ABSTRACT Media representations of Indigenous business shape public perceptions, investor confidence and consumer demand, influencing how Indigenous enterprises are valued and understood. This Indigenous‐led study systematically reviews grey literature on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses published between 2006 and 2024, analysing 1256 records from Australian and international outlets. Using an Indigenist research approach and applying PRISMA protocols, it examines how different geopolitical and cultural contexts construct Australian Indigenous economic participation. Findings show that Australian media attention fluctuates around policy milestones, especially the Indigenous Procurement Policy. Australian outlets often apply a dual framing logic, combining deficit‐oriented scrutiny of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations with supportive portrayals of private enterprise and government‐led initiatives. International coverage, led by India and the United States, has expanded steadily in line with diplomatic, policy, and trade interests. These outlets more often frame Australian Indigenous business as evidence of progressive national policy. Although Indigenous Australian voices appear more frequently over time, their narrative authority has declined, and deficit framings remain. The study shows that media shape not only how Australian Indigenous business is described but also how it is publicly understood. Strengthening media and policy practices that centre Australian Indigenous voices is essential for future economic narratives.

Reconciliation action plans (RAPs) are increasingly used by commercial organizations in Australia to demonstrate commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Framed as tools to promote understanding and address historical injustice, these documents also serve organizational interests, particularly in reputation management and corporate social responsibility (CSR). This research critically examined the structure, practices, portfolios, resources, and transparency of high-level RAPs of for-profit organizations operating in the state of Queensland, Australia. Drawing on frame analysis, critical discourse analysis (CDA), and commercial determinants of health frameworks, this study explored how reconciliation and associated commitments are defined, justified, and operationalized within corporate discourse. The analysis showed that resource-rich corporations leveraged their power to manage reconciliation as a corporate asset rather than address structural inequities. Five overlapping frames, 'instrumental reconciliation, performative accountability, symbolic leadership, truth signalling, and substantive recognition', were identified through which reconciliation is positioned within corporate discourse of legitimacy, measurement, and control. While many organizations adopt languages of codesign, self-determination, and cultural safety, translation into demonstrable processes and measurable outcomes remains inconsistent and limited. These findings highlight how RAPs can both provide entry points for engagement while simultaneously reinforcing existing power relations. The research contributes to understanding the commercial determinants influencing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing, calling for stronger accountability, transparency, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership within corporate reconciliation agendas.

Participatory research presents a promising way of working with Indigenous peoples, for whom food security is a priority, including in Canada, Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the United States of America. Other reviews have explored how food security policies and programs have been used to improve food security. This review aims to systematically examine the use of participatory research to improve food security by examining research practice and outcomes at the socio-ecological levels. A systematic search of six databases from 1974 to June 2025 was conducted. Research practice elements were assessed using The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool, and other selected questions. Outcomes were categorised according to socioecological level and data analysed using narrative synthesis. Twenty-four studies from 36 articles were included, 12 studies from the United States of America, nine from Canada, and three from Australia. Most studies reported use of most research practice elements; all studies employed strengths-based approaches and Indigenous paradigms. However, most studies were unclear on the protection of ownership of intellectual and cultural property. Four studies reported outcomes at the policy level, all (24) studies at a community level and 11 at an organisational level. Thirteen articles reported outcomes across more than one level. Food security-related outcomes were broad, in line with community priorities. We encourage journals to strengthen requirements in reporting around the protection of intellectual and cultural property, and cultural and theoretical positioning, and we encourage translational research that documents and publishes policy-level actions.

Gastronomy provides a lens through which food is understood not only as sustenance but also as a cultural, ecological, and socio-political practice. In Australia, native foods, which have long been central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food systems, are becoming more commonly associated with contemporary gastronomy through culinary innovation, functional food science, and sustainable production. This review examines the cultural, scientific, and ecological dimensions of Australian native foods, with focus on their phytochemical and nutritional profiles, their relationship to Indigenous knowledge systems, and their treatment within emerging gastronomic and food industry discourses. Key themes addressed include the interaction between intellectual property and Indigenous knowledge, the cultural and culinary significance of Australian native foods, and the scientific rationale for their application in chef-driven applications. Examples of species such as Kakadu plum, finger lime, lemon myrtle, bunya nut, and wattle seed are used to illustrate functional properties as evidenced by GC/LC-MS analysis and rheological studies. This review also examines sustainability and land stewardship, and the role of Indigenous ecological practices in supporting climate resilient native food systems. Collectively, the literature indicates that Australian native foods occupy a diverse range of nutrient-dense, culturally meaningful, and environmentally adaptive ingredients, whilst also highlighting ongoing challenges related to quality standardisation, protection of Indigenous rights, and sustainable supply chain development. These findings position Australian native foods as an important area of interdisciplinary inquiry at the intersection of gastronomy, food science, and Indigenous-led food systems research.

Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold deep cultural strengths, kinship structures, and knowledge systems that are central to health and wellbeing. Yet, health research in Australia has historically been dominated by deficit-based approaches, often overlooking Indigenous knowledges and leadership.Methods The Indigenous Health Research Priorities (I-Priorities) study aimed to prioritise Indigenous community voices in identifying health research priorities across Queensland, with a focus on early life, perinatal and family health. Using Indigenous Methodology and a participatory action research framework, communities across Far North, North, Central and South-East Queensland identified and refined their health research priorities. This was achieved in two phases: initial yarning sessions followed by Delphi workshops. Data were analysed thematically and validated through community review processes to ensure cultural integrity.Results The study engaged 403 participants through 40 yarning sessions and 13 Delphi workshops conducted between May 2022 and October 2024. The study included participants across diverse age groups, with 80.5% identifying as Indigenous. Communities consistently highlighted key health priorities, with an overwhelming number of participants identifying access to health services, particularly transport, affordability, and overcoming institutional racism. Social and emotional wellbeing, along with family and domestic violence, also emerged as top priorities. Overall, the findings affirm that Indigenous-led research provides solutions grounded in cultural strengths and guided by principles of self-determination.Conclusion The I-Priorities study offers a clear roadmap for aligning research, service delivery and policy with priorities defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, fostering stronger beginnings, healthier families and intergenerational wellbeing across Queensland. Importantly, findings from communities underscore that health equity requires more than biomedical solutions and demands sustained investment in cultural, social and structural determinants of health.

ISSUE ADDRESSED:Despite ongoing efforts, meaningful policy action to improve food security in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia remains limited. Compelling, values-based messaging may help drive change. This study explored public support for potential policies and the beliefs underpinning support or opposition, to inform future messaging on this issue. METHODS:We used street-intercepts to collect quantitative and qualitative data on community-identified policy actions. Narrative analysis identified underlying beliefs and structural elements of differing narratives. RESULTS:There was strong public support for government action, particularly for community-driven solutions such as community farming and healthy food subsidies. Policies such as increasing welfare payments received less support. Two key narratives were identified: one framing food security as a human right and government responsibility, and the other emphasising community self-determination and self-sufficiency. CONCLUSIONS:While support for improved food security in remote communities was high, the preferred options and rationales varied. The narratives used to explain support or opposition offer insights into beliefs and attitudes that may be salient to the wider population. SO WHAT?: Narrative-informed messaging could enhance public and policymaker support for community-led strategies to improve food security.

BACKGROUND:In Australia, billions of dollars are spent on Indigenous programs, services, and initiatives annually; however, more evidence is needed regarding which modes of commissioning program evaluations best benefit Indigenous communities. The Australian Productivity Commission called for 'more and better' evaluations of Indigenous programs, and commissioning processes that engage Indigenous communities, organisations, and leaders. So, too, have Indigenous representative organisations, Indigenous services, and stakeholders. To date, few studies have sought to characterise the commissioning practices of government and non-government organisations surrounding Indigenous health and wellbeing programs. Fewer still have investigated the role of Indigenous engagement and leadership before, during and after the commissioning process. METHODS:Using Indigenous Standpoint Theory and a qualitative approach, this study illuminates the perceptions of Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous commissioners, evaluators, and providers on the commissioning of evaluated Indigenous health and wellbeing programs. RESULTS:Building on a published scoping review by undertaking 23 qualitative interviews with 35 Australian-based participants about commissioning practices, this study verifies and canvases the strengths of individual commissioning models, and the interplay between power, cultural safety, and reciprocity in the commissioning space. The paper also considers the relationship between these three factors along a continuum of practice and posits a sliding scale across the five commissioning models. CONCLUSIONS:To improve the quality of evaluations further attention needs to be paid to the commissioner's cultural capability. Additionally, Commissioners need to develop their understanding of the relationship between Commissioner and Indigenous people's power and the utility of evaluations.

Purpose: Calls for evidence-based Indigenous health and wellbeing policy and practice development have increased over the last few decades. Funded evaluations of health and wellbeing programs provide a vital contribution to generating the evidence required to support these aims. The utility of program evaluations in contributing to this evidence base is often adversely affected by the processes surrounding their commissioning. Despite the importance of commissioning processes to the efficacy of Indigenous health and wellbeing evaluations, to date there are no developed models to support and guide good practice. Methods: This scoping review systematically searched literature from Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA to identify government and non-government agencies commissioning practices of Indigenous health and wellbeing program evaluations. Through this review, commissioning practices were characterised according to Indigenous good practice principles, and gaps in current knowledge in these practices were identified. Main findings: This review identified three key themes in commissioning practice: power, cultural safety and reciprocity. Through consideration of these principles, five models of current commissioning practice were defined: Indigenous-led, delegatory, co-design, participatory, and top down. The models represent a spectrum of Indigenous engagement, involvement and decision-making in the commissioning process, with Indigenous-led, delegatory and co-design being considered as good practice models, with higher levels of self-determination, power, respect, reciprocity and cultural safety. Principal conclusions: The defining of good practice models of evaluation commissioning provides a vital starting point to assist commissioners, evaluators and service providers in undertaking Indigenous health and wellbeing evaluations that both benefit Indigenous communities and provide much needed evidence to inform policy and commissioning practices. The defining of these models allows for further research into their practical application and opens possibilities for the development of guidelines to support better commissioning practice.

This work represents the second part of a general bibliometric analysis we have prepared for The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education (AJIE), motivated by the first 50 years of the journal. This study develops a graphical analysis of AJIE by using the VOSviewer software, Scopus and the Web of Science database. Utilising bibliometric methods such as co-citation, bibliographic coupling and co-occurrence of keywords in the VOSviewer software, this study reveals AJIE’s impact on key Indigenous education topics, including culturally responsive pedagogy, decolonisation, Indigenous health and teacher education. The analysis highlights AJIE’s strong national presence, supported by substantial contributions from Australian institutions, along with a modest yet notable level of international engagement, particularly from New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The journal’s transition to open access, combined with its inclusion in major academic indexes, has increased its visibility and citation reach, reinforcing its role as a leading publication in the field of Indigenous education.

Maternal and early childhood nutrition is foundational in setting the course for lifetime metabolic and disease outcomes. Food security influences the achievement of optimal diets; however, little is known about how traditional food intake may influence this dynamic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities. This study describes diets and food security status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant and breastfeeding women and children 6 months to 5 years in remote communities in Australia, and explores interactions between diet quality, food security and traditional food consumption. Baseline data from a trial testing a discount on healthy foods and drinks were used. Participants from eight communities (four each in coastal Cape York, Queensland and desert Central Australia, Northern Territory) participated in June–September 2021. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess usual intake and calculate a diet quality score. A modified version of the United States Department of Agriculture 18-item Household Food Security Scale Module measured food security status. A model was fitted to explore the interactions between diet quality, food security and traditional food consumption. Complete dietary data were available for 471 participants from 294 households. Average reported food group intakes of children were similar to recommended patterns, however except for adequate meat intakes those of women were not; mean diet quality scores were 23

Purpose Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) play a significant role in meeting the needs of local community members. The COVID-19 pandemic particularly impacted First Nations communities in Australia. This study focused on describing the importance of ACCOs in the context of providing support to their local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also explored the impact that the pandemic had on the wellbeing of staff in ACCOs. Methods This study used a mixed methods approach, where a survey was distributed and interviews were conducted with staff members who worked in ACCOs across the south-eastern coast of New South Wales, Australia. The survey was completed by 46 clinical and administrative staff members. The survey explored connection to place, the impact that COVID-19 had on the organisation, service delivery and staff members. A subsection also investigated staff attitudes toward COVID-19. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 management and executive staff members. Interview topics examined how ACCOs differ from mainstream services and how services responded to COVID-19. Main findings This study found that organisations, service delivery and staff were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACCO sector responded to the pandemic by adapting to meet the complex and changing needs of the local First Nations community. The ACCO sector has a unique approach to service provision, including governance systems, relationships with community and connection to place, which enabled the sector to keep community safe. The ACCO services involved in this study adapted service delivery in innovative ways and remained focused on providing care for community. However, staff were impacted during this response, which was made more challenging as they were also managing additional stressors in their home lives. Principal conclusions The findings described the unique qualities of the ACCO sector and how the sector continued to provide culturally safe and place-based services across the south-eastern coast of New South Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to understand how to best support staff members in ACCOs during times of crises.

This comprehensive bibliometric analysis of The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education (AJIE) traces its development and scholarly influence from 1973 to 2023, highlighting its evolution from a focus on Aboriginal education to a broader scope encompassing Indigenous education across Australia and Oceania. Leveraging data from Scopus and Web of Science, this analysis examines AJIE’s publication and citation trends, influential articles, leading authors and institutions, and thematic progressions within the journal. The findings demonstrate AJIE’s significant national influence, supported by substantial contributions from Australian institutions, along with a meaningful, albeit smaller, presence of international research, particularly from New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The shift to open access and inclusion in prominent academic indexes has furthered AJIE’s accessibility and citation reach, solidifying its status as a primary publication in Indigenous education scholarship.

This study aimed to determine the relative validity of dietary quality index scores estimated using the updated version of the Menzies Remote Short-item Dietary Assessment Tool (MRSDAT), a food frequency questionnaire developed for use with remote Indigenous communities in Australia. This validation study compares scores derived from the updated MRSDAT with those derived from 24-h recalls. Participants from nine remote communities across three discrete regions of Australia (Central Australia, North Northern Territory and Cape York) participated in June–September 2021, or May–July 2022. Participants were Indigenous children aged six months to five years, pregnant and/or breastfeeding Indigenous women, and overweight adult Indigenous males and females. The agreement between methods was explored using Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), Bland–Altman plots, weighted Cohen’s kappa, paired samples t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Primary comparisons were completed for the whole sample, and primary and secondary comparisons for only participants with ≥ 2 × 24 h recalls. Ninety-nine participants were recruited. The MRSDAT estimated dietary quality index scores 0.31/100 points higher than 24-h recall estimates for participants with ≥ 2 × 24-h recalls, and 0.18/100 points higher for all participants, with consistent results for adults and children (CCC = Rc 0.58, 95