26837 Indigenous Economic Development and Finance

Description

Indigenous peoples and nations have a long history of trade across the continent and with our international neighbours. From the time of colonisation, we rapidly adapted our economies of food, resources and commodities in courageous endeavours in the new economic structures. This was followed by policies and laws taking land and food sources, enforcing economic exclusion, forced, unpaid labour and other restrictions. More recently, First Nations peoples have engaged more fully in economic development and financial services. This subject builds on the core finance concepts and incorporates Indigenous values and experience in investment, credit, insurance and superannuation. It examines the issues surrounding economic development as a tool for Indigenous nations and communities to achieve their goals on their own terms. The subject covers a broad range of issues including Indigenous nation-owned enterprises, entrepreneurship, procurement, Indigenous nation public finance, sovereignty, cultural preservation, constitutional reform and the development of an Indigenous nation’s governance infrastructure, resource security, social welfare, and education, among others.