Australian Government’s Cooperative Research€¦ · viable to support the presence of desert...

Established andsupported under the

Australian Government’sCooperative ResearchCentres Programme

Centre PartnersCentral Land Council*

Charles Darwin University*

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation*

Curtin University of Technology*

Desert Peoples Centre (Centre for Appropriate Technology and BatchelorInstitute of Indigenous Tertiary Education)*

Griffith University

James Cook University

Murdoch University

Newmont Australia

Northern Territory Government*

Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (Commonwealth Government,formerly ATSIC)*

SingTel Optus Pty Ltd

The University of South Australia

Western Australian Government*

* core partner

Associate PartnersAustralian National University

Flinders University Centre for Remote Health

New South Wales Primary Industries

South Australian Department of Water, Land and BiodiversityConservation

Southern Cross University

Tangentyere Council

Tapatjatjaka Community Government Council

The University of Adelaide

The University of Queensland

The University of Western Australia

University of Wollongong

Affiliate PartnersAustralian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation

VisionThriving desert knowledge economies

sustaining Australia’s inland environments.

OutcomesThe Desert Knowledge CRC will help to create

economic opportunities for desert people, and

make a demonstrable difference for remote

Aboriginal communities, through the

application of excellent research and training.

We will contribute to developing the following

broad outcomes in the national interest:

➜ Sustainable livelihoods for desert people

based on new natural resource and service

enterprise opportunities that are

environmentally and socially appropriate.

➜ Remote desert communities that are more

viable to support the presence of desert

people, as a result of facilitating access to

more attractive services that are delivered

more efficiently.

➜ Thriving desert economies that are based

on unique desert knowledge and which are

more self-sufficient.

➜ Increased social capital of desert people,

their communities and service agencies.

The Desert Knowledge CRC acknowledges the

considerable support it receives from DEST

under the CRC Programme.

The Desert Knowledge CRC consists of 14

centre partners, 11 associate partners and two

affiliate partners.

The Board of the Desert Knowledge CRC is

supported by Advanced Dynamics.

Established andsupported under the

Australian Government’sCooperative ResearchCentres Programme

ContentsChairman’s Report 2

Managing Director’s Report 3

The Desert Knowledge Story Continues . . . 4

Governance, Structure & Management 6Specified Personnel 7The Desert Knowledge CRC Board 8

Technology Transfer & Research Commercialisation 10

Research 16

Program 1 • Desert EnterprisesCore Project 1 • Livelihoods inLandTM 18Core Project 2 • Desert industry opportunities 20

2.1 • Bush products from the desert 202.2 • On TrackTM 222.3 • 21st Century PastoralismTM 23

Core Project 3 • Desert businesses 24

Program 2 • Desert SystemsCore Project 4 • Sustainable desert settlements 28Core Project 5 • Accessible desert services 30Core Project 6 • Thriving desert regions 31

Research Collaboration 33

Program 3 • Desert SolutionsThe Social Science of Desert Knowledge 34Education and Training 35

Performance Measures 40

Communications 44

The Future 46

Summary of Resources 48

List of Abbreviations

List of TablesTable 1 • Contract research projects established 2005–06 11Table 2 • Technology transfer and commercialisation milestones 14Table 3 • Involving end-users in our activities 15Table 4 • Program 1 (Desert Enterprises) research milestones 26Table 5 • Program 2 (Desert Systems) research milestones 32Table 6 • Desert Knowledge CRC students 37Table 7 • Program 3 (Desert Solutions) milestones 39

INSIDE BACK COVER

Desert KnowledgeCooperative Research Centre

2005–06 Annual Report

First meeting of the On TrackTM steeringcommittee, near Alice Springs, NT.

THIS WAS A YEAR OF TRANSITION and change

at every level, from the way in which

governments implemented policy in the

desert to the way that we carried out

research. The United Nations’ proclamation

of 2006 as the ‘International Year of Deserts

and Desertification’ and the Australian

Government’s dedication of 2006 as the

‘Year of the Outback’ could not have been

more timely. Awareness of our nation’s

desert communities, and their relationship

with those of the rest of the world, has

never been higher.

Last year the Desert Knowledge CRC was

already on the cusp of several significant

changes: our management structure was

about to be reformed; our research practice

was maturing in several areas from the

scoping stage to the delivery stage; and two

new Board members were about to be

appointed. The impact of such change

could have impeded our ability to achieve

milestones and deliver results, but it is a

measure of this CRC’s focus and vigour that

this was not the case. This year was, in fact,

extremely productive.

At the broadest levels, the external factors

that influence desert Australia continued to

affect remote rural economies. The ongoing

resources boom drove the skills shortages

in the mining sector to critical levels. The

drought, which had temporarily loosened

its grip on some parts of regional Australia,

returned to much of the inland. The move

by the Commonwealth Government to

initiate services delivery to Aboriginal

communities through Regional Partnership

Agreements and Shared Responsibility

Agreements created both opportunities and

challenges.

One of our main strengths in this year was

the Board, which continued to provide high

quality leadership. As a result of casual

vacancies, we were delighted to welcome

new directors, Ms Glenise Coulthard, an

Adnyamathanha woman from South

Australia and Mr Roger Smith from the

Northern Territory, both of whom bring

extensive desert knowledge and experience

to the Board.

The Board also continued to record its

ongoing ‘journey’, a project that

commenced with the drafting of a Board

charter at the Desert Knowledge CRC’s

inception. The journey project produced an

organic document, one that encourages us

to focus on our operating culture. It has

been crucial in identifying and embracing

the range of cultures that members

brought to the Board table. These cultures

reflect the backgrounds of our partners:

academia, business, research, government,

bureaucracy and, of course Aboriginal

culture. We discovered that these cultures

were occasionally complementary, often

overlapping, and sometimes in conflict. An

independent consultant works with the

Board to continue this project. To further

cement the Board’s relationship with the

CRC’s management, a policy change was

made allowing the Managing Director to

become a full Board member. This resulted

in further cohesion at management level,

allowing the MD to bring her day-to-day

insights to the more long-term focused

decision making of the Board.

With the changes that resulted from our

restructure finally settling down, the Board

began to prepare for our third-year review

(the Commonwealth CRC Programme’s

standard benchmarking activity for

cooperative research centres). This

important milestone will consume some of

our energy and time in 2006–07; however,

the work that went into making sure that

2005–06 was such a successful year has, I

am certain, prepared the organisation well

for any examination.

Finally, I would like to extend my thanks

and warmest wishes to outgoing CEO Dr

Mark Stafford Smith. Mark worked

tirelessly to ensure that the Desert

Knowledge CRC both came into being and

operated to produce tangible benefits to the

desert and the nation. I also formally

welcome his successor, Ms Jan Ferguson. As

mentioned above, Jan is now the Managing

Director of the CRC. Jan has extensive

experience in government, management

and Aboriginal spheres and has the Board’s

confidence to further strengthen the work

of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative

Research Centre.

Paul Wand

2 • DK-CRC 2005–06 Annual Report

DK-CRC 2005–06 Annual Report • 3

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN BOTH EXCITING and

rewarding. Theme-based projects are

coming to conclusion at the same time as

we are initiating some progressive and

innovative research that will impact on the

desert for future generations.

There were many highlights. The Alice

Springs town camps mobility report,

produced by Aboriginal researchers from

Tangentyere Council (in partnership with

the Centre for Remote Health) exemplified

the substantial research capacity among

Aboriginal stakeholders. Aboriginal people

decided what research should be done and

how it should be done. The study has

significantly assisted the demographic

understanding of Aboriginal mobility.

Our advances towards commercialisation

saw agreements with major bush produce

wholesalers and advances in the field of

telecommunications. A workshop with

researchers and potential business

partners in March 2006 resulted in the

decision to retain Deloitte Touche

Tohmatsu to provide comprehensive

commercialisation advice. In addition, our

research into domestic housing energy use

and thermal performance influenced

policymaking at government level.

Education and training continued to be a

fruitful area of work. We now have a large

number of students, from vocational

education and training level to PhD, all of

whom are embedded in the core project

research structure. In February we were

delighted to see several students present

innovative and quality research at our

annual research conference in Alice

Springs, a real indicator of desert research

capacity on the increase. We trust these

students will be the future of the Desert

Knowledge movement.

Our ability to create focused collaborations

grew with the creation of affiliate and

support partnerships. This was particularly

successful in the areas of small-scale end-

user projects with remote Aboriginal

communities, such as those involved in the

bush produce supply chain. This approach

worked well with training providers such as

Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi. Our ties with

Tangentyere Council, Titjikala Council and

the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Studies grew along

with the research they were involved in.

We are making significant progress on

livelihoods through managing natural and

cultural resources. There have also been

exciting developments in our research in

the 21st Century PastoralismTM and On

TrackTM projects. We trust our research into

the sustainability of and service delivery to

desert Australia will lead to more robust

desert communities.

Changes to the Board structure allowed me

to participate fully in the Board meetings, a

move that is encouraging an atmosphere of

trust and collaboration between Board

members and Centre staff.

We have also made major progress in our

administrative systems.

A new structure was created by the Board

with a Managing Director and a General

Manager (Research), this latter role being

taken by Prof Murray McGregor.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff and

the Board for their support during my first

months as Managing Director. It has been

invaluable as I have settled into a new

home and work role.

Jan Ferguson

Jan has a passion for the desert,through her connection withBeltana, in the northern FlindersRanges and the Adnyamathanhapeople.

Before joining the DesertKnowledge CRC, Jan worked for theSouth Australian Government asExecutive Director, Policy, Planningand Community Services in theDepartment for Administration andInformation Services (DAIS).

Jan is a previous winner of theTelstra Businesswomen’s award forher innovative approaches topublic sector reform andcommunity development.

Jan believes in community-basedenterprise. She operates in acollaborative and integrated way,and is outward looking andstrategic in her operations andrelationships. Jan has extensiveskills in organisationaldevelopment and leadership.


THE OUTBACK, THE BUSH, DESERT Australia.

Call it what you like, arid or semi-arid

regions make up more than two-thirds of

our continent. There is much we value

about these heartlands: their relatively

unspoilt environments, their exquisite

beauty, the products they provide for the

nation, and their extraordinary cultural

and historical variety. We need people

living securely in the desert to manage

these values for today and for future

generations.

Desert Australia supports almost 600,000

people. This sparse and mobile population,

larger than those of Tasmania or the ACT,

contributes significantly to the nation’s

wealth through tourism, mining, land

management, primary industry, service

delivery and a range of smaller sectors. Our

desert population is young and growing

rapidly; one-fifth is Aboriginal.

The diverse knowledge these Australians

have about prospering in the inland is

what we call ‘desert knowledge’. It’s this

local, experiential knowledge that must be

shared and developed if people living in the

desert are to meet the challenges facing

them and deliver solutions to Australia:

➜ how to grow to encourage self-reliant

regional economic development

➜ how to build sustainable and equitable

health and education services

➜ how to find and keep workers who can

sustain services and create wealth

through individual and collective

enterprise

➜ how to compete with coastal regions

for resources and the attention of

decision-makers.

Imported answers to such questions

invariably fail when they do not address

the unique environmental, social and

cultural features of desert Australia.

In Alice Springs, in the late 1990s, a diverse

group of people — from businesses to

governments, Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal organisations — set to work on

home-grown solutions. The Aboriginal

community wanted a place of Aboriginal

teaching and knowledge sharing: a Desert

Peoples Centre. Others brought research,

technology, business and networking skills

to a similar vision for a centre of learning

for all desert peoples. The Northern

Territory Government initiated Desert

Knowledge Australia, a national networking

organisation, to tackle the challenges of

desert living.

Complementing these ideas was the plan

for a centre that would, for the first time,

coordinate research activities within

Australia’s desert regions: a virtual

research hub linking partners across the

nation and overseas that could draw on a

skills base of academics, researchers,

technicians and business people which did

not exist in any one partner or

organisation. The Desert Knowledge CRC

would create opportunities for sharing

knowledge between and across

jurisdictions with an unmatched depth of

research integrity.

The Desert Knowledge Precinct — physical

expression of this joint vision which

emerged from years of intense discussions

and lobbying — is now taking shape at the

southern entrance to Alice Springs, and we

are preparing to move into the first

building of the $30 million stage one of the

development. The move marks another

step in our research journey: from some 40

initial projects in 2003–04 to the launch of

six exciting core projects this year, we are

bringing local solutions for the sustainable

future of desert Australia a big step closer.

Linking Aboriginal and other local

knowledge with the latest science, some of

these projects are already creating

economic opportunities for desert people

and making a difference to remote

Aboriginal communities. For example:

➜ We developed the evaluation

framework for Australia’s first Regional

Partnership Agreement (RPA), between

the Ngaanyatjarra Land Council,

governments and the Shire of

Ngaanyatjarraku. The framework sets

the standard for RPA evaluation,

measures the success of RPAs in

providing a coordinated response to

regional Aboriginal priorities, and helps

to better understand the value of RPAs.

➜ Our Science of Desert Living integrates

academic, Aboriginal and non-

Aboriginal knowledge about how to live

well and sustainably in the desert. This

knowledge is currently being articulated

through a four-part masters program.

➜ We have built a partnership with Meat

and Livestock Australia to improve the

long-term sustainability of the pastoral

industry.

➜ We have begun to understand the flow

of 4WD self-drive tourists across desert

Australia and the interactions between

visitors, settlements, infrastructure and

natural and cultural resources.

➜ We sponsored research conducted by

Aboriginal people, in local languages, for

Aboriginal people. The Alice Springs

town camps mobility study contributed

to an increase of $10 million in

infrastructure funding for town camps,

and resulted in employment for

Aboriginal researchers as enumerators

in the 2006 Census.

➜ We developed a whole-of-chain

approach to underpin the contribution

of Aboriginal people to the bush foods

industry and the benefits they may gain

from it, as well as helping to develop the

bush foods value chain.

➜ We developed innovative intervention

strategies targeting a total capital

approach for undertaking sustainable

investment in support of desert

community livelihoods and priorities.

➜ Our researchers studied the internal

climates of buildings in desert

communities, their design and passive

climate control characteristics and the

energy used for active heating and

cooling. The results were adopted at

policy level by the Northern Territory

Government, and were used by private

architecture firms in Darwin.

➜ We began the development of an

affordable, low maintenance and easy-

to-use voice network for

communication among remote

Aboriginal communities with potentially

national and international coverage to

improve cohesiveness within dispersed

communities in remote areas.

This was a watershed year. We’re proud of

the quality of research carried out, its social

inclusivity, its application to overseas as

well as domestic markets and the growth in

capacity among desert dwellers.

The Desert Knowledge Story Continues


ABOVE RIGHT: Wattle seed hand gathered byAborginal harvesters. Improving the supply

chain of bush produce was a major target ofour research this year.

RIGHT: Shane Wickam, Darryl Watson andJohn Wickam at the Indigenous Cattlemen’s

Workshop held in Alice Springs, October 2005. P

hoto

:Nan

ette

Pag

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THE DESERT KNOWLEDGE CRC CONSISTS of

14 Centre partners, 11 associate partners

and two members of the newly developed

categories of affiliate partner. The Centre

partners committed significant funding,

resources and research expertise to the

CRC’s research agenda, while the

associate, affiliate and support partners

provided expertise in specific areas

such as Aboriginal knowledge and small

business.

Our Board is led by an independent chair

and deputy chair. Centre partners nominate

the six remaining Board positions through

electoral ‘colleges’ in order to satisfy

sectoral and geographic interests, while

maintaining a balanced portfolio of skills.

The Board represents a range of expertise,

including desert issues, corporate

governance, commercialisation, public

investment, research and development,

Aboriginal knowledge, and education and

training. Aboriginal people fill the deputy

chair position and two positions on the

Board. Two standing committees oversee

the areas of ‘Audit and Risk Management’

and ‘Intellectual Property and Ethics’.

Networking and collaboration between

regions are two crucial strategies we

advocate. As part of our commitment to

these strategies, the Board met in three

different jurisdictions during 2005–06: Alice

Springs, NT (twice); Woden, ACT; and

Wollongong, NSW.

There were two changes to the Board

following the departure of The Hon Bob

Collins and Ms Alison Anderson. They were

replaced by Mr Roger Smith and Ms Glenise

Coulthard. Roger brings a great deal of

experience in primary industries, having

been General Manager of primary industry

within the NT Government’s Department of

Business, Industry and Resource

Development. Glenise, an Adnyamathanha

woman from South Australia’s Flinders

Ranges, has a background in social work,

Aboriginal health services and tourism.

Managing Director Ms Jan Ferguson was

also welcomed to the Board as a full

member. Jan has significant organisational

development experience.

The Board receives strategic input and

advice from the Participants’ Forum, which

is made up of representatives of the Centre

Agreement signatories. The Participants’

Forum has a formal link to the Board

through membership of the deputy chair. A

second body, the Desert Advisory Forum

(DAF), was dissolved from 1 July 2005

following our internal restructure. The DAF,

comprised of representatives of key

stakeholder groups, was created to ensure

the continued relevance and successful

outcomes of research at a strategic level.

We thank the members of the DAF for their

valuable contributions. New Stakeholder

Steering Committees will oversee each core

project and provide significant partner and

stakeholder engagement at a project level.

The Board oversaw a major restructure of

our research and management structure.

Jan Ferguson and Prof Murray McGregor, in

his new role as General Manager

(Research), took leadership of the centre.

Jan implemented significant changes to the

Secretariat and many modifications to the

operation of the Centre.

Ninti One LtdNinti One Ltd is the management company

established by our partners to operate on

their behalf and to act as a trustee for the

intellectual property arising from the

Centre’s projects. It is a public company,

registered in the Northern Territory and

limited by guarantee. The word ninti is from

the Western Desert language group and

means ‘knowing’.

The company acts as Centre Agent and is

contracted to provide services required by

the Desert Knowledge CRC. Disbursement

Participants at the annual DesertKnowledge CRC researchconference, in February 2006,enjoyed dinner at the Alice SpringsConvention Centre.

Governance, Structure & Management


of funds for research and support

activities is undertaken by Ninti One Ltd

under the direction of the Board. Ninti

One Ltd can also sign contracts on behalf

of the partners when so directed.

The directors of Ninti One Ltd — Mr Paul

Wand, Ms Jan Ferguson, Mr Harold Furber

and Mr Ian McLay — meet between

Desert Knowledge CRC Board meetings.

Ninti One held its AGM on 29 November

2005.

The SecretariatThis year was one of great change for the

Secretariat. Jan Ferguson oversaw

leadership and management of the

Centre, supported by Personal Assistant

Ms Karina McCaskill. Executive Officer Mr

David Atkinson was appointed to provide

support to the Board and leadership

structures.

Following the departure of Business

Manager Mr Manfred Claasz in December

2005, Ian McLay was appointed to the

position in February 2006. He is

responsible for the Centre’s finances.

Contract Research Officer Ms Ange

Vincent supported our significant

portfolio of contract research projects.

Two Program Assistant positions were

created to support program managers

and core project leaders. Ms Terri

Harbrow took maternity leave in March

and, upon her return, became Program

Assistant to Dr Craig James of the Desert

Enterprises program. Mr Wade Smith was

appointed Acting Program Assistant to

Dr Alice Roughley of the Desert Systems

program.

At the end of 2005, Ms Katie Vargo from

the Networking and Communications

team returned to the USA. However, the

team was bolstered by the arrival of

Ms Ruth Davies (Publications Officer) and

Ms Ruth Elvin (Networking and

Communications Coordinator). As in

previous years the team, including Media

Officer Ms Elke Wiesmann, liaised closely

with Desert Knowledge Australia’s

Networking and Communications team.

Administration remained the

responsibility of Office Manager Ms Ruth

Brown.

David Atkinson joined the Desert Knowledge CRC ExecutiveManagement team to provide support as Executive Officer; Ruth Brownis Office Manager.

Management Structure of the Desert Knowledge CRC

Specified personnelTime

allocation to Title and name Role Organisation CRC (0.0–1.0)

Jan Ferguson Managing Director DK-CRC 1.0

Murray McGregor General Manager (Research) DK-CRC/CUT 1.0

Ian McLay Business Manager DK-CRC 1.0

Craig James Program Manager DK-CRC/CSIRO 1.0

Alice Roughley Program Manager DK-CRC/CSIRO 1.0



Mr Paul Wand (Chair)Chair of the Desert

Knowledge CRC

since 2002, Paul is

the immediate

past Chairman of

the Rio Tinto

Aboriginal Foundation. The

Foundation works with Aboriginal

communities and expends

$1.4 million annually to support

projects all over Australia.

Ms Lynette Liddle (Deputy Chair)Lynette is

currently studying

a PhD through

ANU. She holds a

Bachelor of

Applied Science

from the University of Adelaide, and a

Masters Degree from ANU in

Environmental Management and

Development. Her publications range

across numerous topics including the

application of IT issues to Aboriginal

management of land, communication

between scientists and Aboriginal

land managers, and retention of

Aboriginal students in tertiary

education.

Mr Noel Bridge Noel has extensive experience in

accounting and financial services, the

mining industry and Aboriginal

economic development as a result of

his extensive professional and

educational activities. He is an

Aboriginal person and is fully aware

of the social, economic and political

issues that impact on Aboriginal

people. Noel is currently the

Managing Director of a private

consulting business, First Acuity

Management Enterprises Pty Ltd.

Nominee of CALM, GU, JCU, MU, NA, SO,

TUSA

Ms Glenise CoulthardGlenise is an Adnyamathanha woman

from South Australia. She has

extensive experience in both the

The Desert Knowledge CRC Board

Aboriginal and

mainstream health

services, and is the

first Aboriginal person

on the Board of the

Royal Flying Doctor

Service to be

appointed by

members. She has

practical experience

in tourism, having

helped run her

family’s Iga Warta

business in the

Flinders Ranges. She

has also worked on

children’s health with

Navajo people in the

desert states of New

Mexico and Arizona.

Nominee of OIPC

Ms Jan FergusonJan is the former Executive Director,

Policy, Planning and Community

Services at the South Australian

Department for Administration and

Information Services. She is a previous

winner of the Telstra Businesswomen’s

Award for her innovative approaches to

public sector reform and community

development.

Mr Harold Furber Harold has extensive experience in the

public and private sectors as an

administrator and educator in

Aboriginal issues. As Foundation Chair

of the Desert Peoples Centre, he was a

member of the steering committee that

set up the Desert Knowledge CRC.

Harold lives in Alice Springs and is a

past recipient of the NAIDOC Central

Australian of the Year.

Nominee of CLC, DPC

Mr Roger Smith Roger brings a wealth of experience in

primary industry management to the

Board. He is a consultant, and believes

that the Desert Knowledge CRC provides

an opportunity to improve the quality of

life for both non-Aboriginal and

Aboriginal people in desert Australia, as

well as being an opportunity to establish

and grow collaborative research

capacity.

Nominee of NTG

Prof John TaylorJohn is the Director of Rangeland

Australia at the University of

Queensland. As a rangeland ecologist he

brings to the Board an understanding of

many of our stakeholders’ needs and

aspirations. He has developed policies

for the protection of intellectual

property and the commercialisation of

new technology.

Nominee of CDU, CSIRO

Dr Rodney Thiele Rodney is the principal of a niche

consulting business that provides

strategy, policy and funding advice to

organisations with an interest in

science, research, research management

and education. He has considerable

experience with cooperative research

centres, and has published and

presented on teaching and learning, in

Australia and internationally.

Nominee of DAWA, CUT

The Desert Knowledge CRC Board at the CSIRO site in AliceSprings. Left to right: Jan Ferguson, Glenise Coulthard, RodneyThiele, Paul Wand, John Taylor, Roger Smith, Harold Furber,Lynette Liddle and Noel Bridge.


Desert Knowledge CRC Board: Attendance at Board meetings

5–6 Sep 2005 14–15 Nov 2005 20-22 Feb 2006 1–2 May 2006

Alice Springs, NT Canberra, ACT Alice Springs, NT Wollongong, NSW

Paul Wand • • • •

Lynette Liddle • • • •

Noel Bridge • • • •

Glenise Coulthard nya nya • •

Jan Ferguson • • • •

Harold Furber • • • •

Roger Smith • • • •

John Taylor • • • •

Rod Thiele • • • •

• = present (or alternate) | nya = not yet appointed

Participants’ ForumTwo meetings were held: the first in Alice Springs, NT; the second by teleconference.

Person (Organisation) 20 February 2006 31 May 2006

Vicki Pattemore (GU) (Chair) • •

Andrew Ash (CSIRO) • •

Neil Burrows (CALM) a •

Ms Christine Charles (NA) • •

Mark Hochman (TUSA) a •

Ken Johnson (NTG) • •

Linda Kristjanson (CUT) a •

Renata Paliskis-Bessell (DAWA) a a

Brian Palmer (OIPC) • a

Norman Palmer (JCU) a •

David Ross (CLC) a a

Andris Stelbovics (MU) a •

Bruce Walker (CAT) • a

Bob Wasson (CDU) • a

Executive

Lynette Liddle (DK-CRC) • a

Jan Ferguson (DK-CRC) • •

David Atkinson (DK-CRC) • •

Ian McLay (DK-CRC) – •

• = present | a = apologies

Other governanceThe Participants’ Forum met

twice: once in Alice Springs, and

once by teleconference.

Dr Andrew Ash became the Chair

after the 20 February meeting in

Alice Springs. Prof Linda

Kristjanson joined the forum in

May.

The Audit and Risk ManagementCommittee consisted of Rodney

Thiele (Chair), Paul Wand, Jan

Ferguson and Noel Bridge (with

Manfred Claasz attending in 2005

and Ian McLay attending from

May 2006). It met by phone link-

up two weeks prior to each Board

meeting.

The Indigenous IntellectualProperty Committee, made up of

Harold Furber (Chair), Lynette

Liddle, John Taylor, Roger Smith

and Jan Ferguson (with Mark

Stafford Smith attending), met

twice, in November 2005 and May

2006.

The Ninti One Ltd Board met

three times during the year,

including the AGM (November

2005). Harold Furber was elected

to the Board of Ninti One Ltd on

21 February 2006 and Ian McLay

was elected as Company Secretary

on 2 May 2006.



TWO MAJOR RESEARCH AREAS HAVE emerged

as having the greatest potential for

commercialisation: plant-based activities,

and telecommunications. The first area,

plant-based activities, is a deliberately

broad term that reflects the maturing of

potential outcomes now possible within

this research field that extend well beyond

the term ‘bush tucker’.

Creating the affiliate partner system

allowed us to immediately involve several

parties vital to the success of this project

area, principally Aboriginal communities

working at supply-chain level. Affiliate or

support partnership offers an organisation

the opportunity to join the Desert

Knowledge CRC network, locking in

confidentiality and intellectual property

(IP) and allowing them to benefit-share in

research outcomes.

Another significant step forward was the

alliance we facilitated between Robins

Foods, makers of Australia’s leading

Aboriginal food range, ‘Outback Spirit’, and

Ward McKenzie (one of Australia’s largest

food manufacturers and exporters of herbs

and spices). These two companies estimate

that the bush foods industry, currently

worth approximately $10 million per

annum, will double in the next five years

as a direct result of their collaboration and

involvement in the Desert Knowledge CRC.

The telecommunications field also

continued to develop. We confirmed our

commitment to the Sparse Ad-hoc

Networks for Deserts (SAND) and Digital

Interactive Remote TV (DIRT) projects. Both

SAND and DIRT projects are at the point of

taking their prototypes to the field-testing

stage, during which the technology will be

trialled under tough desert conditions.

Policy impactThe transfer of research does not always

have an immediate dollar value, but our

research is impacting at policy level in

several areas that will result in long-term

savings to governments and communities.

The Alice Springs town camps mobility

study is a model of how end-users can

drive research, design it, carry it out and

then use its results to achieve outcomes.

Similarly, the thermal performance of

desert housing study has been taken up by

a design company in Darwin, NT, and the

Northern Territory Government even before

publication of the final report.

IP managementWe maintain best practice intellectual

property (IP) management by adhering to

the Commonwealth Government’s National

Principles of IP Management for Publicly

Funded Research. The Program Managers

and General Manager review research-

generated IP twice a year, with the

Managing Director maintaining an IP

register. The IP and Ethics Committee

oversees management of IP and Indigenous

Intellectual Property (IIP); Social Science

Coordinator Dr Sarah Holcombe analyses

and provides feedback on our Aboriginal

engagement strategies and the IIP Protocol.

We committed significant effort to

improving our IP register to ensure that it

provides a true and accurate reflection of IP

created through research. While a lot of our

research leads to dissemination of

information or policy advice, there have

been some exciting technological and social

innovations that are currently undergoing

formal commercialisation.

In order to realise the increasing value of

our research-generated IP, we engaged

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Adelaide to

provide ongoing and strategic

commercialisation advice. This advice

helps us to develop research projects from

great ideas to fully-fledged commercial

outcomes with a number of commercial

partners across the industry. To advance

this relationship a commercialisation

workshop, in March 2006, brought together

core project leaders, senior researchers and

potential commercial partners to discuss

the path to market for their research

outputs. It was an extremely successful

workshop, and will lead to further work in

2006–07.

Contract ResearchContract Research is research undertaken

by Desert Knowledge CRC, but financed by

external sources. It takes one of three

forms:

Desert Knowledge CRC ContractProjects Officer Ange Vincent.

Mr Norman Tjalkalyiri in front ofUluru. Norman is the seniorAnangu consultant for theUluru–Kata Tjuta National Park Fireand Vegetation ManagementStrategy project.

Technology Transfer & Research Commercialisation


➜ Research commissioned by govern-

ment departments, agencies or

industry on a fee-for-service basis.

➜ Research contracts awarded to the

Desert Knowledge CRC through a

competitive tendering process. These

contracts are usually awarded on a

‘quality of service and value for

money’ basis.

➜ Funding for Contract Research is also

actively sought in the form of grants

from government departments,

agencies, industry and philanthropic

organisations.

Contract Research generated $1,006,473

in actual income to the Desert

Knowledge CRC from the $2.3 million

(received over one to three years) total

worth of new Contract Research projects

established during 2005–06.

Ninti One acts as the management

company for these contracts. The

Contract Research Officer oversees the

tender or application process, manages

the formation of the project teams,

develops detailed project work plans and

budgets and manages the contractual

and financial project aspects.

Contract Research is undertaken in

areas of direct relevance to the Desert

Knowledge CRC where residual IP or

products are of potential commercial

value. Contract Research projects and

finances are managed separately from

Centre business as they have

contractual, reporting and IP

requirements which are particular to

this area.

Table 1 • Contract Research projects established 2005–06Project Client Outcomes

Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park Fire Director of National Parks Develop a long-term fire and vegetationand Vegetation Management Strategy. (consultancy/tender). management strategy and fire management

operational manual for UKTNP.

Cross-jurisdictional Management of National Heritage Trust Design effective long-term cross-jurisdictional Feral Camels to Protect Natural Resource Competitive Component management strategy for feral camels.Management and Cultural Values. Round 2: Department of the

Environment and Heritage (grant).

Enabling the Market: Incentives for Department of the Environment Develop rangeland condition/intervention metric, Biodiversity in the Rangelands. and Heritage (consultancy/tender). review existing incentive opportunities, design

recommendations on the development of rangeland incentives markets and field test them.

Implementing the Australian Collaborative Department of the Environment Implement coordinating mechanism to bring together Rangelands Information System. and Heritage (consultancy/tender). rangeland information from various sources. Data

collation, integration, analysis and management ofACRIS under direction of ACRIS Management Committee.

ACRIS: Audit of State Biodiversity Department of the Environment Added information to the above project.Information and update the Dust Storm Index. and Heritage (consultancy request).

People, Communities and Economies of the National Heritage Trust Develop tools to improve sustainable natural Lake Eyre Basin. Competitive Component resource management at local levels within a multi-

Round 2: Department of the jurisdictional system. Define pathways for building Environment and Heritage (grant). community capacity for sustainable NRM.

All projects total income over one to three years: $2,302,043.00

Bryan Gill (right) checks the pregnancystatus of a cow as Greg Crawford entersthe results, and other relevant trial data,into the Ruddweigh Scale system. This isused to determine whether a resultingincrease in nutrition from this innovativespell grazing system (designed as part ofthe Central Australian RangelandsGrazing Management Project) can bedemonstrated by an increase in breederpregnancies. (Photo taken at the K2yards, Idracowra Station, NT.)

New research

In 2005–06 a number of new Contract

Research projects were concerned with

cross-jurisdictional or multi-jurisdictional

decision making and management

processes.

The Cross-jurisdictional Management ofFeral Camels to Protect Natural Resourceand Cultural Values project was funded

under the Natural Heritage Trust National

Competitive Component Round Two

program. The $794,000 project seeks to

design an effective long-term cross-

jurisdictional management strategy for feral

camels through a collaborative approach

between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal land

managers, the private sector, industry and

agencies charged with protecting natural

resource values.

The major aim of the three-year project is

to reduce camel numbers to a level that

reverses their current population growth

trajectory and reduces their impacts on

natural, economic and social-cultural

values. Project outputs include:

➜ A detailed analysis of management

system options for significantly reducing

camel numbers and better

understanding and documentation of

cultural and other barriers to those

options.

➜ An analysis of the role of at least two

possible alternative market driven

approaches to camel control.

➜ An integrated feral camel management

plan which covers the camels’ range

across regions and states.

The WaterSmart Pastoral ProductionTM

project is funded over three years by the

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and

Forestry through the National Landcare

Program. It seeks to inform rangeland

managers about:

➜ optimising rainfall for water harvesting,

grass growth and total grazing pressure

management

➜ the effects of rainfall at particular times

and in particular places

➜ developing efficient reticulation

technology and cost-saving monitoring

and control devices

➜ water-point placement in relation to

tactical grazing, environmental

sensitivity and biodiversity.

The project will build integrated and tailored

knowledge-sharing networks between

equipment suppliers, equipment developers

and pastoralist consumers for delivery

systems suitable for rangelands situations.

WaterSmart Pastoral Production™ will

consolidate and deliver knowledge of

rangeland water regimes by demonstrating

how landholders can use water as a stock

management tool, a land-condition driver, a

key element in property planning, a variable

in grazing tactics, and an influence on total

grazing pressure and on regional

biodiversity.

It will also show pastoralists the substantial

benefits of upgrading to time and money-

saving water-management systems.

In 2005–06 we continued to develop and

implement protocols and business

structures designed to expand the capacity

of the commercial elements of our business.

During 2006–07 we will formulate a

strategic plan (linked to the Desert

Knowledge CRC Business Plan) for our

contract research and the

commercialisation of research outcomes. It

will cover market-needs analysis, capacity

building in commercialisation for staff,

pathways to commercialisation plans for

specific projects, branding management and

protection and auditing tools for return on

investment reporting.



Innovative ‘station-designed’mobile water trough from theGrazing Management project onIdracowra Station, NorthernTerritory.

Solar CitiesThe Desert Knowledge CRC joined the Alice

Springs Solar Cities Consortium in 2005–06.

Solar Cities, an innovative $75.3 million

initiative announced by the Prime Minister

in the Energy White Paper Securing

Australia's Energy Future, is designed to

demonstrate how solar power, smart

meters, energy efficiency and new

approaches to electricity pricing can

combine to provide a sustainable energy

future in urban locations throughout

Australia. The partnership involves all levels

of government, the private sector and the

local community.

Solar Cities will be implemented by the

Commonwealth Department of the

Environment and Heritage through trials in

Adelaide and at least three other electricity

grid-connected urban areas around

Australia.

The Alice Springs Consortium (involving

Alice Springs Town Council, Power & Water

Corporation, the Northern Territory

Government, the Arid Lands Environment

Centre, Tangentyere Council and the NT

Chamber of Commerce) was formed to

manage Alice Springs’ bid to become one of

the four designated Solar Cities in Australia.

The objectives of the Solar Cities program

are:

➜ to demonstrate the economic and

environmental impacts of integrating

cost-reflective pricing with the

concentrated uptake of solar, energy

efficiency and smart metering

technologies

➜ to identify and implement options for

addressing barriers to distributed solar

generation, energy efficiency and

electricity demand management for grid

connected urban areas.

The Desert Knowledge CRC’s main

contribution to the bid is to manage the

design and ongoing monitoring, evaluation

and transfer of the intellectual capital

developed during this project. We will

oversee high-level management, monitoring

and evaluation, treating it as a discrete

knowledge management project within the

larger program, while closely participating

in the strategy development, internal

project monitoring and change-monitoring

stages. We will continue to make the expert

knowledge and expertise we hold available

to the program as a whole.

Another contribution is the Sustainable

Desert Home. We are leasing and upgrading

an ‘average’ Alice Springs house to show

how homeowners can conserve water and

energy by using current knowledge of

technological, material and behavioural

changes.

The retrofits and upgrades in the

Sustainable Desert Home will be on show

for approximately 10 days per year. We will

also produce fact sheets and ‘how to’

brochures to transfer the information

gained from the project to the public, local

tradespeople and suppliers.



The Sustainable Desert Home, at 2 Harvey Street, Alice Springs, priorto the re-fit supported by DesertKnowledge CRC. The home willdisplay options for homeowners,tradesmen and suppliers to retrofitstandard dwellings to improvepower and water use.



Much of the Desert Knowledge CRC’s

current research has led to research

transfer and end-user involvement, though

at this stage of our work, few projects have

developed to the point of ‘dollar value’

commercialisation. However, two project

areas do stand out for comment: bush

produce, and telecommunications. Mining

services enterprises involved in our Linked

Business Networks project (which

concluded this year) picked up $5 million

worth of external business that they would

not have won on their own.

Table 2 • Technology transfer and commercialisation milestones

Description of If achieved, progress Reasons why milestones Strategies to Type of milestone all 2005–06 Achieved during 2005–06 and and/or outputs have achieve milestonesand/or output milestones (yes/no) plans for 2006–07 not been achieved not met

Commercialisation Provide commercialisation Yes Training occurred with n/a n/amanagement training for core project Deloitte’s in March 2006.

leaders and EMT Further commercialisation(June 2006). training will occur in

2006–07.

Commercialisation Develop business cases Yes An update of business n/a n/amanagement from the Commercialisation cases is presented

and Utilisation Plan quarterly to the Desert(June 2006). Knowledge CRC Board.

Commercialisation Appoint external Yes Deloitte’s were engaged to n/a n/amanagement consultants to assist with provide ongoing

commercialisation of commercialisation support.research.

Commercialisation Provide information Yes Approximately $22 million n/a n/aoutcomes regarding commercial worth of funding contracts

outputs from Desert awarded with assistanceKnowledge CRC research. from Desert Knowledge

CRC resarch by June 2006.

Commercialisation Trial of prototype Yes Prototype partially n/a n/atelecommunications complete, further devices. development will be

undertaken in 2006–07.

Commercialisation Trial of prototype television Yes Prototype complete, n/a n/amessaging system. further development will

be undertaken in 2006–07.

Commercialisation Independent verification of Yes There were contract n/a n/aplant-based compounds. delays before verification,

testing will be undertakenin 2006–07.



Desert Knowledge CRC research locations 2005–06

Desert Knowledge CRC researchlocations are spread across desertAustralia, with core projectsundertaking research activities inmultiple jurisdictions.

Significant investments havebeen made in the WesternAustralian Goldfields region, incentral Australia and in thesouth-west of South Australia.Board meetings were held in onestate and two territories, part ofthe Centre’s commitment tonetworking and collaborationbetween regions.

Table 3 • Involving end-users in our activities

Industry or other research users Type of activity and Nature and scale of benefits Actual or expected benefitand the basis of their interaction location of activity to end-users to end-user

Industry Partners and Aboriginal Bush harvest and Research into bush foods has helped Creates livelihoods for Aboriginal people, Communities in Bush Foods industry development strengthen the bush harvest industry strengthens the future of bush products

and the McKenzies and Robins Foods and expands the market for bush partnership should double the size of products through increased availability.the industry over the next five years.

Industry and University Partners Wireless ‘mesh’ Monitoring of pastoral properties Potential for creating a technology telecommunications and cheap communication between market for the pastoral and mining

remote communities. industries.

Desert Business Success factors driving Helped look at how to succeed in Increased knowledge for desert desert businesses running a desert business and to businesses and desert people.

what extent commercial goalsdrive this endeavour.

University Partners PhDs and research Enables in-depth research relevant to Increase potential for desert opportunities in specific areas of the desert economy employment, increase options in Desert Australia and increases the number of people desert Australia, increase thought

exposed to desert regions. into desert solutions.

Consultants and Industry Partners Contract Research Over 15 contract research projects Over $4 million dollars into 15 projects. operating from Alice Springs. At least 15 desert businesses have

benefited and over 100 desert-basedcontractors have received work.

Aboriginal Organisations Alice Springs town camps Helped estimate accurate numbers of Encouraged ABS to employ mobility study; led to Aboriginal people living in town camps. Aboriginal researchers to assist withemployment of Aboriginal Supported livelihoods for Aboriginal 2006 census. A number of Aboriginalpeople as researchers. researchers, and helped Tangentyere organisations have become affiliateNew affiliate partners. Council achieve additional funding. partners.


THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR of the newstructure, in which our research wasdivided into six core areas. The transitionwas relatively smooth, principally due tothe earlier work that had gone intodeveloping strong research collaboration.

The new core projects were aligned undertwo program headings: Desert Enterprises(core projects 1, 2 and 3, headed by Dr CraigJames) and Desert Systems (core projects 4,5 and 6, headed by Dr Alice Roughley). Craigand Alice provide academic and strategicproject direction, manage projects for timelydelivery of outputs, develop partnerships,and facilitate the adoption of researchfindings in their area. A third program area,Desert Solutions, covers the Education andTraining, Social Science and Contract

Research areas, each under their owncoordinators.

The restructure resulted in more tightlyfocused research than was possible withthe large number of small projects underthe theme structure. The new structurehelps us to emphasise the integrativebenefits from research, and allows us toadhere more effectively to theCommonwealth Government’s NationalResearch Priority Goals.

Many of the old theme-based projects havenow been completed, their final reportsfeeding into the first wave of new research.A good example of this research integrationis the current ‘Bush products from thedesert’ project, which is informed directlyby work in the two (now completed)projects ‘Plants for People’ and ‘Sustainablebush produce systems for the arid zone’.

The new program structure also encouragesincreased cross-over between projects. Thisyear we benefitted from the input of theSocial Science Coordinator, a role recognisedas being necessary within the first year ofDesert Knowledge CRC’s existence, andrealised in early 2006. One of thecoordinator’s roles is to embed the principlesof social science research across the DesertKnowledge CRC. The long-term goal is tocreate a research philosophy that is sociallyinclusive, one that acknowledgescollaboration and engagement asimportantly as the ‘hard’ outputs of research.

This was a critical year, with so manytheme-based projects concluding and newcore projects beginning. We aim to have anumber of final reports available at theDesert Knowledge Symposium in November2006.

Core project Project leader Program manager

1 • Livelihoods inLandTM Dr Jocelyn Davies Dr Craig James

2.1 • Desert industry opportunities (Bush products from the desert) Dr Maarten Ryder Dr Craig James

2.2 • Desert industry opportunities (On TrackTM desert 4WD tourism) Dr Dean Carson Dr Craig James

2.3 • Desert industry opportunities (21st Century PastoralismTM) Mr Mark Ashley Dr Craig James

3 • Desert businesses Dr Fay Rola-Rubzen Dr Craig James

4 • Sustainable desert settlements Dr Kurt Seemann Dr Alice Roughley

5 • Accessible desert services Dr Mark Moran Dr Alice Roughley

6 • Thriving desert regions TBD Dr Alice Roughley

In-kind research: What is it?The projects we undertake are large, far beyond the capacity of any one partner.Hence, each partner provides cash and ‘in-kind’ contributions to ensure that,collectively, research targets can be achieved. The majority of in-kind support is thecommitment of staff (researchers, academics or technical staff) to a project as full-time equivalents (FTEs). Each partner provides an agreed level of this ‘in-kind’support; across the whole CRC this creates the inter-disciplinary skills base thatmakes us a truly desert-focused research organisation, and the only one with theresources to work across all of Australia’s inland.

What are the benefits of in-kind?The most immediate benefit is the access to resources held by other partnerorganisations, resulting in high-quality research and skills transfer among teams. Thenetworking aspect of in-kind is also important, building team profiles and spreadingresearch findings through national and international networks. A third benefit is theadditional credibility that endorsement from our different industry, community andpartner organisations brings.

In short, in-kind research gives us access to skilled researchers and committed peopleand allows the creation of teams of a research depth and on a scale that wouldotherwise be impossible.

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Program 1 Desert Enterprises Leader • Craig JamesCraig’s journey began with a love of lizards, and deserts are one of the best places to studythem. Now he finds himself responsible for seeing that two-thirds of Australia is not onlyused sustainably but also productively.

He comes to the role with a passion for the potential of the desert and its people. ‘Ourprojects have to be focused on what they can deliver and to whom if they are to change theway things happen.’, says Craig. ‘To do this we must have good engagement with the peoplewho will use the research results.’ Core projects in this program have objectives aimed ataspects of people’s livelihoods: jobs, wealth and social cohesion.

Among the exciting projects Craig manages is research into ways to recompense pastoralists,Aboriginal communities and other landholders for their stewardship of plants, animals andlandscapes on behalf of all Australians; and technologies that can help revolutionise the waypastoralism is done in vast and remote areas.

Program 2 Desert Systems Leader • Alice RoughleyWith a truly interdisciplinary background, Alice spent many years in north Queensland as acommunity development and social policy practitioner and lecturer at James Cook University.Interested in the integration of environmental and social dimensions of planning, shecompleted a Masters Degree in Social Impact Assessment and a PhD on integrated local areaplanning.

The past decade was spent in Canberra working in senior policy positions, as an academicand consultant. From 2003 to 2006 she built the profile and facilitated the success of Land &Water Australia’s Social and Institutional Research Program and its many publications.

Alice is committed to excellence in research, research management and publication. ‘Themost pressing issues we need to address through research are complex. They generally requireinput from more than one discipline, and practical outcomes. What attracted me to theDesert Knowledge CRC is that it is about research that will lead to change. We have to workacross not just academic disciplines, but also across stakeholder groups, cultures, jurisdictionsand issues. The challenge is very real and very worthwhile.’

General Manager Research • Murray McGregorAs Professor of Agribusiness at Curtin University of Technology, Murray quickly recognised theopportunities within emerging industries, such as bush produce, to make a dramaticdifference to desert economies. It was this connection that inspired Murray to make desertlivelihoods his business, and which clearly continues to capture his imagination.

‘Our chance to turn the exotic flavours and health-giving properties of traditional plants intoan export success are huge’, says Murray. ‘If it can happen in Aboriginal art then it can workwith bush produce. But we need to ensure that everybody along the supply chain gets value,shares information and better understands the environmental and human systems.’

His work in rural and regional areas around the world has made Murray look foropportunities to generate new wealth for people and small businesses. ‘There’s one recurringtheme during my consultations. Anyone who’s tried to hire staff in desert regions, let alonehang on to them, knows that staff attraction and retention is a massive and complex problemthat needs fixing.’ Murray’s vision is to shift the whole concept of desert living from one of‘making a buck’ to ‘creating wealth for desert peoples through managing the environment,and other issues of importance to the nation’.


CORE PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• To understand how managementof natural and cultural desertresources can benefit the nation bygenerating sustainable livelihoodsfor desert people.

• To generate these benefits byinfluencing policy and investment.

2005–06 overviewLivelihoods inLandTM is directed at

developing sustainable livelihoods for

desert people. In order to achieve this goal,

research focuses on understanding the

benefits from good natural and cultural

resources management that underpin

high-profile and high-value desert

industries such as tourism, pastoralism

and mining. Our research premise is that

the desert’s natural and cultural resources

are managed by desert people, and that

they should be recognised and rewarded

for this role.

The term ‘sustainable livelihood’ is widely

used in reference to rural settings in

developing countries. This project focuses

on the sustainable livelihood assets and

strategies of individuals and families, and

on meaningful indicators for livelihoods.

Some Aboriginal stakeholders have

articulated a desire for ‘healthy jobs on

country’ — livelihoods that match their

cultural priorities and care for country for

future generations. Other groups, such as

pastoralists, seek recognition for their

stewardship role.

In 2005–06, the core project’s conceptual

framework was developed with input from

stakeholder and steering committee

consultations and project researchers. A

literature review undertaken by the Centre

for Remote Health’s (CRH) Ms Sally Hodson

was completed in May 2006 as a draft

working paper for web publication. Dr

Michael LaFlamme (CSIRO) began to plan

and develop scoping papers on the demand

for sustainable livelihoods for desert

people based on management of natural

and cultural resources. He engaged with

remote health practitioners to build the

project’s cross-sectoral links, and started to

develop participatory modelling to engage

practitioner and policy expertise in

establishing the relationships between land

and its management, health and wellbeing.

Research activities this year included fire

management, addressing threats to

biodiversity, environmental monitoring,

and maintaining local and traditional

knowledge systems. This research has the

potential to provide policy and investment

advice for sustainable livelihoods for desert

people through better livelihoods, non-

welfare incomes, and improved health and

wellbeing.

The project builds on our earlier and

concurrent research in several projects,

including Outback Livelihoods, OutbackInstitutions, Cultural Values of Water atAnmatyere (the Kwatye project), DesertFire, Intersectoral Collaborations, Rewardsfor Biodiversity and DustWatch.

Mr Nick Webb’s Australian ErodibilityModel (AUSLEM) examines meteorological

and land surface conditions vulnerable to

wind erosion. While most people are

familiar with the dramatic sight of erosion

gullies, wind erosion is less of a concern —

until we are hit by spectacular dust storms.

AUSLEM aims to create monthly maps of

wind erosion hazards, not just of regions

but for the whole continent. In a world

seeking to arrest the spread of deserts this

has the potential for international

application. The project collaborates

closely with the Queensland Department of

Natural Resources, Mines and Water’s

‘AussieGRASS’ pasture model.

A similarly ‘invisible’ threat to outback

livelihoods is the Spread of buffel grass(Cenchrus ciliaris). Dr Margaret Friedel’s

research on the dispersal of buffel has

shown that this introduced grass species

could soon colonise up to half the

continent, replacing native vegetation and

changing the balance of wildlife species. By

replacing native vegetation, buffel grass

(originally from the Middle East and

Pakistan) could impact on the growing

bush produce industry, outback tourism

and on the severity of bushfires in inland

Australia.

However, buffel is important to the pastoral

industry for grazing, hence its exclusion

from the Weeds of National Significance

register. Its ‘part-friend, part-foe’ nature

poses a dilemma for those trying to manage

it. Burning it is out: buffel actually thrives

on fire. Herbicides are not an option on such

a scale, and biological control is difficult

because it is hard to restrict a pathogen to

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Jocelyn DaviesCSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems(Alice Springs)

Core Project 1 • Livelihoods inLandTM

Desert Enterprises • Program 1


only this grass. Ironically, the answer for

protecting national parks and reserves may

lie in controlled grazing, virtually the only

thing that keeps buffel in check.

Work began on a scoping study on the

demand from public and private sectors for

Land-condition monitoring services. Prof

Grant McTainsh, Dr John Leys and Mr Craig

Strong prepared a draft of the study, with

recruitment underway for an economist at

the Centre for Remote Health to lead the

economic modelling aspects of the project.

Team building for the project’s work on

community ranger groups and alternative

social enterprise structures for livelihoods

in remote Aboriginal communities was also

undertaken.

Aboriginal trainees from an Anmatyere

community worked on the Kwatye projectin Central Australia, the outcomes of which

include development of pilot contracts for

water-bore monitoring facilitated by the NT

Department of Natural Resources,

Environment and the Arts. Jane Walker’s

PhD project on conservation outcomes

from Aboriginal land management in theLajamanu Indigenous Protected Area, which

addresses issues of key interest to Central

Land Council and the Commonwealth

Government’s Department of the

Environment and Heritage (DEH), also

employed Aboriginal trainees. An allied

project about Enabling the Market:Incentives for Biodiversity in theRangelands (our contract research project

for DEH) developed understanding of

institutional design considerations.

Dr Glen Edwards completed the Desert Fireproject, but continued his work in the field

with the Cross-jurisdictional managementof feral camels. The project was one of

several grants secured by us, in this case

from DEH's Natural Heritage Trust. Glen

held several workshops, among them one

with the Aboriginal women’s non-

government organisation Waltja Tjutangku

Palyapayi. More workshops and fieldwork

are planned for 2006–07.

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RIGHT: The Desert Fire projectconcluded in 2005–06, though —as with all theme-based researchfrom 2003–05 — its results fedinto and informed research transferand priority setting for 2006–07and beyond.

BELOW: Glen Edwards, NTDepartment of Natural Resources,Environment and the Arts, duringone of the workshops held inpartnership with Waltja TjutangkuPalyapayi, talks about the cross-jurisdictional feral camel controlproject.


Program 1 • Desert Enterprises

Core Project 2.1 • Bush products from the desert

2005–06 overviewThis research project aims to improve the

opportunities for industries based on (non-

medicinal) native plant resources in the

desert. Several milestones were achieved

towards this goal.

The new bush products project was

developed in October 2005 for a July 2006

start date. A project plan was developed to

evolve and expand the research so that

three, rather than just one, value chains

are developed. These three chains are: fruit

and seed through to value-added produce;

food plants; and wood and fibre products.

Work began in a series of: workshops in

October 2005, April 2006 and June 2006;

phone conferences; and informal

subproject team meetings.

There are three major changes from the

previous theme-based project. Firstly, there

is a proposal to introduce work towards

‘participatory domestication’ of a native

food plant, in this case the bush tomato.

Secondly, more detailed research work on

specific fruit constituents will take place.

And, thirdly, inclusion of wood and fibre-

based craft products will come under

greater scrutiny.

Engagement with Aboriginal participants is

centrally important to this project. Many of

the relationships were established in the

previous theme project, but new

connections are also being developed. The

team established a reference group of

Aboriginal business women and cultural

experts from central Australia to help

guide and shape the project. In addition to

technical scientific research, the project

will include market research, policy and

consumer issues and a study investigating

the impacts of the bush food industry on

Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal

livelihoods.

The project will adopt a participatory

approach to research to ensure

involvement of stakeholders, ranging from

Aboriginal groups to commercial food

industry partners. We are working with

stakeholders across the value chain and

have been developing and strengthening

relationships with key stakeholders such as

supply chains (food) and a gallery (wood

and fibre-based products).

A substantial outcome from our

relationship with Robins Foods, the

country’s leading manufacturers of bush

food products, was the development of a

partnership between them and Ward

McKenzie, one of Australia’s largest food

manufacturers. Together, the two

companies predict the bush foods industry,

currently worth an estimated $10 million,

will double over the next five years as a

result of this partnership.

This is not only good for the critical

marketing and distribution of bush foods,

but also good for Aboriginal supply chain

infrastructure. Robins Foods helped

establish Indigenous Australian Foods, a

non-profit Aboriginal-controlled

procurement company, which creates

sustainable businesses and jobs for

Aboriginal people. The collaboration will

strengthen product development, improve

distribution and increase demand for bush

foods through 500 Coles supermarkets.

Sales of these foods through Coles also

contribute to the Coles Indigenous Food

Fund, which helps Aboriginal-owned

businesses grow their involvement in the

bush foods industry.

The project’s vision is for robust native-

plant resource-based industries that have

strong Aboriginal participation, with clear

recognition and strengthening of

traditional Aboriginal practice and

knowledge of resource use. The ultimate

aims are increased incomes for desert

people, improved Aboriginal livelihoods

and Aboriginal enterprise development.

All subprojects from last year’s project

(which concluded in June 2006) made

significant contributions to the core

project. The horticulture subproject team

established four experimental trials of

bush tomato plantings on outstations and

community gardens, using plant material

sourced from a variety of locations.

Survival, growth and yield information has

been collected and is being collated for

analysis.

The genetics and plant improvement

subproject staff developed the first micro-

satellite DNA markers for bush tomato.

Cross- and self-pollination of bush tomato

has also been achieved. Research on other


• Explore opportunities for economicproductivity from bush products;more productive bush foodsindustries from the desert.

• Create new employment, wealthand livelihoods from desert bushresources.

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Maarten RyderCSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems(Adelaide)



compounds in bush tomato fruit has also

yielded preliminary results. The

physiological behaviour of bush tomato

plants grown under higher ambient CO2

conditions (predicted levels for 2050) was

also studied.

An important breakthrough was made in

understanding just how bush tomatoes

reproduce. It was thought that they only

reproduced from seed until a research

collaboration between us, the University of

Sydney and Curtin University of Technology

discovered otherwise. Detailed studies of

the plant’s biology showed that it is, in fact,

more common for the plants to use their

extensive root systems (up to 2m in length)

to send up suckers and shoots. This

discovery has a number of impacts on the

bush produce industry, affecting the way in

which it irrigates and propagates plants,

and how it controls weeds.

Post-harvest pest control was also

scrutinised, with four main insect pests of

the bush tomato identified. A simple and

cost-effective temperature treatment was

developed which is cheaper and more

practical than frozen storage for the fruit.

ABOVE: Johnny Briscoe, of TitjikalaCommunity, contributed to ourPlants for People project. Aworkshop, organised by the NTDepartment of Business, Economicand Regional Development,explored soap production usingnative plants, in this case ‘irmangkairmangka’ (Eremophila alternifolia).ABOVE: Discoveries in the way in which bush tomatoes can best be propagated have important

implications for future horticulture ventures.

BELOW: Members of the ‘Food from the Creation Time’ ReferenceGroup (Merne Altyerre-ipenhe): Rayleen Brown (EasternArrernte), Lorna Wilson (Pitjantjatjara), Bess Price (Warlpiri),MK Turner OAM (Eastern Arrernte) and Veronica Dobson(Eastern Arrernte), with researcher Josie Douglas.

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• Understand how 4WD self-drivetourism in the desert cancontribute to livelihoods, andidentify the managementchallenges in this growing tourismsector while balancing itsopportunities and impacts.

• Create a pathway for sustainablegrowth of a 4WD tourism sectorleading to new product,employment, and livelihoodsoptions.

2005–06 overviewOn TrackTM assesses how a

four-wheel-drive tourism

industry can contribute to

desert livelihoods. The project

is a result of a desert tourism

scoping study in 2005 which

identified the importance of

self-drive tourism and the

need to disperse tourism

benefits across the desert.

Desert Knowledge Australia’s

Our Outback report also

acknowledged the significance

of drive routes and trails in

bringing the benefits of

tourism to remote areas.

On TrackTM is concerned with

how potential impacts of

increasing desert four-wheel-

drive travel might be

managed. This year, the

project surveyed domestic

four-wheel-drive tourists in all

states and territories, and

collated existing desert tourism data sets to

form the basis of a geographic information

system (GIS) and visitor-flows model. It

shows where desert travellers are going,

how they are getting there, what the

potential impacts of travel patterns might

be, and where new products or services

may succeed.

New data sets will be added to the GIS

throughout the life of the project, allowing

end-users to see where their community or

business ‘fits’ into the desert tourism

system, and to evaluate the impacts of

change (new products, marketing

campaigns, infrastructure changes,

changes in market behaviour etc.) on flow

patterns.

The other major outcome of the project’s

first year was a detailed assessment of the

state of the four-wheel-drive tourism

market internationally and a cost–benefit

analysis of developing the market in desert

Australia. Major issues include: managing

access to tracks, sites of interest, and

camping areas; ensuring that travellers

attend to information related to safe and

responsible travel; and developing

strategies for market management so that

remote communities do not exceed their

capacity for sustainable growth.

On TrackTM is exploring new ways of

collecting data. The four-wheel-drive

marketplace (travellers, guides, tourism

businesses, marketing agencies, community

groups) is populated by enthusiasts, many

of whom have years of experience and have

documented their experience in various

ways. The project launched a ‘Knowledge

Community’ (hosted on our website) to tap

into this knowledge and to let these

enthusiasts know what information is

required. More importantly, they can

interact with each other, to identify issues

of importance to them, and exchange

information about these issues.

The project launched a writing competition

about the ‘ideal’ four-wheel-drive

experience to gather information for the

design of products and marketing, but also

to identify gaps in the expectations of

various stakeholders.

In 2006–07, the project will work more

closely with industry and desert

communities to better understand the

implications of the market research and

detail sustainable development strategies.

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Dean CarsonCharles Darwin University(Darwin)

On TrackTM was launched at theDesert Knowledge CRC researchconference in Alice Springs inFebruary 2006. The impact of self-drive tourism continues to grow inthe desert; a recent report bymapmakers and guide publishers,Gregorys, listed 10 ‘must-do’ 4WDexperiences in the desert, amongthem the Canning Stock Route, theOodnadatta Track and the TanamiTrack.

Core Project 2.2 • On TrackTM: Better livelihoods through 4WD desert tourism



Core Project 2.3 • 21st Century PastoralismTM


• Understand how to position thedesert pastoral industry so it canoperate more effectively andsustainably in the future.

• Generate new wealth andemployment options throughbetter social engagement and newmanagement tools for vast desertpastoral stations.

2005–06 overview21st Century PastoralismTM aims to create

pastoral research collaborations that span

desert regions as well as scientific

disciplines.

At a meeting held in April 2006,

representatives of the pastoral industry

and research funding organisations met

with regionally-based researchers to

discuss and define the main research areas

for the project. Four subprojects were

identified:

1. Engaging Aboriginal Pastoralists

2. Using Technology to Improve

Management

3. Managing for Variability

4. Improving Economic Sustainability.

Each of these research areas will be

developed during 2006–07 into individual

subprojects within the broader 21st

Century PastoralismTM project framework.

Considerable progress was made in

developing the second of the identified

subprojects, Using Technology to Improve

Management. In April 2006, industry

representatives and researchers

participated in a project development

workshop, and a project coordinator was

appointed to lead the subproject’s

implementation. The subproject will focus

on commercially available systems that

allow remote monitoring and control of

water infrastructure through telemetry,

and develop innovative ‘next generation’

telemetry prototypes. Guided by an

industry analysis of needs, the research

will lead to the creation of systems that are

appropriate for desert pastoralists and

supported by regional service industries.

The Engaging Aboriginal Pastoralists

research area has developed into a

collaborative project that incorporates a

participatory research evaluation of the

Indigenous Pastoral Program in the

Northern Territory, and a review of

Aboriginal pastoral employment initiatives

across northern Australia. We have

tendered for an evaluation of the

Kimberley Aboriginal Management Support

Service in Western Australia.

This subproject attracted $195,000 in

external funding from the Indigenous Land

Corporation and $50,000 in external

funding from Meat and Livestock Australia

to implement the research activities. Set to

start in late 2006, it will recommend

improvements in Aboriginal pastoral

development program delivery, provide

policy advice and project management

guidelines.

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Mr Mark AshleyNT Department of PrimaryIndustry, Fisheries and Mines(Alice Springs)

The 21st Century PastoralismTM

project is looking towards the nextgeneration of land managers in thedesert. The stewardship role thatpastoralists maintain is vitallyimportant in natural resourcemanagement in Australia’s desertsand savannas.



2005–06 overviewDesert Businesses aims to understand and

overcome the constraints on businesses in

remote areas and how they can become

more resilient, profitable and better able to

engage with the wider economy. The

project’s objectives are to understand the

circumstances of operating small

businesses in desert Australia and how to

encourage entrepreneurial activity, thereby

facilitating the establishment of new micro

and small businesses.

At a stakeholder and researcher workshop

in July 2005 participants developed an

understanding of end-user priorities for

research outputs that will lead to

sustainable livelihoods based on

environmentally and socially sustainable

natural resource and service enterprises.

The workshop prioritised the main research

areas and developed a research proposal

that focuses on three activities:

➜ audit the work situation in desert

Australia to determine needs and

opportunities

➜ analyse the impacts of businesses,

looking at multiplier effects of a range

of businesses on individuals and

communities

➜ understand the pre-conditions for

business start-up, determine business

readiness, uncover factors that

determine success or failure in

business, and identify business models

that suit a variety of Aboriginal

entrepreneurs.

The first focus was addressed by the work

of Assoc Prof Martin Bent’s Scoping studyon staff attraction and retention. High staff

turnover is a problem for the government,

community and private sectors, with the

loss of ‘corporate knowledge’ of particular

concern.

A diverse group of more than 120

employers and employees took part in the

study’s fact-finding workshops and focus

groups. Work began on an on-line review of

the latest data trends, along with case

studies and successful strategies, to be

available on our website to businesses and

policymakers.

Mr Mike Crowe’s Linked Business Networksproject tackled the issue of capacity

development from a different angle. The

project (a joint Desert Knowledge CRC and

Desert Knowledge Australia initiative,

backed by AusIndustry and Telstra) brought

together groups from the mining services,

tourism, sustainable building and bush

produce industries to develop critical mass

and to share information. Mining services

enterprises involved in the Linked Business

Networks project picked up $5 million

worth of extra business that they would not

have won on their own.

Capacity building is a strong project

component of Desert Businesses. The core

project proposal identified potential PhD and

Honours students who will be working in,

and mentored by, researchers and partners.

Throughout the year the project developed

partnerships with potential researchers and

stakeholders and reached participation

agreements with researchers from partner

organisations such as the University of

Wollongong, Charles Darwin University, the

University of South Australia, the University

of Western Australia and Curtin University

of Technology.

Between April and June 2006 a desktop

review was conducted, with a particular

focus on secondary data and literature on

small businesses, enterprise development,

business success factors and other relevant

literature. Project communication and

commercialisation plans will be developed

in September 2006.

A project highlight was the commencement

of action research in one of the case study

sites on the far west coast of South

Australia, which involves work in the

Aboriginal communities of Koonibba,

Scotdesco Homeland and Dinahline

Homeland. These three communities have

formed the Far West Coast Business

Network, an alliance that shares

information and has built a governance

network. This case study is expected to

shed light on a business model for

business/social networks, and provide

important information on success factors

for networks leading to sustainable income

from non-native plants and other natural

resources.

Core Project 3 • Desert businesses

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Fay Rola-RubzenCurtin University ofTechnology (Perth)

CORE PROJECT OBJECTIVE

• Understand how small businessesand their networks can moreeffectively deliver natural andcultural resources and service-based livelihoods for desert peoplein ways that are environmentallyand socially sound.



Small business is a vital componentof sustainable desert settlements,whether they be remote Aboriginalcommunities or predominantlynon-Aboriginal, larger towns andregional centres. Understandingwhat makes a settlementsustainable is a key aim of DesertBusinesses, and research projectscovered topics from bush producesupply chains to staff attraction andretention.

TOP: Peter Yates (centre) of OutbackBush Foods buys wattle seeds atEpenarra community.

LEFT: Wattle seeds.

BELOW: Soap made at Titjikalacommunity as part of a series ofworkshops organised by the NTDepartment of Business, Economicand Regional Development.



Outcome 1: Sustainable livelihoods for desert people based on natural resource and service

enterprise opportunities that are environmentally and socially appropriate

Reasons for failure to Achieved achieve milestone; strategies

Milestone Yes/no? Progress during 2005–06, plans for 2006–07 to address this

Output 1.1: Develop a framework that values desert people as service providers of natural and cultural resource management.

Milestone 1.1.1 Yes • The Livelihoods from Desert Resources project Note: the research undertaken

Understand the built upon earlier research into ‘Outback Livelihoods’, in 2006–07, which was

opportunities for the supply ‘Desert Fire’ and the ‘Cultural Valules of Water’. A established in 2005–06, will

and demand for ecosystem conceptual framework was established. inform 1.1.2 and 1.1.3.

and cultural services. • A literature review was completed in May 2006.

• ‘Desert Fire’ project was completed, as was a report

titled ‘The Dispersal, Impact and Management of

Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) in desert Australia’.

Milestone 1.1.2 n/a • Milestone 1.1.1 will inform the development of n/a

Develop tools these tools for 2007 and 2008.

which value ecosystem and

cultural assets.

Milestone 1.1.3 n/a • Milestone 1.1.2 will inform the development of n/a

Create business these business cases in 2009.

case(s) for identified

livelihood opportunities.

Output 1.2: Generate knowledge and increase capacity for demand-driven bush products industries, expand and deliver benefits to Aboriginal desert people.

Milestone 1.2.1 Partial • Comprehensive picture of supply chain, from

Understand the supply harvesters to retailers, is emerging. The Bush Foods

chain for bushfoods. Value Chain project will complete the picture in 2006–07.

A key outcome was the partnership developed

with native foods wholesaler Ward McKenzie and

Robins Foods.

Milestone 1.2.2 n/a • Milestone 1.2.1 will inform the development of these

Develop strategies for tools for 2008.

supply chain growth

while maintaining product

quality and integrity.

Milestone 1.2.3 n/a • Milestone 1.2.2 will inform the development of these

Create business case(s) business cases for 2009.

for identified livelihood

opportunities.

Table 4 • Program 1 (Desert Enterprises) research milestones(Core Projects 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 3)





Output 1.3: Understand the impacts created by tourism in desert Australia.

Milestone 1.3.1 Yes • The On TrackTM 4WD tourism project worked closely Identify enterprise with the desert self-drive tourism industry, destination opportunities and flow communities and self-drive tourists to develop patterns of tourists in desert sustainable pathways to desert tourism. Databases Australia. By June 2007. and exploratory modelling were developed.

Milestone 1.3.2 n/a • Milestone 1.3.1 will inform the development of Evaluate the social, cultural these tools in 2008.and environmental consequences of 4WD tourism. By June 2008.

Milestone 1.3.3 n/a • Milestone 1.3.2 will inform the development of theseCreate business case(s) for business cases in 2009.identified livelihood opportunities. By June 2009.

Output 1.4: Gather information and create products that deliver improved triple bottom line performance for the pastoral industry.

Milestone 1.4.1 Yes • The 21st Century PastoralismTM project created Understand the social, strategic links with Meat and Livestock Australia and economic and productivity the Indigenous Land Corporation to deliver factors that will drive improvements in Aboriginal pastoral development pastoralism in the 21st programs and policy input.century. By June 2007. • Technology tools to assist triple bottom line

perfomances were investigated.

Milestone 1.4.2 n/a • Milestone 1.4.1 will inform the development of theseDevelop tools and processes tools for 2008.that will improve pastoral enterprise performance.By June 2008.

Milestone 1.4.3 n/a • Milestone 1.4.2 will inform the development of theseCreate business case(s) for business cases for 2009.identified livelihood opportunities. By June 2009.

Output 1.5: Increase knowledge to support desert business activity.

Milestone 1.5.1 Yes • Began work on auditing the work situation in desert • The research undertaken in Deliver data on business Australia to determine needs and opportunities. 2006–07, which was established activity to desert Australia. • A desktop review was completed, as was a scoping in 2005–06, will inform 1.5.2.By June 2008. study on staff attraction and retention.

• Final report on Indigenous Tourism Research Strategies.

Milestone 1.5.2 n/a • Milestone 1.5.1 will inform the development of these Create business models that tools for 2008–09.are more appropriate andsuited to desert Australia.By June 2009.

Table 4 • Program 1 (Desert Enterprises) research milestones (continued)

(Core Projects 1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 3)


2005–06 overviewSustainable settlements are places where

people want to live and work, both now and

in the future. They meet the diverse needs

of current and future residents, are

sensitive to their environment, and

contribute to a high quality of life. They are

safe and inclusive, well planned, well built

and run, and offer equality of opportunity

and good services for all. Understanding

the drivers that make settlements of a

range of sizes into sustainable communities

is the work of this core project.

The Alice Springs town camps mobilitystudy was undertaken by a team of

researchers from the Aboriginal resource

and advocacy organisation Tangentyere

Council in Alice Springs, some of whom are

themselves town camp residents. The study

discovered that more than twice as many

people live in the town camps of Alice

Springs as are recorded in the 2002 Census.

The research found 2065 people living in

town camps, with the figure rising to

considerably more than this during peak

periods. A Northern Territory law

prohibiting the drinking of alcohol within

two kilometres of licensed premises also

drives non-residents out of town into the

camps.

However, while the content of the report

made for sobering reading, the way in

which the data was collected was cause for

optimism. The surveys that made up the

final report were carried out by town camp

residents, often in one of the Aboriginal

languages spoken by residents and visitors.

Tangentyere Council was concerned that

inaccurate official population statistics

restricted the level of services available to

town camp residents. This report not only

proved that to be the case, but also created

a cohort of trained Aboriginal researchers,

some of whom were later employed by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics during the

2006 Census.

Travel and motorcars are big issues for

mobile desert Australians, and nowhere

more so than for those who live in remote

communities. Mr Noah Pleshet, a graduate

intern with the Centre for Appropriate

Technology, produced a working paper

Viability analysis for desert settlement and

economy: the transport and mobility interface.

Noah investigated the central role that

automobility (i.e. all the processes that

bring motor vehicles and people together)

plays in remote settlement sustainability.

His Viability analysis for desert settlement and

economy: value in and of desert Australia

working paper makes a case for a

substantive approach to settlement

economy that does not focus on the

assumption that settlement sustainability

is driven by the efficient governance of

settlement resources. Instead, he argues,

research needs to take into account the

dynamic processes and practices of

settlement livelihood activity. Both papers

have been published on our web site.

Other work in the core project aims to

develop a comprehensive understanding of

how desert settlements function, the major

drivers that impact on settlement

sustainability, and the variation between

settlement types. Through this project,

people living in a range of remote

settlements will be asked to express their

aspirations and to articulate ways to make

settlements resilient into the future.

The project asks a series of research

questions:

➜ What do people in desert settlements

consider to be the conditions, decision

processes and systems that characterise

sustainable settlements? How can these

characteristics be reflected in

governance and resource flows?

➜ How do settlement type and population

mobility impact on the sustainability of

a settlement?

➜ What are the likely futures of different

types of desert settlements and what

are likely to be the main drivers of

those futures?

Work began this year on research to answer

these questions. We collated information

on types of desert settlements and how

they function, and the factors that impact

on their vitality and fragility. In the coming

year, researchers will develop scenarios

Core Project 4 • Sustainable desert settlements

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Kurt SeemannSouthern Cross University (Coffs Harbour)


• Identify the elements of sustainablesettlements, taking into accountcommunity aspirations,government policy issues andmarket forces.

• Provide an authoritativeunderstanding of the sustainabilityof remote settlements and thesocial, economic, policy andtechnology interventions that havethe best chance of meetingcommunity needs and nationalexpectations.

• Offer practical support forsettlements to assess and achievesustainability in ways that balancecommunity aspirations with widerdemands.

Desert Systems • Program 2Desert Systems • Program 2

that indicate the level of sustainability by

type of settlement. We will analyse data to

explain how factors such as mobility,

infrastructure provision, leadership and

decision-making structures influence

sustainability in different types of

settlements. Projects will also develop an

approach to help desert people monitor for

sustainability, and present alternative

future scenarios of desert settlements

incorporating the expressed aspirations of

desert people.

The Remote Community Water Managementproject addressed one of the most critical

aspects of remote community

sustainability: that of water quality

maintenance and management. Ms Robyn

Grey-Gardner’s project worked in a small

number of case-study communities,

including Yappala in the Flinders Ranges;

Kanpa, near Warburton, in Western

Australia; Port Stewart, on the Cape York

Peninsula, Queensland; and Walkabout

Bore, in the Northern Territory. The aim was

to develop tailored water-management

plans specific to each of these communities’

circumstances. A participatory approach to

research focused on the principles and

practices of water risk management

coupled with community-based priorities of

affordability and aspirations. Capacity

building was another important part of the

project, which explained ways to interpret

water quality data and analyse water

quality protection and hazards, and worked

on developing the specific skills necessary

to implement a water-management plan.

With this knowledge, residents are able to

make informed decisions about the way

their water supply and management is

conducted.

The principles and learnings from the

water-management project will inform an

improved approach to existing small-scale

water supply management. In the coming

year we anticipate working with regional,

state, territory and Commonwealth water

managers to develop an overarching system

of support by sectoral departments to

achieve an assured supply of better quality

water for residents of remote and regional

communities.

Capacity development was embedded throughout our research,with outstanding examples being the Remote Community WaterManagement project and the Alice Springs town camps mobilitystudy. Following the latter project, some of those involved in surveywork were engaged by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to workon the 2006 Census.

TOP: Ricky Mentha and a fellow resident of a town camp.

BELOW: Pamela and Magdaline Lynch undertake survey work duringthe mobility study.



Program 2 • Desert Systems

2005–06 overviewThe core project was established to tackle

the seemingly intractable problem of

demand and supply of services to desert

settlements, to improve consumer access to

these services, and to achieve better

outcomes for service providers.

It is unique in its scale, operating over four

sites in Western Australia, Queensland,

South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Once fully operational, it will work across

the many levels of the service system —

from heads of governments to end

consumers — including state government

departments, regional offices, private sector

providers, and Aboriginal organisations.

During 2005–06, a range of project

management, methodological and planning

instruments were developed for the core

project, including a field manual, literature

review and a communication tool. As the

project moves into its first year of

implementation, it will start with fieldwork

in four desert settlements, and with

interviews across eight service providers. As

relationships develop, smaller projects will

be developed, which will be incorporated

into and add value to the research process.

A strong research team came together

during the year, made up of 16 experienced

researchers and three PhD students from

eight different universities and research

centres. As partnerships with Aboriginal

organisations and government departments

gain strength, Aboriginal leaders and

service providers will also be drawn into

the research team. A steering group will be

established in 2006–07 composed of a

mixture of researchers, Aboriginal leaders

and services providers.

One of the earliest outcomes of research in

2005–06 was the forthcoming report of the

Scoping study of design and thermalperformance. The study examined common

house types built at a remote settlement, in

this case the Aboriginal community of

Hermannsburg, near Alice Springs. It found

that the houses were over-engineered

towards keeping cool in summer, but were

designed to rely on insulation during winter

when they should have been gathering

passive solar heat from their north-facing

walls. The result was large winter heating

bills for residents, all of which was supplied

by diesel-generated electricity.

Researchers found that by simply rotating

the house design by 90º anti-clockwise from

north, an energy saving of almost 7% per

year over one year could be made. The

results were quickly taken up by senior

policy-makers in the NT Government, and

may well lead to changes in the Building

Codes of Australia. The project leader, Mr

Michael Duell, was a finalist in the 2005 NT

Research and Innovation Awards.

Another project from our theme-based

research, Desert Interactive RemoteTelevision (DIRT) showed its great potential

for desert communities, both in desert

Australia and overseas. DIRT links satellite

technology and digital television to deliver

information to individual communities

through users’ televisions. DIRT’s ability to

target specific groups allows service

agencies to deliver focused messages, such

as impending visits by medical services,

road closures or bush fire alerts. Further,

the technology allows the delivery of these

messages in languages spoken in remote

Aboriginal settlements. DIRT will be

showcased at the Sustainability of

Indigenous Communities conference to be

held at Murdoch University in July 2006.

Core Project 5 • Accessible desert services

CORE PROJECT LEADER

Dr Mark MoranCentre for AppropriateTechnology (Alice Springs)


• Understand essential infrastructureassets, the investments required toachieve extended asset lifecyclesand the role of new and enablingtechnologies in achieving anacceptable rate of return on assetsin desert settlements.

• Facilitate access to services in desertsettlements utilising demand-responsive technical, social andfinancial systems.

Desert Systems • Program 2


2005–06 overviewThe Thriving Desert Regions Project aims to

determine the economic and ecological

capacity of the Australian desert at the

present, and to estimate what this might be

in the next 20 years. Bringing together

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal

communities, government and industry,

detailed analyses of regional and

sub-regional features of the Australian

desert will contribute to scenarios that

explore the potential competitive

advantages of desert regions by presenting

data and information on the region and its

sub-regions.

The Australian desert has a unique

residential pattern (a large number of small

Aboriginal communities, outstations

pastoral properties and temporary mining

camps); a demography in which the

Aboriginal population is growing but the

non-Aboriginal population is not; a

population in which a reasonable

proportion is Aboriginal; an Aboriginal

population that may have English as a

second language and low socioeconomic

status; a non-Aboriginal population that

may be temporary or short-term residents;

a high subvention of government funds; an

economy based on relatively few industries

(mining, pastoralism, tourism and public

services); a limited manufacturing sector; a

fair proportion of land subject to either the

Commonwealth Native Title Act or the NT

Aboriginal Land Rights Act; Commonwealth

policies and programs of various types; and

an absence of large cities.

This is a period of significant Aboriginal

policy change at the Commonwealth level,

including changes to CDEP and to

outstation policy, all of which may change

residential patterns in the desert to the

extent that they might be classified as a

form of ‘resettlement’. These changes will

be taken into consideration in the regional

analyses, particularly in the analysis of

major policies, population dynamics and

residential patterns. This project will

proceed at two levels: a whole-of-region

level and a sub-regional level (social/

cultural, political, ecological) with the

regional level analysis being informed by

the sub-regional analyses. Each sub-region

will include an analysis of existing data as

well as that drawn from recently completed

projects and the current suite of core

projects managed through the Desert

Knowledge CRC.

The most significant report to come out of

this project area was Scoping PopulationDynamics, a collaboration between us, the

Australian National University and the

University of Queensland. Preliminary

findings from the study (due for publication

in late 2006) observe that, as a scoping

project, as many questions were raised as

were answered. However, some key issues

defined by the study included confirmation

of the potentially vast changes in

demographics throughout desert Australia

by 2021.

The report’s authors, Dr John Taylor, Dr

Dominic Brown and Prof Martin Bell,

developed a prototype on-line demographic

information system for the accumulation,

storage, manipulation and dissemination of

important demographic data and derived

indicators.

The report predicts that (based on current

trends) the Aboriginal population of

Australia’s desert regions will grow by

19%–25% by 2021, whereas the non-

Aboriginal population will decline by

4%–7%. Further, the age compositions of

these two groups will be markedly

different: the non-Aboriginal population in

particular will decline in all age groups

except those 45 years and over.

The result is expected to be a desert

population of which a larger proportion is

Aboriginal and young, while the non-

Aboriginal population is both declining and

much older. (All this in spite of greater

migration within Australia by Aboriginal

people: between 1996 and 2001 almost

11,000 Aboriginal people left the desert for

other parts of Australia, while only 7000

people moved from other parts of Australia

to the desert.) The implications for service

delivery are clear.

Core Project 6 • Thriving desert regions

INTERIM CORE PROJECTLEADER

Dr Alice Roughley Desert Knowledge CRC(Canberra)


• Enable desert community andgovernment decision makers tounderstand how their regionsoperate as integrated systems.

• Provide data and projections ofregional futures across desertAustralia which contribute toimproved outcomes from publicand private investment decisions.


Program 2 • Desert SystemsProgram 2 • Desert Systems

Table 5 • Program 2 (Desert Systems) research milestones(Core Projects 4, 5 and 6)

Outcome 2: Develop sustainable desert settlements that support the presence of desert people, particularly remote desert communities, as a result of improved and efficient governance and access to services.



Output 2.1: Increase knowledge of factors affecting settlement sustainability and how to influence them to support sustainability.

Milestone 2.1.1 Yes • The typology report and the working paper have been • The research undertaken in Understand settlement completed and are informing the implementation of 2006–07, which was established function. By June 2008. the broader project. in 2005–06, will inform 2.1.1 and

• The project team has been assembled and early 2.2.2.planning for the case studies has begun.

Milestone 2.1.2 n/a • Milestone 2.1.1 will inform the development of these Develop models and tools for 2008.resources to inform decision- making about settlements. By June 2009.

Output 2.2: Create innovative service delivery options.

Milestone 2.2.1 Yes • Research associated with water efficiency in Aboriginal • Growing the Desert, the Understand service needs communities has been received. NCVER report, is due in and delivery models. By • Work to develop a field manual for the case study site late 2006.June 2007. is well advanced and case study sites have been • Continued development of the

identified in Queensland and the Northern Territory. project team and research will Initial approaches have been made in Western inform 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.2.3.Australia and South Australia.

Milestone 2.2.2 n/a • Milestone 2.2.1 will inform the development of these Evaluate alternative demand tools for 2008.responsive service delivery approaches. By June 2008.

Milestone 2.2.3 n/a • Milestone 2.2.1 will inform the development of theseCreate business case(s) for tools for 2009.identified livelihood opportunities. By June 2009.

Outcome 3: Thriving desert regional economies that are based on desert competitive advantages, bringing togetherAboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, government and industry.

Output 3.1: Enhance understanding of regions as systems.

Milestone 3.1.1 Yes • Projects on Outback Livelihoods and regional Develop systems institutional structures are ongoing.representations of the • Recommendations and outputs from completed critical nature and function reports are being used to define future directions.of outback regions. By June 2008.

Milestone 3.1.2 n/a • Milestone 3.1.1 will inform the development of these Create resources to help tools for 2009.decision-making aboutregional futures. By June 2009.


RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS WERE A CRITICAL

aspect of the Desert Knowledge CRC’s

successes this year. Our partners brought

their existing relationships to the CRC, but

the CRC has encouraged, extended and

entrenched cross-pollination between

partners and with other partners’

collaborators.

A good example of this was the

involvement of the Nevada, USA-based

Desert Research Institute (DRI) in the NHT-

funded cross-jurisdictional feral camel

project. The project benefitted from the

long-term relationship developed between

Dr Margaret Friedel and Dr Mark Stafford

Smith of the CSIRO, who have developed a

close working relationship with the DRI’s

Dr David Mouat on the subject of

desertification. This existing collaboration

was expanded with the creation of the

Desert Knowledge CRC, which allowed Prof

Murray McGregor to offer his international

expertise in this area of research.

A specific outcome of this collaboration

was the DRI provision of three researchers,

David Mouat, Judith Lancaster and Scott

Bassett, to conduct workshops on the feral

camel project at the CSIRO’s Alice Springs

offices in December 2005. Collaborations

like this are vital if the Desert Knowledge

CRC is to create research outputs

transferable to a range of international

environments, thereby delivering benefits

to desert dwellers in Australia and

overseas.

Research collaborations continue to

develop with state, territory and

Commonwealth bodies. Contract research

with the Natural Heritage Trust and the

Department of the Environment and

Heritage resulted in close ties at a federal

level, while projects such as the thermal

performance of housing resulted in policy-

level impacts within the Northern

Territory’s Department of Planning and

Infrastructure. The 21st Century

PastoralismTM project developed a

relationship with Meat and Livestock

Australia, and our work on Regional

Partnership Agreements resulted in links

with end-user the Shire of

Ngaanyatjarraku.

We developed closer relationships with

other CRCs, particularly the Tropical

Savannas CRC, the Water Quality and

Management CRC, the Sustainable Tourism

CRC and the Sheep CRC — all of them with

definite links to the desert, and all of them

with a vested interest in maintaining viable

communities.

However, we continue to see our

most fruitful collaborations as

being those with regional

organisations, businesses and

communities. They are, after all,

the people who live and work in

desert Australia, and the people

who generate its wealth. Among

these collaborations were the

Anmatyere water project; the

ongoing work on bush produce

supply chains with the Titjikala

Community, Ward McKenzie and

Robins Foods; the Linked Business

Networks (with Desert Knowledge

Australia) such as the Far West

Coast Business Network; and with

Tangentyere Council on its Alice

Springs town camps mobility study.

RIGHT: The Alice Springs Expo is anideal opportunity to develop andreinforce collaborations with desertbusiness. Desert Knowledge CRCManaging Director Ms Jan Ferguson,Board Member Mr Harold Furber,Mr Neville Perkins and ParticipantRepresentative Mr Bruce Walkerpromoted the Desert KnowledgeCRC at this year ’s stall.

BELOW: Working with remotecommunity councils ensures goodresults from research and strongengagement by end-users. Here themembers of CRC Associate PartnerTapatjatjaka CommunityGovernment Council meet with Janduring one of her many networkingvisits during 2006: Mr DouglasWells, Mr Lincoln Boko, Mr JohnnyBriscoe, Mr Philip Wilyuka, MrSamuel Campbell, Mr AndrewWilyuka and Mr Joseph Rawson.


The Social Science of Desert Knowledge

SOCIAL SCIENCECOORDINATOR

Dr Sarah HolcombeAustralian National University(Canberra)

AN EXCITING FEATURE OF THE new Desert

Knowledge CRC structure is the Social

Science Coordinator’s position. Dr Sarah

Holcombe, of the ANU, took up the role in

January 2006, and immediately began

developing systems to ensure that

collaboration and engagement have a

central place in our project research.

Typical of Sarah’s work to date is her

involvement with Metta Young’s Effectiveresearch and development collaboration:participatory and capacity buildingframeworks for involving desert people. As

part of this project, a highly focused

collaboration has been developed with the

Alice Springs–based Aboriginal registered

training organisation Waltja Tjutangku

Palyapayi (‘Waltja’). A series of Research

Nintiringtjaku workshops (‘clever for

research’) will result in tangible

collaborations between Aboriginal

researchers and Desert Knowledge CRC

researchers, and further develop training

and livelihood pathways for Aboriginal

research partners.

Waltja became an affiliate partner, allowing

us to engage more meaningfully with our

Aboriginal partners. This new feature of our

structure allows partnership-level access to

research for organisations that may not

have the infrastructure to maintain full

CRC agreements. Other such partners

include Tangentyere Council (the initiators

of the Alice Springs town camps mobility

study) and Titjikala Community. The latter

is involved in our bush products and desert

tourism projects.

In order to develop and embed the culture

of collaboration and socially inclusive

research across the Desert Knowledge CRC,

workshops have been arranged for our

researchers and students. The second of

the Research Nintiringtjaku workshops will

link into our Partners, not Stakeholders

researcher workshop. This workshop is also

designed to introduce a number of draft

policies and protocols, such as the

Aboriginal research engagement protocol.

The protocol, based on Central Land

Council protocols, acts as both a guide and

an engagement tool to encourage sharing,

Aboriginal participation and community

benefits. The protocol is but one of a series

of documents to be rolled out during

2006–07, others covering areas such as

informed consent, rates of pay for research

participants, and other documents to

ensure Aboriginal people participate in

research on equal terms.

The Scoping Project on AboriginalTraditional Knowledge (led by Sonia

Smallacombe) typifies our approach to the

integration of traditional and contemporary

desert knowledge. It will formalise

recognition of Aboriginal researchers’

knowledge, maintain intellectual and

community property rights, but also enable

potential dissemination and

commercialisation.

Sarah will lead a ‘social science audit’

across the entire Desert Knowledge CRC in

2006–07. Social science research

methodologies are often more reflective

and qualitative than those used in natural

resource management and technical

disciplines. Creating an interlocking

research agenda of these disciplines is

demanding but worthwhile because it is

essential to our research to be genuinely

socially inclusive.

BELOW: Waltja members fromremote communities across CentralAustralia discussing what makes for

useful research during the firstResearch Nintiringtjaku workshop,

held at the Ross River Homestead,east of Alice Springs.

Desert Solutions • Program 3


WHILE OUR ADMINISTRATIVE

AND RESEARCH structure

changed considerably in

2005–06, the Education

and Training unit

continued to operate in a

similar way to previous

years. Education

Coordinator, Ms Alicia

Boyle, became an active

participant in the

fortnightly research

teleconferences and

attended core project

workshops to help project

leaders fulfil the

educational components

of their projects.

The number of students

involved in the Desert Knowledge CRC

continued to grow. There are now 20 PhD

students either supported by us or

embedded within our projects, with a

further five doctoral students set to

commence in 2006–07. Four of these

students are Aboriginal. We also have a

large number of Masters, Honours and

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

students, as well as three apprentices

and/or trainees.

We support students within our core

projects. Project leaders and program

managers must identify a series of

deliverables, which include students at all

levels of study. The change from a theme-

based to a core project–based research

structure did slow the process of student

recruitment. However, full articulation of

the core projects should result in at least

two additional postgraduate students in the

coming year.

The second annual student forum took

place in February 2006, immediately after

our annual research conference in Alice

Springs. The day-and-a-half forum brought

together PhD, Masters, Honours and VET

students. This was a great chance for

students from across the nation to network

with one another. Ms Carol Morris of

Southern Cross University provided

professional development based on units

from SCU’s Graduate Certificate in

Research Management course; each student

presented a brief overview and update of

their project and received guidance about

its future direction.

The research conference was a wonderful

opportunity for students to meet other

researchers, and 10 students presented

papers. Students also presented an

overview of their research at Board and

stakeholder functions in Canberra and

Alice Springs. A number of students have

also successfully submitted abstracts for

journals and conference presentations

during the year.

At their March meeting in Adelaide, core

project leaders agreed that short-term

vacation placements should be developed

and promoted to students. Project leaders

have agreed to identify research

opportunities, host-projects and research

organisations. Application forms and

guidelines have been developed, and the

first students will be placed in late 2006.

We made much progress towards finalising

our involvement in the Port Augusta

version of the successful Polly Farmer

Project. Polly Farmer is a Western

Australian organisation that sets up

partnerships between government and

industry to support community-identified

high-performing Aboriginal high school

EDUCATION & TRAININGCOORDINATOR

Ms Alicia BoyleCharles Darwin University(Darwin)

Education and Training

The student forum, which followedthe Desert Knowledge CRCconference in February 2006,brought together many of ourhonours, masters, graduate,postgraduate, VET and doctoralstudents. Here, Education andTraining Coordinator, Alicia Boyle,leads a discussion on thepresentation of research findings.The quality of research is increasingsteadily, with our experiencedresearchers commenting positivelyon the presentations made bystudents at the conference.


Program 3 • Desert Solutions

students to help them achieve their

academic or sporting goals. The Port

Augusta trial will be the first attempt to

implement the Polly Farmer program

outside WA. Our contribution will be to

oversee the development of a research

component of the project. Board member

Ms Glenise Coulthard took a position on

the project steering committee. We are

close to choosing a venue, and identifying

students and industry sponsors, with the

project expected to take off in 2006–07.

The Deadly Desert Research youth project,

a partnership with the Gap Youth

Centre/Deadly Mob in Alice Springs, is now

in the final stages of articulation. It will

expose Aboriginal 16- and 17-year-olds to

research. We are identifying the centres

that will be involved and the potential links

between this project and VET in school

units. Young Aboriginal people from

Tennant Creek, Kintore, Yulara, Yirrara

College and elsewhere will be invited to

apply for a position on the project team.

The 15 successful applicants and their

Aboriginal mentors will be brought

together in Alice Springs for a workshop in

November 2006. It will include

presentations about research such as

project management, ethics and IP,

resource management and communication,

and some site visits. They will also begin to

think about how to design and undertake

the project. The project encourages young

people to identify their career aspirations

and to interview career role models online

so they can develop personal and career

pathways.

Completion of the four units of the Masters

Degree in Desert Science was delayed by

the need to integrate the curricula with the

new core project system. However, the unit

‘Characteristics and methodologies of

desert research’ is in the final editing

stages, and the electronic template for all

our units has been completed. The unit

‘Interpreting Australian Deserts’ has been

outlined. Both units have been accredited

(in principle) through Charles Darwin

University and will be completed by the

end of 2006. The third unit will be tendered

for development in 2006–07, following

feedback from recent workshops hosted by

the Social Science Coordinator. The fourth

unit will be tendered for development after

consultation with an Aboriginal community

that will be instrumental in its delivery.

As the postgraduate units in desert science

and various research projects are

completed, a range of specialist industry

training programs will be developed based

on a market assessment in 2007–08. The

analysis will inform the development of

two training programs per year and two

new business studies courses.

The Central Australian Education and

Training Network is funded by DEST’s

Reframing the Future project and is

managed by Alicia and CDU. The project

aims to build on and exchange knowledge

to ensure provision of demand-responsive

Aboriginal education and training while

operating within new Commonwealth

governance arrangements (such as

Aboriginal Coordination Centres and

Shared Responsibility Agreements). This

project brings together all public and

private providers, job network agencies and

others. Our website hosts the project’s

documents.

The Growing the Desert: Effective

educational pathways for remote

Aboriginal communities project (funded by

the National Centre for Vocational

Education Research) is nearly complete

after two years of effort. The final stage

consisted of four case studies across desert

Australia: Newmont Mines (WA), Waltja

Tjutangku Palyapayi (NT), Murdi Paaki

Regional Assembly (western NSW) and

Desart with the Mutitjulu Community

(south-western NT).

Alicia presented our educational findings at

the NSW Board of Vocational Education

and Training’s Putting Skills and Innovation to

Work conference in Sydney, and the NT

Flexible Learning Showcase in Darwin. She

also attended the Education Managers’

workshop at the Cooperative Research

Centres Association conference in Brisbane.

Several student works werepresented to researchers followingthe Desert Knowledge CRC’s annualresearch conference in AliceSprings in February 2006, includingthe three PhD students above.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Kado Muir ’s projectexamines the application ofAboriginal knowledge of plants inorder to develop Aboriginalcommunity enterprises; MargaretRaven studies Indigenousintellectual property protocols;Nicholas Webb’s AUSLEM projectseeks to identify landscapesusceptibility to wind erosion.



Student Study level and title Partner

Greg Cartan* PhD: Leveraging tourism markets for broader economic development within desert CDUAustralia: a synergistic whole-of-system approach.

Kenneth Clark PhD: Utilising spatial data for analysis of landscape function and diversity. UA

Fiona Daly MSc: Development of grazing systems to satisfy both livestock and production CUTbioconservation goals.

Elizabeth Ganter PhD: Cultural differences and changing relationships? The NT Government, Aboriginal ANUpeople and desert Australia.

Terri Harbrow Trainee: DK-CRC Secretariat and Networking and Communications section. DK-CRC

Hannah Hueneke Hons: What cultural and historical factors influence tourist behaviour at Uluru? ANU

Damien Jacobsen Social context influences on domestic market opportunities for desert Aboriginal CDUcommunities: a 4WD market analysis.

Annie Kennedy PhD: The effect of increasing householder ownership and expanding CDUcommunity–government partnerships on extending the lifecycle of deserthousing and infrastructure.

Adam Leavesley PhD: The response of birds to the fire regimes of mulga woodland in central Australia. ANU

Kirsten Maclean PhD: Between spaces: negotiating environmental knowledges at the environment ANUand development interface, Australia.

Jillian Marsh PhD: A critical analysis of the decision-making protocols used in approving a commercial UAmining lease for Beverley Uranium Mine in Adnyamathanha country.

Maurice McGinley Interactive television design methodologies for remote communities. MU

Louise Moylan PhD: Aboriginal business enterprises operating in the mining industry: UAThe implications of economic and social interactivity.

Kado Muir PhD: Applying Indigenous knowledge on plants to develop Indigenous community CUTenterprises: Ngalia case study.

Anstee Nicholas MSc: Assessing land management implications for floristic species diversity in CDUmulga/spinifex communities in central Australia.

Raghunadh Palisetty PhD: Effects of sheep, kangaroos and rabbits on the regeneration of trees TUSAand shrubs in the chenopod shrublands, South Australia.

Chancey Paech Trainee, Desert Wildlife Park, Alice Springs. NT Government

Karissa Preuss* Masters: Generating livelihood opportunities in desert Australia: strategies CDUand structures to support Indigenous natural resource management through communityranger programs; a case study in Yuendumu.

Margaret Raven PhD: Indigenous intellectual property protocol. UA

Deborah Rockstroh PhD: Capacity for innovation in desert communities for extending lifecycles of UWbuilt environments.

Donna Savigni* PhD: Plants for People Titjikala Enterprise: development of therapies from desert plants UWAused by Aboriginal people.

Table 6 • Desert Knowledge CRC students

All students receive some funding from Desert Knowledge CRC, but not necessarily stipends. * indicates approved April 2006 to commence in 2006–07


Program 3 • Desert Solutions

Profile • Kirsten Maclean: Desert FireKirsten is a human geographer whose research considers the role of localand Aboriginal knowledge and practice in environmental management andgovernance. Her work draws on contemporary Environment andDevelopment debates to develop an applied people’s geography based on acritique of knowledge, environmental governance, nature and power. Thiswork also focuses on local experiences of such projects to develop aninteractive framework for better knowledge sharing between the manyindividuals working at the environmental management interface inAustralia.

Kirsten used two case studies to investigate the complex themes of herresearch, one of which was the Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire project.This project considers what it means to manage fire across pastoral,conservation and Aboriginal land in a particular location in the southernTanami region of the Northern Territory.

Kirsten began her Desert Fire fieldwork in June 2004: burning on countrywith traditional owners and Aboriginal land managers; with the BushfiresCouncil NT and Birds Australia at Newhaven Station; and with NT Parks andWildlife Service. Being on country with different land managers forms thebasis of her participatory research methodology. Kirsten also conductedinterviews with some of the many individuals connected to the Desert Fireproject and visited most of the pastoral properties in the case study area.

Kirsten has been an active participant at the Desert Knowledge CRC annualresearch conferences and student workshops. Her PhD thesis, ‘Creatingspaces for negotiation at the environmental management and community development interface in Australia’, was submitted to theSchool of Resources, Environment and Society at The Australian National University, Canberra in August 2006.

She looks forward to being involved in the Desert Knowledge Symposium in Alice Springs in November 2006 and plans to developlocally appropriate workshops to discuss the findings of her research with pastoral, conservation and Aboriginal land managers fromthe southern Tanami region.

Student Study level and title Partner

Ari Schipf* PhD: Future viability of remote Indigenous settlements: UWAan anthropological case study from the East Pilbara region.

Clive Scollay* PhD: Indigenous culture as big business CDU

Dusty Severtson Hons: Termite-based paper management project: A landfill of opportunity. CUT

Guy Singleton PhD: The application of a transformation-based paradigm for Indigenous community CUTcapacity building to sustainable enterprise development by Indigenouscommunities in Western Australia.

Dorothy Turner PhD: Fire regimes in desert Australia on a continental scale. UA

Jane Walker PhD: Indicators for land management outcomes congruent with Aboriginal cultural objectives. CDU

Fiona Walsh PhD: Aboriginal resource use and land management practices among Martu UWApeople in the Great Sandy Desert, WA.

Nicholas Webb PhD: AUSLEM: A tool for identifying landscape susceptibility to wind erosion in Australia. UQ/UW

Melanie Werner PhD: Sustainable technology development for the reverse osmosis solar installation (ROSI). UW

Mara West Hons: Making family and communities strong through small business. MU

Table 6 • Desert Knowledge CRC students continued



Table 7 • Program 3 (Desert Solutions) milestones(The Social Science of Desert Knowledge & Education and Training)

Outcome 4: Increased social capital of desert people in their communities or service organisations.



Output 4.1: Ensure that Australian graduates are more aware of desert issues and more prepared to come and work in desert Australia.

Milestone 4.1.1 Yes • Five PhDs are due for completion in 2007. N/AEnsure that at least 25 postgraduate degrees completed with skills relevant to the future of desert Australia. By June 2009.

Milestone 4.1.2 Yes • Twenty PhDs are currently being undertaken. • Milestone 4.1.1 is proceedingEnsure that at least five Desert strongly which will assist 4.1.2.Knowledge CRC PhDs employed by desert Australia organisations. By June 2009.

Milestone 4.1.3 n/a • Eight Aboriginal students supported to date. • Additional students to be Ensure that at least 10 supported during 2006–07, with Aboriginal students have been continued support of current supported to successfully students.complete postgraduate, graduate or vocational training and education programs with skills relevant to the future of desert Australia. By June 2009.

Milestone 4.1.4 n/a • Education and Training framework developed • Final unit topics to be decided Develop postgraduate training and submitted for Board approval. Framework during 2006–07.courses about desert establishes pathways for delivery of • Units 3 and 4 under developmentAustralia. By June 2009. educational units and outlines market analysis in 2006–07.

for external courses.

Output 4.2: Develop links between local knowledge and Western science, leading to better integration and understanding of the value of different knowledge.

Milestone 4.2.1 Yes • Framework developed for Aboriginal engagement, Improve protocols for knowledge management and ethics.collaboration, management • Updated Intellectual Property Register, Ethics and ethics. By June 2007. Register and IP Management.

Milestone 4.2.2 Develop Yes • Waltja Aboriginal researcher training workshops tools and training resources were held. Further workshops planned for to improve research capacity. 2006–07, including student researcher By June 2008. workshops on collaborative methods.

Milestone 4.2.3 Yes • Early scoping work for project completed, Develop a ‘Science of culminating in researcher workshop in May Desert Living’. By June 2009. 2006. Planning for follow-up, disciplinary-based

workshops complete.

Output 4.3: Consolidate and integrate information about desert Australia.

Milestone 4.3.1 Yes • A data scoping study is informing futureDevelop and provide access research direction.to databases of desert information. By June 2008.


THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION OFFERS BOTH

qualitative and quantitative data to

measure and compare our performance

against the milestones agreed with the

Commonwealth Government.

In summary, the Desert Knowledge CRC

continued to provide excellence in research

and a high return on investment for our

partners, collaborators and end-users. In

2005–06 we began commercial contract

work (mainly competitive and invitation

tenders to Commonwealth departments)

worth a total of $2.3 million, down slightly

on 2004–05’s $2.4 million, but still

extremely healthy. A total of 20

consultancies were undertaken.

We welcomed two new ‘affiliate’ partners

to our organisation. The affiliate

partnership system allows small end-

user–scale organisations that might lack

administrative capacity to benefit from

research carried out within the Desert

Knowledge CRC or organisations that wish

to be involved only in a small number of

specific research projects. The two

organisations who became affiliate

partners in 2005–06 were the Aboriginal

women’s non-government organisation

Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi and the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Studies.

On the communications and networking

front, we continued to grow from strength

to strength. Our measured coverage almost

doubled from the previous year: 216 print

items (up from 102 in 2004–05), 133 radio

stories (up from 111), and 49 on-line

articles (up from 10). Keynote papers were

presented at two major international and

two major national conferences. Hits and

visits to our web site increased, with a

greater proportion coming from overseas

(43% in 2005–06, up from 33% in 2004–05)

— evidence of our increasing ability to sell

our ‘Science of Desert Living’ message

internationally.

Our ability to affect policy can be

measured through the take up of our

reports into thermal performance of

housing, scoping studies on population

demographics, water quality in small

communities, and mobility within Alice

Springs Aboriginal town camps. At a policy

level, the Alice Springs town camps

mobility report alone contributed to a

further $10 million in funding for

improvement of infrastructure in town

camps; at a capacity level it lead to

employment for some of those town camp

residents involved in the study, with some

Tangentyere researchers employed by the

Australian Bureau of Statistics to work on

the 2006 census.

Our student numbers increased this year,

with an additional four PhDs, and five

more about to commence. We now have 20

PhDs, two Masters and two Honours

students. All of our students carry out field

work in desert Australia, and three

students are located solely in desert

Australia. All of our PhD students have a

supervisor who is also an end-user of our

research. Two courses have been developed

for delivery; additional graduate course

units are under development.

Of the 44 research projects conducted

during the year, 45% involved three or more

partners (61% have two or more), 75% have

one or more end-user partner involved

(90% have jurisdictional formal end-user

involvement including non-partners), and

70% have multi-jurisdictional activities

(63% have partners in more than one

jurisdiction). All core projects have multi-

jurisdictional activities, multi-jurisdictional

partners and more than three partners.

Performance Measures


Desert Knowledge CRC Program Objective 1To enhance the contribution of long-term scientific and technological research and innovation to Australia’s

sustainable economic and social development

Centre objectives Performance measures Update on progress (at July 2006)

1.1. Address issues 1.1.1. Provide baseline data identifying • Results from initial projects informing core project initiation.of demonstrable the integrated bottom-line significance of • Results from initial projects consolidated into meaningful importance to the issues addressed: data sets.sustainable livelihoods • consolidated desert datasets • Mobility in town camps study provides unique data in desert regions in • stakeholder appraisals of research priorities describing local and regional mobility.ways not otherwise • reports analysing implications. • The Australia Collaborative Rangelands Information Systembeing achieved (ACRIS, managed by Desert Knowledge CRC) delivered

national collation of data from one region in each state.• Significant stakeholder engagement in Core Projects

including Stakeholder Steering Committees.• Reports into demography, socio-regions, thermal

performance and housing lifecycles all informing baseline datasets.

1.1.2. Demonstrated support from desert • Continued engagement with stakeholders, including desertstakeholders for the issues researched: people and ongoing support of new research priorities.• increasing funding support. • Stakeholder workshops held for all Core Projects.

• Steering committees established in most Core Projects.• $2.3 million in external contracts signed.• Aboriginal organisation partnerships increased through

new Affiliate partnerships.

1.1.3. Proportion of Desert Knowledge CRC • Desert Knowledge CRC research has helped expand the research on issues not previously being addressed capability of our partners.documented to increase over time: • New affiliate partners engaged to continue expanding the • analysis of proportion of project work moving research agenda.

beyond existing core business of partners. • 4WD tourism project is a new research area.

1.2. Carry out 1.2.1. Research delivered (and in demand) • Research Review Group met three times. world-quality desert in peer-reviewed and international forums: • Three internal publications peer-reviewed and printed by research • documented numbers of publications the Desert Knowledge CRC.

• conferences • Four publications peer-reviewed and printed by • international visitors independent journals.• citations. • Keynote papers have been presented at at least two

major international and three major national conferences.• More than 20 international visitors.

1.2.2. Increasing international connections: • International strategy further developed.• numbers of international contracts • Desert Knowledge Symposium planning for November 2006.• staff and student visits • Three international visits were sponsored this year and • international hits on website. presentations were made in the USA and China.

• Visits from research students including from Austria.• Visits from researchers including from Namibia and Scotland.• Significant international involvement in core project teams

including an international post-doctoral student.• 43% of website visits are currently from overseas

(32% North America, 7.25% Asia, 4.4% Europe, 1% Africa and South America).

1.3. Deliver world- 1.3.1. Developing basis for a coherent ‘Science • ‘Science of Desert Living’ workshop held.quality desert of Desert Living’. • ‘Science of Desert Living’ draft structure developed.research outputs • ‘Science of Desert Living’ team building.

1.3.2. Increasing number of projects delivered • 35 projects completing.on time and within budget. • Greater than 90% completing projects delivered on budget.



Desert Knowledge CRC Program Objective 2To enhance the transfer of research outputs into commercial or other outcomes of economic, environmental

or social benefit to Australia


2.1. Increased and 2.1.1. increasing number of end-users using • Uptake of Mobility Report by Government and Aboriginal quicker uptake of research results. organisations.research in desert • Four Aboriginal researchers who worked on the Mobility end-user activities Report were employed to work on the 2006 census.

• Housing design features for energy saving taken up by government and business.

• Commercial projects under development with several commercial partners.

• Desert Knowledge CRC and partners informed by socialscience scoping projects; led to improved research protocols.

2.2. Deliver 2.2.1. Increasing numbers of new • Bush foods harvesting and horticulture livelihoods under demonstrable natural resource management or service further development.benefits to desert delivery enterprise opportunities: • Bush harvest has over 300 local harvesters.Australia • documented opportunities created by Desert • Livelihood opportunities for community-based researchers

Knowledge CRC arisen from Desert Knowledge CRC research.• number taken up by partners • Four Aboriginal researchers who worked on the Mobility • persistence and integrated bottom-line value Report were employed to work on the 2006 census.

of resulting sustainable livelihood activities. • Livelihoods from management of cultural resources project underway.

2.2.2. Increasing net value of Desert Knowledge • Development of bush foods industry.CRC activities. • Mobility Report has informed the debate that led to $10

million further funding for improvement of infrastructure in Alice Springs town camps.

• Linked Business Networks project earned $5 million worth ofcontracts in the mining industry.

• Partnership between Ward McKenzie and Robins Foods will increase size of the bush foods industry.

2.2.3. Increasing commercial returns to Desert • Commercialisation and utilisation plans for core projectsKnowledge CRC: underway.

• value of commercialised IP. • Commercial projects under second level verification.• Interest from commercial partners.• No commercial returns to date.

DK-CRC Program Objective 3To enhance the value to Australia of graduate researchers


3.1. Increase the 3.1.1. Increasing research activity in • Further increase in student numbers this year.number of graduates desert Australia: • Seven additional PhDs; five PhDs about to commence.researching in desert • % of total Desert Knowledge CRC graduate • Twenty PhDs, two Masters and two Honours.Australia research time spent in desert Australia. • Three students located solely in desert Australia.

• All students have field work in desert Australia.

3.1.2. Increasing awareness of and links to • All of the PhD and Masters students have an end-user end-user concerns by graduates: supervisor. • proportion of Desert Knowledge CRC graduate

researchers co-supervised by end-user partners.

3.2. Increase research 3.2.1. Increasing research activity by • Four Aboriginal PhDs underway.capacity among Indigenous people: • One Aboriginal Masters student.Indigenous people • numbers of Indigenous researchers active • Three Aboriginal trainees.

in Desert Knowledge CRC at all levels • Twenty Aboriginal researchers trained and involved in • documented novel models of engagement the Mobility Report and gaining ongoing employment.• numbers of Indigenous higher qualifications.



Desert Knowledge CRC Program Objective 3 continued


3.3. Enhance the 3.3.1. Increasing awareness of graduates about • Students attended annual Desert Knowledge CRC researchawareness of issues of importance to desert Australia and to conference.graduates of desert- the ‘Science of Desert Living’: • Students presented papers at conferences aroundspecific issues and • numbers of graduates passing through Australia.research requirements foundation Desert Research graduate units • Student training in collaborative methodologies with Waltja.

• surveys of graduates on awareness of desert-specific issues.

3.4. Increase the 3.4.1. Number of researchers continuing in • No graduates have yet completed.number of graduates research in desert Australia: • Developed an electronic profile of graduate students.subsequently working • Desert Knowledge CRC graduates subsequently • Establishing a web-based alumni program to assist tracking.in desert Australian continuing to do desert research.organisations

Desert Knowledge CRC Program Objective 4To enhance collaboration among researchers, between researchers and industry or other users, and to improve efficiency

in the use of intellectual and other research resources


4.1. Enhance 4.1.1. Increasing project collaboration: • Of 44 research projects (i.e. not including coordination, collaboration among • number of research projects with more than workshop and education-related projects): research and end-user two partners – 45% have three or more partners (52% have two or more) organisations, and • with at least one end-user partner – 75% have one or more end-user partner involved (90% across jurisdictional • with multi-jurisdictional activities. have formal end-user involvement including non-partners) boundaries – 70% have multi-jurisdictional activities (63% have partners

from more than one jurisdiction).• All core projects have:

– multi-jurisdictional activities – multi-jurisdictional partners – more than three partners.

4.1.2. Increasing connections created • Network and storytelling projects initiated to track culture through Desert Knowledge CRC: change.• baseline and subsequent social network

analyses• documentation of numbers of allied projects

created • qualitative surveys of partners and stakeholders.

4.2. Increase the 4.2.1. Increasing effectiveness of research • Employment outcomes for Aboriginal researchers through integrated bottom- investment in desert Australia: the Alice Springs town camps mobility study.line return-on- • post hoc analyses of changing value of research • Increased funding for Tangentyere due to the study.investment in investment by participating organisations • Positive impacts for Aboriginal people through bush harvest.research and other • analyses of specific public investment activities • Increasing number of partners in desert Australia.public investments in with and without Desert Knowledge CRC • Increased livelihoods in Central Australia through contract desert Australia research results. research.

• Increasing visitation to Desert Knowledge CRC fromindustry.

4.2.2. Increasing investment in desert Australia: • $4.5 million worth of contract research brought • commercial contracts to desert Australia over the three years.• consultancies undertaken • More than 20 consultancies undertaken.• value of commercial contracts with • At least 20 jobs created for Aboriginal researchers.

Indigenous researchers. • Over 100 short-term contracts for desert people let.


CHANGE WAS AGAIN THE ONLY constant for

the communications team during 2005–06,

in part because of staff turnover but also in

response to the growth in the Centre’s

research activities.

At the end of 2005 Networking and

Communications Officer Ms Katie Vargo

returned to the USA. Ms Ruth Davies was

appointed to the newly created Publications

Officer position in January 2006, followed

one month later by Ms Ruth Elvin as the

Networking and Communications

Coordinator. Media Officer Ms Elke

Wiesmann increased her hours to 0.8.

MediaThe amount of new research activity

offered the team plenty of opportunity to

communicate our work, and the media

coverage of our stories continued to

increase. Our measured coverage almost

doubled from its previous 2004–05 highs.

This consisted of 216 print items (up from

102 in 2004–05), of which 28 were in major

metropolitan or national publications and

21 in the Aboriginal press; 133 radio stories

(up from 111), seven of which were on

Aboriginal programs; 49 on-line articles (up

from 10); and six TV stories (up from one)

mentioned the Desert Knowledge CRC, our

staff or our research. The spread of stories

was better, too; the 2004–05 tally included

71% on one project alone (DustWatch),

whereas this year saw a broader focus on a

range of activities.

Publications and eventsThree final project reports were published

(as hard copies and on our web site), with

many others close to completion. A

working paper series was created, and two

papers published. Four new fact sheets

were produced, and more are in the final

production stages. A set of three banners

for events, and a brochure about the core

projects, was also produced.

From late 2005 the ongoing collaboration

between the Desert Knowledge CRC and

Desert Knowledge Australia focused on the

planning of the Desert Knowledge

Symposium and Business Showcase in

November 2006. However, this was but one

of the workshops, conferences and media

events taken on by the organisation.

Biggest of these was our second annual

research conference in Alice Springs in

February 2006, organised by Office Manager

Ms Ruth Brown and General Manager

(Research) Prof Murray McGregor. The event

attracted 180 researchers, practitioners and

end-users, as well as strong media interest.

It was an opportunity for participants to

meet face to face, undertake professional

development, such as media training, and

to strengthen interdisciplinary links.

The team also coordinated the successful

joint launch of the Alice Springs town

camps mobility report with Tangentyere

Council and the Centre for Remote Health

in May 2006, as well as joint

communications activities with Charles

Darwin University and the CSIRO.

Our communications and research staff

were well represented at the NT Innovation

and Research Awards, the Alice Springs and

Tennant Creek shows, the International

Geographers Union conference at the

University of Queensland, and the

Sustainability of Aboriginal Communities

conference at Murdoch University.

The team also commissioned a survey of

researchers, staff, stakeholders and

communities aimed at making the website

serve the needs of the organisation better.

The survey results will inform a redesign of

the site to take place during 2006–07.

Networking A networking and communications

strategy, approved by the Board in May

2006, provides direction for individual

project communications plans. The

communications team will coordinate the

development and implementation of core

project communications plans throughout

2006–07.

The AusIndustry-funded Linked Business

Networks project, a collaboration between

Desert Knowledge Australia and the Desert

Knowledge CRC, remained a focus of

network development. It involved more

than 300 businesses across desert Australia

and achieved real business outcomes in

four industry groups: mining support

services; sustainable building, bush foods

and cross-border tourism. The pilot

concluded in March 2006 and was a finalist

in the NT Research and Innovation awards.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Desert KnowledgeCRC Media Officer Elke Wiesmann,Publications Officer Ruth Daviesand Communications CoordinatorRuth Elvin.

The lessons learnt and networks developed

during the pilot phase are shaping the next

stage of cross-border business networking.

Jan Ferguson spent much of her first year

strengthening the relationships we have

built up, and developing a strategic focus on

potential new business networks and

partners. Since these partners are spread

across the desert the result was travel —

lots of travel. However, the hard work paid

off. The development of our affiliate

partnership system produced immediate

results, as did the increased interest in the

Desert Knowledge CRC by the likes of the

Minerals Council of Australia, the University

of Technology’s Jumbunna Indigenous

House of Learning and BHP Billiton.

Our commercialisation workshop (see page

10) encouraged our business partners to

meet and discuss ways in which they could

actually benefit commercially from their

involvement in research activities and the

creation of intellectual property. Jan gave

presentations to partners and stakeholders

in Alice Springs, Darwin and Canberra. She

also presented to a business breakfast

organised by the CRC Association in Darwin

in December 2005.

International links Researcher Ms Metta Young spent five

months at the University of Arizona (with

the Harvard Project on American Indian

Economic Development and the Native

Nations Institute) to research the

relationships between Native American

Nations and external agencies in the USA.

Her Fulbright Professional Award, sponsored

by the then Australian National Training

Authority (now DEST), also took her to the

Institute for Social and Economic Research

at the University of Alaska in Anchorage.

Prof Murray McGregor attended the

International Conference on Development

of Drylands in Beijing, China. Held every

three years, the conference’s focus in this

international year of deserts and

desertification was on ‘Humans and Nature:

Working together for Sustainable

Development in Dry Lands’.

Murray presented a paper, co-written with

Dr Mark Stafford Smith, called Developing a

Science of Desert Living: what does it take to

grow in the desert? The paper drew many

questions on the ways in which a science of

desert living could be transferred to other

desert environments. Links were developed

with conference sponsors the Arid Land

Research Center (Japan), the Cold and Arid

Regions Environmental and Engineering

Institute of the Chinese Academy of

Sciences and the Syrian-based International

Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry

Areas. In the US, Mark presented the same

paper to a seminar at the Desert Research

Institute, Reno, Nevada and to the American

Association for the Advancement of Science

at St Louis, Missouri.

Murray also met the principal of Scotland’s

University of the Highlands and Islands

Millennium Institute, Prof Robert Cormack.

Communications


TOP LEFT: Our presence at the AliceSprings Expo once again drew largecrowds. The expo, and events likeit, continue to be successful ways ofarticulating our message andresearch results to desert people.

TOP RIGHT: Desert Knowledge CRCGeneral Manager (Research)Murray McGregor took time outfrom the International Conferenceon Development of Drylands to seeother parts of China. Murray andMark Stafford Smith’s paper on thescience of desert living receivedmany questions and enquiries fromoverseas organisations.

ABOVE: Desert Knowledge CRCManaging Director Jan Fergusonaddresses the Desert KnowledgeCRC conference, held in AliceSprings in February 2006.

THIS YEAR WAS A SIGNIFICANT YEAR for the

Desert Knowledge CRC. The restructuring of

our management structure and research

programs, the creation of the Social Science

Coordinator’s role, the conclusion of the

large number of the first batch of theme-

based research projects initiated in years

one and two, and the launching of our new

research structure kept us busy and

productive.

The 2006–07 year is our fourth year of

operation. This is a period when CRCs begin

to see the tangible benefits of their

research, collaboration and relationship

building. We at Desert Knowledge CRC have

already begun to see significant steps in

these areas: increased capacity among

Aboriginal researchers through the town

camp mobility study, supply chain

relationships with industry in the bush

produce group of projects, the possibilities

of international application and

commercialisation for our

telecommunications research. These are all

areas we expect to see develop further in

the coming years.

Our message of a ‘Science of Desert Living’

was articulated to international audiences

through presentations in China and the

USA. This message will be presented locally

through the Masters Degree in Desert

Science, to be accredited and put out to

tender. The first two units, ‘Characteristics

and Methodologies of Desert Research’ and

‘Interpreting Australian Deserts’, are

complete; work on two more units is

expected to be complete by mid-2007. The

delivery of this education package will have

multiple benefits: a recognised academic

structure within the discipline will

encourage more students to consider the

desert and its challenges as a career option

and learning path. The opportunity to study

in the desert will increase the number of

researchers available to research partners

and our system of embedding graduates

within the research structure will see

greater end-user engagement throughout

our research.

Increasing end-user involvement in

research will be one of the responsibilities

of the Social Science Coordinator. This

exciting new role has already had an

impact on the way our technology-focused

and natural resource management–focused

researchers re-think their work to ensure it

is socially inclusive and useful. Several new

research protocols, based on those

developed by our partner the Central Land

Council, will be implemented during

2006–07, with workshops for researchers.

Further workshops will be held with our

latest affiliate partner, Waltja Tjutangku

Palyapayi, an Aboriginal registered training

organisation with whom we will work

closely to further increase Aboriginal

research capacity and promote recognition

of traditional knowledge.

Our website and intranet

will be relaunched in late

2006 to highlight the new

expanded researcher base

and increased student

numbers. Improved reporting

systems will also streamline

the ways in which core

project leaders manage and

report on project research

and budgets. All researchers

will have communications

plans in place in 2006–07 so

that we can effectively

disseminate information and

source feedback about their

work. We look forward to

some of our more

commercial projects

realising their value.


The Desert Knowledge Precinct is taking

shape, and we finally move into our

purpose-built offices in February 2007. The

CSIRO has provided excellent facilities for

three years, but our growth in the last 18

months (particularly in the important non-

research areas such as executive support

and networking and communications) has

created cramped offices and a far from

ideal working environment for our staff.

Our Managing Director, Jan Ferguson, has

covered thousands of kilometres meeting

and networking with our widely scattered

partners. Travel will continue to be an

important part of Jan’s role in the coming

year and beyond. While video conferencing

and phone link-ups provide some relief

from the endless hours of driving and

flying, Jan is determined not to get too

comfortable in her new office! Meeting

people face-to-face is a critical part of

building and maintaining relationships, and

one that Jan will continue to work at in the

coming year.

The Future


Farewell, Mark; Welcome, Jan

It was not just the research and the structure that changed this year at the Desert KnowledgeCRC; foundation CEO Dr Mark Stafford Smith also left to take up a research position with theCSIRO in Canberra and to continue his research with the CRC on the emerging science ofdesert living.

Incoming Managing Director Ms Jan Ferguson paid tribute to Mark's leadership of the DesertKnowledge CRC since its inception. Jan thanked Mark for the generosity of spirit he hadshown in the handover period, both at a personal and professional level. She said she lookedforward to working with him in his new role of research fellow with the Desert KnowledgeCRC.

In response, Mark acknowledged the new skills and understanding that Jan brought to theCRC, her knowledge of government business, and, at the top, her passion for desert Australia.He also said that, while he was changing roles and location, he was losing none of his ownpassion for the desert knowledge movement!


We received: We spent (cash and in-kind):

Cash from grant $ 3 140 000 Research $ 14 202 910

Cash from participants $ 1 509 801 Education $ 782 964

Cash from contract research $ 1 893 979 External communications $ 467 272

In-kind from participants $ 10 239 000 Commercialisation $ 122 302

Total $16 782 780 Administration $ 1 152 659

Total $16 728 107

Financial StatementsThe Financial Statements for the Desert Knowledge CRC are those prepared for its Management Company, Ninti One

Limited, in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Commonwealth Government reporting

requirements for CRCs and are available on request.

Resources received Resources applied

Cash from participants

Cash from grant

In-kind from participants

Cash from contract research

Research

Education

Commercialisation

Administration

External communications


Contents

Financial Summary 50

Table 1 • In-kind contributions (per participant) 51

Table 2 • Cash contributions 57

Table 3 • Summary of resources applied to activities of Centre 59

Table 4 • Allocation of resources between categories of activities 60

Financial Reports, Ninti One Limited 1

Financial Reports

For the Year Ended 30 June 2006

Financial reports


Financial summary

Business ManagerMr Ian McLay, Business Manager at Desert Knowledge CRC, has been a resident of theNorthern Territory since 1985. He is a fellow of CPA Australia.

Since graduating as an accountant from Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria, Ian has gainedexperience in a range of positions.

Since moving to the NT he has worked in a number of Aboriginal organisations andcommunities, including 12 years as financial controller with the Central Land Council. He hasalso enjoyed living and working in other parts of the NT, including five years in the Top End atYirrkala Community and Yirrkala Business Enterprises in Nhulunbuy.

In recent years he has been involved in Local Government, with three years as Director Finance at the Alice Springs TownCouncil.

Financial SummaryDuring the third year of the Desert Knowledge CRC’s operations a number of core projects got underway after completion ofdocumentation. The previously used theme projects were being finished with some still having completion dates in 2007–08.

The Audit and Risk Management Committee undertook financial reporting to the Board at quarterly intervals and the overallexpenditure levels were close to the level in the budget.

The level of expenditure reduced the carryover of funds to $1.6 million at balance date. It is intended to expend these surplusfunds in core projects to enable the partners and stakeholders to participate, collaborate and achieve the outcomes that willbring positive benefits for desert livelihoods.

The in-kind contributions from participants achieved a total value of $10.2 million against a budget of $9.3 million, a significantimprovement over the previous year. Detailed records show a significant increase in participation from those partners who areseeing the benefits of involvement in the Desert Knowledge CRC.

Desert Knowledge CRC will continue to increase the investment in projects that will show benefits for livelihoods in desertAustralia, and will significantly reduce the balance of unspent funds in year four.

Actual contributed resources

Total cash from core partners and other users $ 1.5M

Total in-kind resources from participants $ 10.2M

CRC Programme funds $ 3.1M

Total external income

External grants and contract research $ 1.9M

Allocation of resources between categories of activities

Program Cash ($’000s) In-Kind ($’000s) Contributed Staff FTE CRC-funded staff

Research 4,463 9,424 41.1 20.5

Education 317 466 1.5 –

External communications 467 – 4.7 2.5

Commercialisation 80 42 – 1.2

Administration 846 307 3.1 3.4

Total 6,173 10,239 50.4 27.6

Financial reports

Table 1 • In-kind contributions (per participant)


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Coreparticipants

AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderCommission/OfficeofIndigenousPolicy

Coordination

Salar

ies10

894

3975

241

195

7575

7474

7474

6060

524

478

46

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r15

416

055

106

369

276

106

106

106

106

107

107

8585

773

680

93

TOTAL

262

254

94181

610

471

181

181

180

180

181

181

145

145

1297

1158

139

CentralLandCouncil

Salar

ies30

150

1716

319

742

316

316

316

316

316

316

313

013

081

61

042

–226

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r26

131

1514

217

237

014

314

314

314

314

314

311

311

371

491

2–1

98

TOTAL

56281

32305

369

793

306

306

306

306

306

306

243

243

1530

1954

–424

Charles

DarwinUniversity

Salar

ies58

456

967

811

148

12

109

811

811

811

811

812

812

649

649

456

45

192

–628

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r10

758

51

248

838

194

02

179

838

838

838

838

838

838

670

670

512

45

363

–239

TOTAL

165

1041

2215

1649

3421

4288

1649

1649

1649

1649

1650

1650

1319

1319

9688

10555

–867

CSIRO

Salar

ies15

252

958

741

01

268

106

641

141

141

141

141

141

132

832

82

829

262

720

2

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r30

094

51

284

515

252

91

339

515

515

516

516

516

516

413

413

448

93

299

119

0

TOTAL

452

1474

1871

925

3797

2405

926

926

927

927

927

927

741

741

7318

5926

1392

CurtinUniversityofTechnology

Salar

ies10

931

440

520

882

854

120

720

720

720

720

720

716

616

61

615

132

828

7

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r23

461

875

525

21

607

657

252

252

252

252

253

253

202

202

256

61

616

950

TOTAL

343

932

1160

460

2435

1198

459

459

459

459

460

460

368

368

4181

2944

1237

DesertPeoples

Centre

Salar

ies58

170

230

269

458

700

269

269

270

270

270

270

216

216

148

31

725

–242

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r70

285

381

326

736

846

326

326

326

326

326

326

261

261

197

52

085

–110

TOTAL

128

455

611

595

1194

1546

595

595

596

596

596

596

477

477

3458

3810

–352

Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

NTGovernment

Salar

ies19

061

648

875

31

294

195

875

375

375

475

475

475

460

360

34

158

482

2–6

64

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r27

071

459

474

41

578

193

574

474

474

574

574

574

559

659

64

408

476

5–3

57

TOTAL

460

1330

1082

1497

2872

3893

1497

1497

1499

1499

1499

1499

1199

1199

8566

9587

–1021

WADepartm

entofAgriculture

Salar

ies11

1887

211

116

549

211

211

211

211

211

211

169

169

918

135

1–4

33

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r12

1992

225

123

585

225

225

225

225

225

225

180

180

978

144

0–4

62

TOTAL

2337

179

436

239

1134

436

436

436

436

436

436

349

349

1896

2791

–895

Totalin-kindfromCorePartners

Salar

ies71

62

347

282

02

900

588

37

541

290

02

900

290

12

901

290

22

902

232

12

321

1690

718

565

–165

8

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r11

733

457

442

43

148

905

48

187

314

93

149

315

13

151

315

33

153

252

02

520

2102

720

160

867

TOTAL

1889

5804

7244

6048

14937

15728

6049

6049

6052

6052

6055

6055

4841

4841

37934

38725

–791

Supportin

gparticipants

AustralianInlandEnergy&Water

Salar

ies–

––

51–

133

5252

5252

5252

4141

197

330

–133

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

––

19–

5019

1919

1919

1916

1673

123

–50

TOTAL

––

–70

–183

7171

7171

7171

5757

270

453

–183

Bowerbird

EnterprisesPtyLtd

Salar

ies–

––

2–

52

22

22

22

28

13–5

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

––

––

––

––

––

–2

22

2–

TOTAL

––

–2

–5

22

22

22

44

1015

–5

FlindersUniversity

Salar

ies39

8512

3513

690

3535

3535

3535

2828

269

223

46

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r61

102

1442

177

108

4242

4242

4242

3333

336

267

69

TOTAL

100

187

2677

313

198

7777

7777

7777

6161

605

490

115

Table 1 • In-kind contributions (per participant) CONTINUED

Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Griffith

University

Salar

ies27

6974

165

170

430

166

166

166

166

166

166

133

133

801

106

1–2

60

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r33

9010

619

822

951

519

919

919

919

919

919

915

915

998

51

271

–286

TOTAL

60159

180

363

399

945

365

365

365

365

365

365

292

292

1786

2332

–546

JamesCookUniversity

Salar

ies5

6015

114

121

636

614

114

114

114

114

114

111

311

375

290

2–1

50

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r6

7419

517

327

545

017

317

317

317

317

417

413

813

893

31

108

–175

TOTAL

11134

346

314

491

816

314

314

314

314

315

315

251

251

1685

2010

–325

MurdochUniversity

Salar

ies28

116

104

104

248

271

104

104

104

104

104

104

8383

643

666

–23

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r65

254

167

125

486

324

125

125

125

125

125

125

9999

960

798

162

TOTAL

93370

271

229

734

595

229

229

229

229

229

229

182

182

1603

1464

139

NewmontAustraliaLtd

Salar

ies1

53

769

199

7777

7777

7777

6262

302

492

–190

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r1

54

8210

213

8282

8282

8383

6565

322

525

–203

TOTAL

210

7158

19412

159

159

159

159

160

160

127

127

624

1017

–393

NorthernLandCouncil

Salar

ies–

––

8–

218

88

88

87

731

52–2

1

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

––

10–

2610

1010

1010

108

838

64–2

6

TOTAL

––

–18

–47

1818

1818

1818

1515

69116

–47

NSWDepartm

entofAgriculture

Salar

ies–

11

252

6626

2626

2626

2621

2110

116

5–6

4

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

11

332

8633

3333

3333

3326

2612

721

1–8

4

TOTAL

–2

258

4152

5959

5959

5959

4747

228

376

–148


Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

SADepartm

entofW

ater,LandandBiodiversityConservation

Salar

ies5

6237

6410

416

764

6464

6465

6552

5234

941

2–6

3

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r4

5231

5387

138

5454

5454

5454

4343

292

343

–51

TOTAL

9114

68117

191

305

118

118

118

118

119

119

9595

641

755

–114

SingtelOptusPtyLtd

Salar

ies1

3–

–4

––

––

––

––

–4

–4

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

TOTAL

13

––

4–

––

––

––

––

4–

4

SouthernCrossUniversity

Salar

ies–

7476

3715

095

3737

3737

3737

3030

291

236

55

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

112

121

4423

311

544

4445

4545

4535

3540

228

411

8

TOTAL

–186

197

81383

210

8181

8282

8282

6565

693

520

173

TapatjatjakaCommunityGovernmentCouncil

Salar

ies18

7923

4612

012

147

4747

4747

4738

3829

930

0–1

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r10

4413

2667

6626

2626

2626

2621

2116

616

51

TOTAL

28123

3672

187

187

7373

7373

7373

5959

465

465

–

TheAustralianNationalUniversity

Salar

ies60

153

133

242

346

630

242

242

243

243

243

243

194

194

126

81

552

–284

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r45

176

147

153

368

397

153

153

153

153

153

153

122

122

949

978

–29

TOTAL

105

329

280

395

714

1027

395

395

396

396

396

396

316

316

2217

2530

–313

TheUniversityofAdelaide

Salar

ies12

6955

3413

689

3434

3434

3434

2727

265

218

47

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r30

102

8138

213

9838

3838

3838

3830

3035

724

211

5

TOTAL

42171

136

72349

187

7272

7272

7272

5757

622

460

162


Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

TheUniversityofQueensland

Salar

ies9

3837

6884

177

6868

6868

6868

5555

343

436

–93

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r16

181

114

127

311

331

127

127

128

128

128

128

102

102

796

816

–20

TOTAL

25219

151

195

395

508

195

195

196

196

196

196

157

157

1139

1252

–113

UniversityofSouthAustralia

Salar

ies89

256

289

167

634

434

168

168

168

168

168

168

134

134

127

21

072

200

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r12

343

648

020

11

039

522

201

201

201

201

201

201

160

160

180

21

285

517

TOTAL

212

692

769

368

1673

956

369

369

369

369

369

369

294

294

3074

2357

717

UniversityofWesternAustralia

Salar

ies8

306

2544

6526

2626

2626

2621

2114

316

4–2

1

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r11

376

2554

6525

2525

2526

2621

2115

116

2–1

1

TOTAL

1967

1250

98130

5151

5151

5252

4242

294

326

–32

UniversityofWollongong

Salar

ies46

147

115

9530

824

695

9595

9595

9576

7666

960

762

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r65

236

267

120

568

313

120

120

121

121

121

121

9797

102

777

225

5

TOTAL

111

383

382

215

876

559

215

215

216

216

216

216

173

173

1696

1379

317

WADeptofConservation&LandManagement

Salar

ies4

––

178

446

317

817

817

917

917

917

914

314

368

31

142

–459

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r5

––

216

556

221

621

621

621

621

721

717

317

382

71

384

–557

TOTAL

9–

–394

91025

394

394

395

395

396

396

316

316

1510

2526

–1016

Tota

lin-

kind

from

supp

ortin

gpa

rtici

pant

sSa

laries

352

124

71

116

156

32

715

406

81

570

157

01

572

157

21

573

157

31

260

126

08

690

1004

3–1

353

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r47

51

902

174

71

685

412

44

379

168

71

687

169

01

690

169

41

694

135

01

350

1054

510

800

–255

TOTAL

827

3149

2863

3248

6839

8447

3257

3257

3262

3262

3267

3267

2610

2610

19235

20843

–1608


Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Otherin-kind

participants

Salar

ies1

1959

–79

––

––

––

––

–79

–79

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r–

–73

–73

––

––

––

––

–73

–73

TOTAL

119

132

–152

––

––

––

––

–152

–152

Totalin-kind

contributions

Salar

ies1

069

361

33

995

446

38

677

1160

94

470

447

04

473

447

34

475

447

53

581

358

125

676

2860

8–2

932

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Othe

r1

648

535

96

244

483

313

251

1256

64

836

483

64

841

484

14

847

484

73

870

387

031

645

3096

068

5

GRANDTOTALIN-KIND

2717

8972

10239

9296

21928

24175

9306

9306

9314

9314

9322

9322

7451

7451

57321

59568

–2247


Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Coreparticipants

ATSIC

/OIP

C50

050

050

050

01

500

150

050

050

050

050

050

050

050

050

03

500

350

0–

CLC

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–CD

U75

2550

5015

015

050

5050

5050

5050

5035

035

0–

CSIR

O–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

Curti

nUniv

ersity

ofTe

chno

logy

3510

570

7021

021

070

7070

7070

7070

7049

049

0–

Dese

rtPe

oples

Cent

re–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

NTG

230

150

150

150

530

450

150

150

150

150

150

150

150

150

113

01

050

80W

ADe

ptof

Agric

ultu

re–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

TOTAL

840

780

770

770

2390

2310

770

770

770

770

770

770

770

770

5470

5390

80

Supportin

gparticipants

Austr

alian

Inlan

dEne

rgy&

Wate

r–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

Bowe

rbird

Ente

rpris

esPt

yLtd

––

–2

–2

––

22

––

33

57

–2Fli

nder

sUni

versi

ty–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

Griff

ithUn

iversi

ty90

3060

6018

018

060

6060

6060

6060

6042

042

0–

Jam

esCo

okUn

iversi

ty–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

Mur

doch

Unive

rsity

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–Ne

wmon

tAus

tralia

Ltd20

020

020

020

060

060

020

020

020

020

020

020

020

020

01

400

140

0–

North

ern

Land

Coun

cil–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

NSW

Depa

rtmen

tofA

gricu

lture

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–SA

Depa

rtmen

tofW

ater,

Land

&Bi

odive

rsity

Cons

erva

tion

100

–50

5015

015

050

5050

5050

5050

5035

035

0–

Singt

elOp

tusP

tyLtd

200

100

100

100

400

300

––

––

––

––

400

300

100

Sout

hern

Cros

sUni

versi

ty–

2010

1030

3010

1010

1010

1010

1070

70–

Tapa

tjatja

kaCo

mm

unity

Gove

rnm

entC

ounc

il–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

TheA

ustra

lianN

ation

alUn

iversi

ty–

2212

1134

3312

1212

1212

1212

1282

811

TheU

nive

rsity

ofAd

elaid

e–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

TheU

nive

rsity

ofQu

eens

land

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

Unive

rsity

ofSo

uth

Austr

alia

5050

5050

150

150

5050

5050

5050

5050

350

350

–Un

iversi

tyof

Wes

tern

Austr

alia

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–Un

iversi

tyof

Woo

longo

ng–

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

WA

Dept

ofCo

nser

vatio

n&

Land

Man

agem

ent

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

TOTAL

640

422

482

483

1544

1445

382

382

384

384

382

382

385

385

3077

2978

99

Table 2 • Cash contributions (dollars in $’000)

Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Othercash

Non-

parti

cipan

ts–

8065

170

145

400

145

690

545

Exte

rnal

gran

ts14

521

61

273

100

1634

100

163

455

01

084

Cont

ract

resea

rch55

545

761

510

016

2710

01

627

550

107

7Co

mm

ercial

isatio

n–

––

––

––

––

Educ

ation

––

––

––

––

–In

teres

t64

150

198

1041

213

041

254

358

TOTAL

764

903

2151

380

3818

730

380

380

250

250

247

247

240

240

4935

1844

3091

CRCfunding

Totalgrant

2350

2740

3140

3140

8230

8230

3240

3240

3370

3370

3070

3070

2770

2770

20680

20680

–

Grandtotals

Total

CRCc

ashc

ontri

butio

n(T2

)4

594

484

56

543

477

315

982

1271

24

772

477

24

774

477

44

469

446

94

165

416

534

162

3089

23

270

Cash

carri

edov

erfro

mpr

eviou

sye

ar(U

Bfo

rprev

iousy

ear)

–3

538

349

1–

––

386

1–

293

6–

293

6–

293

6–

––

–Le

ssun

spen

tbala

nce(

UB)

353

83

491

386

1–

––

293

6–

293

6–

293

6–

293

6–

––

–

TOTALCASHEXPENDITURE

1056

4892

6173

4773

15982

12712

5697

4772

4774

4774

4469

4469

4165

4165

34162

30892

3270

Allocationofcashexpenditu

rebetweenheadsofexpenditure

Salar

ies54

03

224

320

93

135

697

38

323

374

03

133

311

63

116

289

42

894

268

52

685

1940

820

151

–743

Capi

tal

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–Ot

her

516

166

82

964

163

95

148

439

01

957

163

91

658

165

81

575

157

51

480

148

011

818

1074

11

077

TOTAL

1056

4892

6173

4774

12121

12713

5697

4772

4774

4774

4469

4469

4165

4164

31226

30892

334

Table 2 • Cash contributions (dollars in $’000) CONTINUED

Table 3 • Summary of resources applied to activities of Centre

Financial reports


ACTU

ALCU

MUL

ATIV

EPR

OJEC

TED

GRAN

DTO

TAL

Year

1Ye

ar2

Year

3Ye

ar3

Tota

lto

date

Year

4Ye

ar4

Year

5Ye

ar5

Year

6Ye

ar6

Year

7Ye

ar7

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tDi

ffere

nce

Actu

alAc

tual

Actu

alAg

r’men

tAc

tual

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Agr’m

ent

Proj

ecte

dAg

r’men

tPr

ojec

ted

Ag’m

ent

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

7ye

ars

Grandtotal(in-kind)

fromTable1

2717

8972

10239

9296

21928

24175

9306

9306

9314

9314

9322

9322

7451

7451

57321

59568

(2247)

Grandtotal(cash

expenditure)fromTable2

1056

4892

6173

4774

12121

12713

5697

4772

4774

4774

4469

4469

4165

4165

31226

30893

333

Totalresourcesapplied

toactivitiesofcentre

3773

13864

16412

14070

34049

36888

15003

14078

14088

14088

13791

13791

11616

11616

88547

90461

(1914)

AllocationoftotalresourcesappliedtoactivitiesoftheCRCbetweenheadsofexpenditure

Totalsalaries(cash&in-kind)

1609

6837

7204

7598

15650

19932

8210

7603

7589

7589

7369

7369

6266

6266

45084

48759

(3675)

Totalcapital(cash&in-kind)

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

––

–

Totalother(cash&in-kind)

2164

7027

9208

6472

18399

16956

6793

6475

6499

6499

6422

6422

5350

5350

43463

41702

1761

Tota

l3

773

1386

416

412

1407

034

049

3688

815

003

1407

814

088

1408

813

791

1379

111

616

1161

688

547

9046

1(1

914)

Financial reports


Table 4 • Allocation of resources between categories of activities

P R O G R A M M E R E S O U R C E U S A G EContributed Cash funded

Cash ($’000) In-kind ($’000) staff (FTE) staff (FTE)

Research 4,463 9,424 41.1 20.5

Education 317 466 1.5 –

External Communications 467 – 4.7 2.5

Commercialisation/Technology Transfer 80 42 – 1.2

Administration 846 307 3.1 3.4

TOTAL 6,173 10,239 50.4 27.6

Financial reports


Financial Report, Ninti One Limited for the year ended 30 June 2006

Ninti One Limited ABN 28 106 610 833 (limited by guarantee)

Ninti One Limited is the management company of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre

ContentsPAGE

Director’s Report 2

Statement of Income and Expenditure 5

Balance Sheet 6

Statement of Cash Flows 7

Notes to the Financial Statements 8

Directors’ Declaration 13

Independent Audit Report to the Members 14

Auditor’s Independence Declaration 16


Financial reports


Directors’ Report for the year ended 30 June 2006

Your Directors present their report on the Company for the year ended 30 June 2006.

1. Directors

The following persons were Directors of Ninti One Limited from the date of incorporation, 9 October 2003 and up to thedate of this report.

Mr Paul Wand Chairman of the Board of Directors, Desert Knowledge CRCMs Jan Ferguson Chief Executive Officer & Board Member, Desert Knowledge CRCMr Harold Furber Board Member, Desert Knowledge CRCMr Ian McLay Business Manager, Desert Knowledge CRC

The following Directors retired during the year:

Mr Mark Stafford Smith Chief Executive Officer, Desert Knowledge CRCMr Manfred Claasz Business Manager, Desert Knowledge CRC

2. Principal continuing activity

The principal activity of the Company consisted of managing the financial activities of the Desert KnowledgeCooperative Research Centre. The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (DK-CRC) has as its principal activitythe promotion and establishment of co-operative research and development programs, providing training andpromoting technology transfer and communication in the field of desert knowledge.

Ninti One Limited is the management company appointed by the Desert Knowledge CRC and trustee for theintellectual property arising from the projects of the Desert Knowledge CRC. The company is a public companyregistered in the Northern Territory and limited by Guarantee. The company was registered on 9 October 2003.

3. Results

The net result from the ordinary activities of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2006 was a profit of $0.

4. Review of operations

The activities of the Company were mainly in the following areas:

• Cooperative arrangements with partners, inter-partner collaboration and international collaboration.• Research and development and technology transfer; and• Education and training.

5. Significant changes in the state of affairs

There have been no major changes to the structure of the Company during the year ended 30 June 2006.

Financial reports


Directors’ Report for the year ended 30 June 2006 (continued)

6. Events subsequent to balance date

Since the end of the financial year, the directors are not aware of any matters or circumstances not otherwise dealtwithin the report that has significantly affected, or may significantly affect:

(a) The Company’s operations in future financial years; or(b) The results of those operations in future financial years; or(c) The Company’s state of affairs in future financial years.

7. Directors’ benefits

No director of the Company has, during the year ended 30 June 2006, received or has become entitled to receive abenefit (other than a benefit included in the total amount of emoluments received or due and receivable by directorshown in the accounts) by reason of a contract made by the Company with the director or with a firm of which thedirector is a member, or with an entity in which the director has a substantial financial interest.

8. Information on directors

Director Qualifications and experience Special Responsibilities

Mr Paul Wand B.Metallurgy Chairman of the Board, Desert Knowledge CRC

Ms Jan Ferguson BA Public Policy Managing Director, Desert Knowledge CRC

Mr Harold Furber Dip Community Development & Director, Desert Knowledge CRCSocial Work

Mr Ian McLay Dip Business, FCPA Business Manager, Desert Knowledge CRC

9. Indemnification and insurance of officers

During the year, a premium was paid in respect of a contract insuring Directors and Officers of the Company againstliability. In accordance with normal commercial practice, disclosure of the total premium paid under, and the nature ofliabilities covered by, the insurance contract is prohibited. No insurance cover has been provided for the benefit of theauditors of the Company.



Financial reports


Directors’ Report for the year ended 30 June 2006 (continued)

10. Directors’ Meetings

Board Meetings

Director A BMr Paul Wand (Chairman) 6 6 Dr Mark Stafford Smith 2 2Mr Manfred Claasz 4 4Ms Jan Ferguson 6 6Mr Harold Furber 2 2Mr Ian McLay 1 1

A – Number of Meetings Attended

B – Number of Meetings held during the Directors term.

During the year ended 30 June 2006, the Audit and Risk Management Committee met prior to the Board Meeting of theDesert Knowledge CRC. In addition the Intellectual Property Management Committee met prior to the Board Meeting ofthe Desert Knowledge CRC. Both these Committees reported through their respective Chairmen to the Board of theDesert Knowledge CRC.

Committee Meeting

Director Audit & Risk ManagementA B

Dr Rod Thiele (Chairman) 5 5Mr Noel Bridge 5 5Mr Paul Wand 5 5Ms Jan Ferguson 5 5Mr Ian McLay 1 1

A – Number of Meetings Attended

B – Number of Meetings held during the Directors term

11. Directors’ interests

No material contracts involving directors’ interests were entered into during the period or existed at the end of theperiod. This report is made in accordance with a resolution of the directors.

Jan Ferguson, Director

Ian McLay, Director

Date: 21 September, 2006 Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia


Financial reports


Statement of Income & Expenditure for the year ended 30 June 2006

Note 2006 2005$ $

Revenue from ordinary activities 2 17,864,955 16,607,027Expenses from ordinary activities 3 17,864,955 16,607,027

Operating Profit – –

Income Tax attributable to operating profit – –

Operating profit after income tax – –

The statement of financial performance should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes set out on pages 8 to 12.


Financial reports


Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2006

Note 2006 2005$ $

CURRENT ASSETSCash at Bank 4 3,860,546 3,491,162Receivables 5 283,910 15,632

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 4,144,456 3,506,794

NON-CURRENT ASSETSProperty, plant and equipment

TOTAL ASSETS 4,144,456 3,506,794

CURRENT LIABILITIESPayables 6 1,263,813 533,075Income received in advance 8 – 140,000Provisions 7 – 3,549Other 9(a) 2,880,643 2,830,170

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 4,144,456 3,506,794

TOTAL LIABILITIES 4,144,456 3,506,794

NET ASSETS – –

EQUITYRetained Profits – –

TOTAL EQUITY – –

The above statement of financial position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes set out on pages 8 to 12.


Financial reports


Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 30 June 2006

Note 2006 2005$ $

Cash flows from operating activitiesReceipts from governments and partners 6,172,763 4,825,001Payments to suppliers and employees (6,001,580) (5,021,709)Interest received 198,201 149,526

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 16 369,384 (47,182)

Net increase/(decrease) in cash held 369,384 (47,182)

Cash at the beginning of the financial year 3,491,162 3,538,344

CASH AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR 4 3,860,546 3,491,162

The statement of cash flows shown above should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes set out onpages 8 to 12.


Financial reports


Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2006

1. Summary of significant accounting policiesThis general purpose financial report has been prepared in accordance with Accounting Standards, other authoritativepronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board, Urgent Issues Consensus Views and the Corporations Law.

The principal accounting policies adopted in preparing the financial statements of the Company, Ninti One Limited, are statedto assist in a general understanding of these financial statements. These policies have been consistently applied by theCompany except as otherwise indicated.

The financial report is prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention and except where stated does not take intoaccount current valuations of non-current assets. The Company has not adopted a policy of revaluing non-current assets.

a) Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

The Company has adopted the policy of establishing that items having a prime cost greater than $5,000 will be treated as anon-current asset. All items of equipment below the cost of $5,000 are listed for control purposes. Depreciation of non-currentassets will be calculated on a straight line basis to write off the net or revalued amount of each item of property over itsexpected useful life to the Company.

The Company has not acquired any non-current assets with a prime cost greater than $5,000 in this financial year.

b) Research and development expenditure

Research and development costs are recognised as an expense in the period in which they are incurred and written off in thatperiod.

c) Operating revenue

Cash contributions from the Commonwealth Government and Partners (including Associate Partners) of the Companyrepresent operating revenue when expended on research projects.

In-kind contributions from Partners are brought to account as revenue received and expenditure incurred. In-kind contributionshave been valued on the basis of pre-agreed formulae which represent Partner’s underlying operating costs. Other revenueincludes interest income on short term investments.

d) Receivables

The collectability of debtors is reviewed on an on-going basis.

e) Trade and other creditors

These amounts have been accrued and represent liabilities for goods and services provided to the Company prior to the end ofthe financial year and which are unpaid. These amounts are unsecured and are usually paid within 14 days of recognition.

(f ) Cash Flows

For the purposes of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash includes cash on hand and deposits held at call with banks.

g) Recognition of Grant Income and Unexpended Grants

Grants, contributions and donations are recognised as revenues when the entity obtains control over the assets comprising thecontribution.


Financial reports


Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2006 (continued)

Where contributions recognised as revenues during the reporting period were obtained on the condition that they beexpended in a particular manner or used over a particular period, and those conditions were undischarged as at the reportingdate the unexpended portion of the grants have been shown as a current liability.

2) Revenue from ordinary activities$ $

2006 2005Cash carried forward from previous year 1,082,175 2,767,644

Revenue from operating activitiesContributions from governments and partners — cash 4,451,600 4,051,600Contributions from partners — in-kind 10,239,000 8,965,597

Revenue from other activitiesContract research 1,893,979 672,660Interest earned on surplus funds 198,201 149,526

Total revenue 17,864,955 16,607,027

3) Operating profit/loss(a) Expenses from ordinary activities

CashResearch 4,361,435 3,507,439Education 612,436 168,408Commercialisation/Technology Transfer 79,711 129,439Administration 968,253 716,242External communications 467,272 289,732

In-kindResearch 9,841,475 8,617,511Education 170,528 149,320Commercialisation/Technology Transfer 42,591 37,294Administration 184,406 161,472

(b) Unexpended contributions 1,136,848 2,830,170

Total expenses from ordinary activities 17,864,955 16,607,027

4) Cash assets

Cash on hand 110 110Cash at bank 6,328 106Deposits at call 3,854,108 3,490,946

3,860,546 3,491,162

Funds where possible are held in the Cash Management Account (at call) to maximise interest. Currently this fund is earning 5.85%.


Financial reports



$ $2006 2005

5) Receivables

Debtors 283,910 15,632

These are amounts invoiced to partners for amounts outstanding at 30 June 2006. One amount was for the recovery of conference costs.

6) Payables

Creditors and Accruals 1,263,813 533,075

7) Provisions

Employee annual leave entitlements – 3,549

8) Income received in advance

Income received from partners – 140,000

9a) Other

Unexpended Partner Contributions and Grants 2,880,643 2,830,170

9b) Contributions by partners during the year:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (OIPC) 500,000 500,000Curtin University of Technology 70,000 70,000Northern Territory Government 150,000 150,000Charles Darwin University 50,000 50,000Griffith University 60,000 60,000Optus SingTel Pty Ltd 100,000 100,000University of South Australia 50,000 50,000Newmont Mining Limited 200,000 200,000South Australian Department of WLBC 50,000 50,000Northern Territory Government Depart CDSCA 60,000 40,000Southern Cross University 10,000 10,000Australian National University 11,600 11,600Territory Insurance Office – 20,000

1,311,600 1,311,600

The comparative figures have been adjusted to show changes in presentation in the current year to show all partners and other contributors of funds towards the CRC’s operations.

10) Members’ guarantee

The Company is a public company limited by guarantee. If the Company is wound up, the Memorandum of Association statesthat each Member is required to contribute a maximum of $100 towards meeting any outstanding obligations of the Company.At 30 June 2006, the number of Members was 2.


Financial reports



$ $2006 2005

11) Remuneration of Directors

Income paid or payable, or otherwise made available, to directors by the Company or related parties in connection withthe management of affairs of the CompanyIncome paid or payable, or otherwise made available to directors by the Company or related parties, was within thespecified bands are as follows:

$15,000 to $50,000 2 1$50,001 to $150,000 1 1$150,001 to $200,000 1 1

12) Remuneration of auditors

Remuneration for the audit of the financial reports of the company 5,000 5,000Other services – –

5000 5000

13) Commitments for expenditure

As at the date of this report, the directors are not aware of any commitments in respect of expenditure as at the balancedate, beyond what has been reported herein.

14) Related parties

(a) Directors

The names of persons who were directors of Ninti One Limited at any time during the financial year are as follows:

Mr Paul Wand, Dr Mark Stafford Smith, Mr Manfred Claasz, Ms Jan Ferguson, Mr Harold Furber and Mr Ian McLay

(b) Remuneration and retirement benefits

Information on remuneration and retirement benefits of directors of the Company is disclosed in Note 11 of theaccounts.

The Partners are not considered to be related parties as defined in Accounting Standard AASB 124. No single Partner isin a position to control or significantly influence either or both, of the financial or operating policies of the Company.Furthermore, Members of the Board are not in a position to exercise control or significant influence over their respectiveentities.

15) Segment information

The activities of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2006 were in not-for-profit activities in promoting andestablishing co-operative research and development programmes, providing workshops and training facilities andpromoting technology transfer and commercialisation within Australia.


Financial reports



$ $2006 2005

16) Cash flow information

(a) Reconciliation of cash – –

Cash at the end of the financial year as shown in the Statement of Cash Flows is reconciled to the related items in the Statement of Financial Position as follows: – –

Cash at bank 3,860,546 3,491,162

(b) Reconciliation of cash flow from operations with profit from ordinary activities after income tax:

Surplus (Deficit) from ordinary activities after income tax – –Non-cash flows in profit from ordinary activities – –Changes in assets and liabilities:Decrease Income Received in Advance (140,000) –Decrease in receivables – 100,741Increase in receivables (268,278) –Decrease in payables – (141,270)Increase in payables 730,738Decrease in provisions (3,549) (6,653)Increase in Unexpended Partner & External Grant & Contributions Revenue 50,473

Cash Flows from operations 369,384 (47,182)

17) Financial instruments

(i) Credit risk exposure

The credit risk on financial assets of the Company which have been recognised on the balance sheet is generally thecarrying amount, net of any provision for doubtful debts.

(ii) Interest rate risk exposure

The only interest bearing financial asset is cash. All other financial assets/liabilities are non-interest bearing.

(iii) Net fair value of financial assets and liabilities

The net fair value of cash equivalents and non-interest bearing monetary financial assets and financial liabilities of theCompany approximate their carrying value.


Financial reports


In the opinion of the directors of Ninti One Limited:

(a) the financial statements and notes, set out on pages 1 to 12 are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001,including:

(i) giving a true and fair view of the financial position of the Company as at 30 June 2006 and its performance, asrepresented by the results of its operations and their cash flows, for the year ended on that date; and

(ii) complying with Accounting standards and the Corporations Regulations 2001; and

(b) there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Company will be able to pay its debts as and when they becomedue and payable.

Signed in accordance with a resolution of the directors.

Jan FergusonDirector

Ian McLayDirector

Dated this 21st day of September, 2006 at Alice Springs.

Directors’ Declaration for the year ended 30 June 2006


Financial reports


Independent Audit Report to the Members


Independent Audit Report to the Members (continued)

Financial reports



Auditor ’s Independence Declaration

Financial reports


Written by Bruderlin MacLeanPublishing Services(www.brumac.com.au) and theDesert Knowledge CooperativeResearch Centre

Cover design by Ruth Davies

Interior design by Ruth Daviesand Christine Bruderlin

Production by Bruderlin MacLeanPublishing Services

Front cover main photograph byJan Ferguson

Back cover photograph courtesyof Hema Maps

All other photographs by Desert Knowledge CRC andBarry Skipsey unless otherwisecredited

Printed by Greg Tapp Printing

Credits

List of abbreviationsABS Australian Bureau of Statistics

ACRIS Australian Collaborative RangelandsInformation System

AFLF Australian Flexible Learning Framework

AIATSIS Australian Institute of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Studies

ANU Australian National University

ARC Australian Research Council

ATSIC Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderCommission

ATSIS Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderServices

AusLEM Australian Land Erodibility Model

CAEPR Centre for Aboriginal Economic PolicyResearch

CALM Western Australian Department ofConservation and Land Management

CAT Centre for Appropriate Technology

CATIA Central Australian Tourism IndustryAssociation

CDU Charles Darwin University

CLC Central Land Council

CLMA Centralian Land ManagementAssociation

CRH Centre for Remote Health

CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and IndustrialResearch Organisation

CUT Curtin University of Technology

DAF Desert Advisory Forum

DAFF Commonweatlh Department ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

DAIS South Australian Department forAdministration and Information Services

DAWA Department of Agriculture, WesternAustralia

DBIRD Northern Territory Department ofBusiness, Industry and ResourceDevelopment

DEH Commonwealth Department of theEnvironment and Heritage

DEST Commonwealth Department ofEducation, Science and Training

DHCS Northern Territory Department ofHealth and Community Services

DHS SA Department of Human Services SouthAustralia

DIPE Northern Territory Department ofInfrastructure, Planning and theEnvironment

DKA Desert Knowledge Australia

DK-CRC Desert Knowledge Cooperative ResearchCentre

DPC Desert Peoples Centre

DWLBC South Australian Department of Water,Land and Biodiversity Conservation

GIS geographic information system

GU Griffith University

IHANT Indigenous Housing Authority of theNorthern Territory

IIPP Indigenous Intellectual Property Protocol

IP intellectual property

JCU James Cook University

LWA Land and Water Australia

MALU mobile adult learning unit

MU Murdoch University

NA Newmont Australia

NAIDOC National Aboriginal and Islander DayObservance Committee

NCVER National Centre for Vocational EducationResearch

NLP National Landcare Program

NRM natural resource management

NTG Northern Territory Government

NTTC Northern Territory Tourist Commission

OIPC Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination

OTD Northern Territory Office of TerritoryDevelopment

RPA regional partnership agreement

SCU Southern Cross University

SMEs small- to medium-sized enterprises

SO SingTel Optus Pty Ltd

STCRC Sustainable Tourism CooperativeResearch Centre

TUSA The University of South Australia

UA University of Adelaide

UQ University of Queensland

UW University of Wollongong

UWA University of Western Australia

VET vocational education and training

WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research CentrePO Box 2111Alice Springs NT 0871Australia

Phone (+61) 08 8950 7162Fax (+61) 08 8950 7187E-mail [email protected] www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au

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