Telling Places in Country (TPIC)

Ethics and Governance Model

Telling Places in Country committed to the principles of meaningful engagement and reciprocity between researchers and indigenous people. This project complies with both AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies and those of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. In addition, the project team was eager to develop an ethics and governance model appropriate to, and salient in, the Tasmanian Aboriginal context and as such would meet the aspirations of those Aboriginal communities, individuals and organizations involved.

Key features of the governance model include:
  1. Assigning the lead role to an Aboriginal researcher
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  3. Collaboration with Aboriginal partner organizations (Noiheener and melythina tiakana warrana Aboriginal Corporation (MTWAC)
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  5. Involvement of as many Aboriginal participants in all phases of the research project as was practically feasible
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  7. The establishment of specially constituted Project Council of Elders (PCE) the stated role of which was to provide advice, guidance and support regarding project/research practice and protocols, historical, cultural and community knowledge.
  8.  
  9. The development and establishment of a Deed of Agreement between the Administering Organisation, University of Tasmania and MTWAC, representing the Aboriginal project participants, setting out guidelines governing access to and use of certain sensitive information (personal and cultural) gathered by the University or provided by Aboriginal participants over the course of the research project.
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