Paper short abstract:

NGOs are taking over from government in delivering services to Indigenous Australians, telling enthusiastic success stories. This shift elides government accountability, and takes authority and decision making away from locals. It is dramatically reshaping 'Aboriginality' and 'self-determination'.

Paper long abstract:

In recent years there has been a shift in Indigenous policy in Australia from the largely failed approach of direct government intervention to using a variety of non-government organisations, a trend observed throughout the world. NGOs tend to operate at the intersections where material, social and cultural histories have converged to produce unliveable lives. They address material, legal and cultural needs and aspirations, working at local, regional or national levels. They include long-standing mainstream NGOS, such as World Vision and Save the Children; philanthropists developing pet projects in education or health; and Indigenous-controlled organisations. I include public and private sector organisations, those with Indigenous-identified positions or an Indigenous branch, universities in particular. Almost all have glossy websites and good stories to tell. What is the real picture? I focus on two effects: the way this NGO movement elides government responsibility and accountability, while taking over authority and decision making power at the local level; and how they are reshaping what constitutes 'Aboriginality' and an 'Aboriginal person' as well as 'self-determination'. Are they empowering or denying of the legitimacy of difference?