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Argues that the Federal Depository Library Program has outlived its relevance as a result of information access via the Internet, more electronic publishing by agencies, and decentralization and privatization of government functions.

Assessments of the adequacy of government social security programs, of taxation policy, the equity of income distribution and of the impact on Australian households of changing economic conditions all rely heavily on expenditure data obtained from Household Expenditure Surveys (HES) conducted periodically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The few Aboriginal households included in the HES are not identified. There are currently no equivalent national data available on Aboriginal expenditure levels and patterns. This paper provides an analysis of recent empirical research on Aboriginal expenditure by examining three common expenditure categories: housing, food and transportation. Results are compared with those from the 1988-89 HES. The comparison reveals that Aboriginal expenditure differs from that of Australian households. While some of these variations are caused by Aboriginal social relations and culturally-based values, the paper suggests that low levels of income are also important. The paper evaluates the impact on Aboriginal expenditure of financial subsidisation, the price of goods, geographic location, social and cultural factors, and levels of income. The expenditure patterns of low-income Aboriginal households are indicative of poverty. The analysis shows that an important impact of Aboriginal poverty is that with a high proportion of income being spent on basic commodities, many households do not have the cash to pay for service provision. While some remote Aboriginal communities need to pay only small amounts for service provision and housing costs, they pay higher prices for basic commodities. The paper raises a range of policy issues and highlights the urgent need for quantitative, comparative data on Aboriginal expenditure.

Aboriginal unemployment in Australia has reached chronic proportions. Official 1986 Census data estimate the Aboriginal unemployment rate at 35.3 per cent, almost four times higher than the equivalent rate for non-Aboriginal Australians. This paper examines various official statistics on Aboriginal unemployment and their underlying definitional frameworks and methodologies. Comparisons are made with data from research surveys and case studies using a wide range of definitions. The paper concludes that official statistics significantly underestimate the true level of Aboriginal unemployment and obscure certain important characteristics of their labour force status. In particular, regional and community research studies report significant levels of long-term and 'invisible' unemployment and describe critical patterns of intermittent working and 'recycling' Aboriginal unemployment. Government policy and associated programs directed toward improving Aboriginal employment levels rely heavily on official estimates of Aboriginal labour force status. The Aboriginal Employment Development Policy (AEDP) is a major initiative to improve Aboriginal employment levels, with a key objective of achieving employment equality by the year 2000. The paper argues that census data used to formulate the AEDP's statistical goals fail to accurately reflect the true extent and nature of Aboriginal unemployment, jeopardising the validity of assessments of Aboriginal unemployment levels and undermining the effectiveness of AEDP programs. Alternative approaches to estimating the level and characteristics of Aboriginal unemployment are urgently needed and are considered in the paper's conclusion.

This paper focuses on the Northern Territory (NT) as a case study for the examination of Commonwealth/State financial relations in the area of Aboriginal affairs. The paper considers in detail the procedures by which Commonwealth revenue is allocated to the Territory. It describes the role of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) in the budget process, and the impact of fiscal equalisation on the Territory's budgetary outcome. The paper pays particular attention to the nature of the 'Aboriginal components' in this budgetary assessment process, especially the impact on Commonwealth allocations, of disability factors related to the Territory's Aboriginal population, and the CGC assessment of the 'Aboriginal Community Services' expenditure function. It is argued that the health of the NT budget is inextricably bound to the Territory's Aboriginal population. Recent calls for a more comprehensive accounting of Territory Government expenditure on services and programs for Aborigines reflect increasing awareness of the fiscal significance of this component. Future planning for the design, delivery and funding of programs and services for Aboriginal people will require a breakdown of expenditure data at the State and Commonwealth level. The present paper precedes CAEPR Discussion Paper No. 30 which examines the same issue of Commonwealth/State financial relations in the NT from the perspective of actual government expenditure on programs and services oriented to Aboriginal people. In effect, the present paper considers the macro-funding environment in which the Territory budget is determined, and analyses the nature and impact of the 'Aboriginal components' within that fiscal process; whilst Discussion Paper No. 30 examines the expenditure which the Territory Government allocates to the delivery of particular programs and services for the Territory's Aboriginal population.

The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme has been subject to a plethora of government reviews, but there are few published case studies of its operation in remote communities, and no accounts of urban schemes. This paper describes the organisation of the CDEP scheme in Port Lincoln, South Australia; one of the first urban CDEP schemes. The Port Lincoln scheme has been held up by both the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs as an example of 'self-determination in practice', generating employment and training opportunities, and creating dramatic changes within the town. The Port Lincoln case study describes the organisational structure and practices developed by the urban CDEP scheme, considers the socioeconomic and cultural background within which it is operating, and presents a detailed examination of employment and other outcomes. The paper concludes with an assessment of national program and policy objectives informed by local outcomes and perspectives. This paper considers the determinants of employment income for Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression techniques are applied to 1991 Census data to consider the question: does the lower income of these Indigenous people reflect differences in their factor endowments (like education) rewarded in the labour market, or are they rewarded differently for the same set of endowments than are non-Indigenous Australians. The results show that the main source of lower incomes for Indigenous Australians was their smaller endowment of human capital characteristics. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these results.

While much has been written about Yellowstone National Park, few historians have discussed the history of its wildlife, particularly before 1916 when the National Park Service was established. "Animals and Artifacts" investigates how Yellowstone came to be identified as wildlife's last refuge in the American West while also trying to understand how the U. S. Cavalry concurrently trapped and shipped animals to the National Zoological Park and, eventually, to zoos around the country. It also questions how animal displays and exchanges came to be so integral to the Park's administration, overall mission, and national identity during these formative years. This study relies on primary documents from the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution, including annual reports and correspondence dating from the establishment of the Smithsonian in 1846 until 1916 when the cavalry turned administration of the Park over to civilian control. Additional sources, including publications and newspapers from the period, were also consulted, as were secondary sources as appropriate. The research documents that the Smithsonian Institution, with its own well-established culture of specimen exchange initiated during its earliest years, viewed Yellowstone National Park as a primary source of specimens. In particular, it looked to the Park for animals of the American West, both living and dead, to display in Washington, D. C., entering excess specimens into its network of exchange. This special relationship helped define Yellowstone National Park's development and eventually transformed it into a center of animal displays. To understand how Yellowstone managers still haze animals back into the Park today requires a better understanding of how tourists, military administrators, and Smithsonian scientists alike all looked to Yellowstone to protect the wildlife of the American West while also expecting to see those animals on display. "Animals and Artifacts" looks at the early history of Yellowstone to better understand how this ...

--- The armed conflict in Colombia is full of lessons for negotiated conflict resolution. Insofar as this has been a complex and long-lasting confrontation, the armed groups have now become protagonists. Their objectives as much as their use of violence has generated controversy about which actions or responses should be implemented to face such situations. Similarly to other countries, the players concerned have participated in several rapprochements, political dialogues or peace processes by contributing experience in negotiations that involve different sectors of the civil society, state players, the international community, and multilateral organizations. To that effect, it is relevant not only to retake the emergence, characterization and possible motivations of three of the biggest groups outside the law –paramilitary, ELN, FARC– which have participated in the conflict, but also to explore the rapprochement methods the Colombian government and its different administrations have employed with these groups. This way, we can fully understand the complexity and the multiple dimensions in the representation of various views of the conflict evolution and the short, medium, and long-term events in as much as this allows clarification of the continuity and discontinuity that have resulted in seeing the phenomenon from the standpoint of cultural causes, political complexities or economic perspectives. ; El conflicto armado colombiano está lleno de enseñanzas para la resolución negociada de conflictos. En la medida en que ha sido una confrontación compleja y prolongada, los grupos armados se han convertido en protagonistas. Tanto sus objetivos como el uso de la violencia han generado controversias alrededor de cuáles deben ser las acciones o respuestas que se implementan para hacer frente a dichas situaciones. Al igual que en otros países, los actores involucrados han participado en numerosos acercamientos, diálogos políticos o procesos de paz, aportando experiencias de negociaciones que involucran a diferentes sectores de la sociedad civil, actores estatales, comunidad internacional y organizaciones multilaterales. En este sentido, resulta pertinente no sólo retomar el surgimiento, caracterización y posibles motivaciones de tres de los más grandes grupos al margen de la ley —paramilitares, ELN, FARC— que han participado en el conflicto, sino también explorar las formas de acercamiento a estos por parte del gobierno colombiano y sus diferentes administraciones, para así comprender la complejidad y las múltiples dimensiones desde las cuales se representan diversas visiones sobre la evolución del conflicto y los hechos de corta, mediana y larga duración, en tanto esto permite dilucidar las continuidades y discontinuidades que han dado paso a ver el fenómeno a través de causas culturales, complejos políticos o perspectivas económicas. ; O conflito armado colombiano está cheio de ensinos para a resolução negociada de conflitos. Na medida em que tem sido uma confrontação complexa e prolongada, os grupos armados se têm convertido em protagonistas. Tanto seus objetivos quanto o uso da violência têm gerado controvérsias ao redor de quais devem ser as ações ou respostas que se implementam para fazer frente a ditas situações. Igual que em outros países, os atores envolvidos têm participado em numerosas aproximações, diálogos políticos ou processos de paz, aportando experiências de negociações que envolvem a diferentes setores da sociedade civil, atores estatais, comunidade internacional e organizações multilaterais. Neste sentido, resulta pertinente não só retomar o surgimento, caracterização e possíveis motivações de três dos mais grandes grupos à margem da lei –paramilitares, ELN, FARC—que têm participado no conflito, mas também explorar as formas de aproximação a estes por parte do governo colombiano e seus diferentes administrações, para assim compreender a complexidade e as múltiplas dimensões desde as quais se representam diversas visões sobre a evolução do conflito e os fatos de curta, mediana e longa duração, enquanto isto permite dilucidar as continuidades e descontinuidades que têm dado passo a ver o fenômeno através de causas culturais, complexos políticos ou perspectivas econômicas.

This paper sets out the methodological and conceptual framework for the Indigenous Community Governance (ICG) Project on Understanding, Building and Sustaining Effective Governance in Rural, Remote and Urban Indigenous Communities. The paper describes the Project's research aims, questions, and techniques; explores key concepts; and discusses the ethnographic case-study and comparative approaches which form the core components of the methodological framework. As an applied research project, the paper also considers the methodological issues inherent in participatory research, and for the dissemination and application of research fi ndings within Indigenous and policy arenas. The framework draws on the multi-disciplinary expertise of the project team in areas such as anthropology, political science, demography, policy and legal studies, linguistics, and community development.

This paper attempts to identify the key challenges facing Indigenous people and governments in reshaping the architecture of Indigenous governance in the Territory, and considers some strategic options for a way forward. First, a brief historical background is provided to Indigenous governance and local government in the Northern Territory. It examines why the issue of Indigenous governance has become a focus for greater policy and public attention recently, and highlights the implications of historical and current policy changes for future governance arrangements. In the second part of the paper, more detailed attention is given to identifying and analysing the current challenges and issues that are influencing efforts to reshape Indigenous governance in the Northern Territory. The extent to which current initiatives address the broader attributes of strong governance is canvassed, and the solutions and processes involved are also examined. The key issues analysed include: • the state of community government; • the regionalisation of governance and service delivery; • the quest to establish a cultural match or process for governance; • the implications of Indigenous political aspirations and land rights for governance; • the suitability of the Local Government Act for future governance options; for future governance options; • the extent and role of governance education and capacity; and • the vexed issues of government funding and coordination. It is timely for the Northern Territory Government to comprehensively re-examine the suitability of current legislative, funding, development and training frameworks for Indigenous governance, and how these might be reformed to better support Indigenous initiatives to reshape governance. A number of options in these areas are canvassed.