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Enacting sovereign rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in official statistics and other data - Dr Kalinda Griffiths

  • 15 Nov 2022
  • 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM (AEDT)
  • Old Geology Lecture Theatre 1 (room G04), University of Melbourne, Parkville; or online via Zoom

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Join the SSA Vic branch in-person or online to hear from Dr Kalinda Griffiths in her talk "Enacting sovereign rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in official statistics and other data". Following the talk, there will be an informal dinner that in-person attendees are welcome to attend (at their own expense).

Abstract:

The realisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia to be counted in official statistics occurred in 1967. The identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in national data highlights a range of historical and contemporary issues that require our attention. This includes how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been defined and by whom, as well as how identification is operationalised in official data collections. Furthermore, the completeness and accuracy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identified in the data and the impact this has on the measurement of health and wellbeing must also be taken into account. Official national reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is calculated using data from censuses, vital statistics, and existing administrative data collections and/or surveys. In alignment with human rights standards, individuals in Australia can opt to self-identify as ‘Indigenous’ in the data. However, challenges persist in deriving quality ‘Indigenous’ data that can be used for the purposes of monitoring health, social and economic progress in Australian society. Current developments in Indigenous Data Sovereignty have moved from identifying principles of ownership, control and protection of the data to operationalising these at the population level. This talk discusses priority issues in identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the national data in Australia’s colonial context and some ways forward in enacting the sovereign rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to support nation building.

Speaker bio

Kalinda Griffiths

Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Kalinda is a Yawuru woman of Broome, born and living in Darwin. She is a Scientia Lecturer and epidemiologist at the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW. Her research addresses the quality and governance of data that focuses on equity, the measurement of health disparities, and improving health services and outcomes. She holds honorary fellowships at the University of Melbourne and Menzies School of Health Research, is Research and Education Lead Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre and is also Deputy Editor of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia.

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