treaty

The lands and waters now called Australia have been home to diverse political ordering and institutions for thousands of generations. The comparatively very recent arrival of settlers and the violent imposition of their political structures and institutions have forced First Nations to respond to, adapt to, resist, and refuse colonial authority. While the settler state generally operates in ignorance of or indifference to Indigenous laws and culture, First Nations are burdened with a far more difficult task: to navigate the settler order while also honouring their obligations to Country and people. At this interface, First Nations organisations and institutions operate around and through a complex entanglement of cultural ideas, norms, and values, where the reality of contested jurisdiction and authority is made visible. This article foregrounds these entangled relations to explore the possibilities and limitations presented by Indigenous political formations of diverse kinds—from Aboriginal community‐controlled organisations to Indigenous corporations to new representative bodies such as the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. Rather than ‘failing’, as mainstream political discourse often suggests, these Indigenous governance institutions have adapted, responded, innovated, and evolved, pushing towards greater autonomy and self‐determination. This article focuses on the experience, challenges, and innovations of Indigenous communities as they seek to navigate complex relationships with the state using a variety of organisational vehicles.

Points for practitioners

First Nations governance requires Indigenous people to manage both the demands of the settler state and their own responsibilities to culture and Country. This is complex and difficult work that receives little recognition.