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A Reconsideration of the Political Significance of Shared Responsibility Agreements
Author(s) -
Strakosch Elizabeth
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian journal of politics and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-8497
pISSN - 0004-9522
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8497.2009.01506a.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , government (linguistics) , politics , ideology , commission , corporate governance , public administration , political science , software deployment , political economy , business , sociology , law , finance , engineering , ecology , linguistics , software engineering , biology , philosophy
The 1996–2007 Howard Coalition government introduced Shared Responsibility Agreements in 2005 to allocate discretionary funding to indigenous communities in a “mutually responsible” way. The policy was widely criticized as an ineffective and ideologically driven “showpiece”. Its significant governance‐building dimensions went without comment. Through the deployment of the conceptual tools of contract and governance, SRAs established new and depoliticised relationships between government and indigenous peoples, replacing the centralized political structure of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. The future of the policy under the Rudd Government is uncertain, but understanding the impacts and implications of SRAs remains important.