Insights + Publications.

  • A desert landscape at sunset with sparse vegetation and a gravelly ground, and the sun on the horizon.

    Disclosure Integrity & First Nations Governance - White Paper

    This white paper examines the integrity gaps in current sustainability and social disclosures as they relate to First Nations rights, governance, and accountability. It outlines why disclosure without governance alignment risks misrepresentation, regulatory exposure, and long-term value erosion.

    Jan 2026

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  • A desert landscape during sunset with sparse vegetation and small trees.

    Economic Participation or Extraction? - Essay

    This essay interrogates prevailing models of Indigenous economic participation, challenging the conflation of activity with empowerment. It reframes participation through the lenses of agency, capability, ownership, and power, exposing how extractive dynamics persist under the language of inclusion.

    December 2025

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  • Cover page of a guide titled 'First Nations Engagement Guide: A Resource for Integrity-Led Partnership' with a background image of a desert landscape at sunset, featuring sparse vegetation and bushes.

    First Nations Engagement Guide

    This guide sets out a governance-informed approach to First Nations engagement, moving beyond consultation and transactional relationships. It supports organisations to design engagement practices that are culturally legitimate, accountable, and aligned with long-term impact.

    Aug 2025

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  • Cover of a white paper titled 'First Nations Strategic Alignment Framework,' published in June 2025, featuring a sunset over a desert landscape with shrubs.

    First Nations Strategic Alignment Framework (FNSAF) - White Paper

    This white paper introduces the First Nations Strategic Alignment Framework, an industry-driven benchmark for aligning organisational strategy, governance, and ESG practice with First Nations rights and interests. It sets out the rationale, structure, and application of FNSAF as a tool for long-term accountability.

    June 2025

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  • Cover of a report titled 'First Nations Governance: A Systems Guide for ESG, Policy, and Institutional Engagement,' dated June 2025, over a landscape photograph of a desert sunset with sparse vegetation and bushes.

    First Nations Governance Guide

    This guide provides a clear articulation of First Nations governance, its disruption through colonial systems, and its relevance to contemporary institutions. It is designed for boards, executives, and policy leaders seeking to understand governance as a foundation for ethical and effective decision-making.

    June 2025

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  • Desert landscape at sunset with dry red soil and sparse vegetation, including small bushes and cacti, under a partly cloudy sky, with a warm glow from the setting sun.

    Cultural Authority Explainer

    This explainer clarifies the concept of cultural authority and its distinction from representation, identity, or consultation. It supports organisations to recognise where authority sits, why it matters, and how misuse creates material governance and reputational risk.

    June 2025

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  • Cover page of the 2024 Sector Pathways Review report by the Climate Change Authority, featuring silhouettes of two people in front of solar panels and wind turbines.

    Climate Change Authority - Sector Pathways Review

    First Nations Affairs supported the Climate Change Authority’s sector pathways work by identifying and articulating First Nations risks, rights, and governance considerations across transition planning.

    Oct 2024

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  • Cover page of the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, Version 1 – 2025, published by the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute with a blue background, green stripe on the left, and abstract white lines outlining a continent shape.

    Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy — First Nations Minimum Social Safeguards

    First Nations Affairs led the development of First Nations Minimum Social Safeguards for Australia’s sustainable finance taxonomy.

    April 2025

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  • Cover page of the 2024 First Nation Peoples Statement on Climate Change, featuring green, blue, and teal colors with stylized natural landscape and newspaper pattern elements.

    CSIRO / 2024 First Nations Peoples Statement on Climate Change

    First Nations Affairs supported the development of the 2024 First Nations Peoples Statement on Climate Change, submitted to the Australian Government following the National First Peoples Gathering on Climate Change.

    Sept 2025

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  • Article discussing how supporting Indigenous economies can help solve climate change, featuring Rebecca Blurton, a Ballardong Noongar advisor working with climate-focused organizations.

    How Supporting Indigenous Economies Can Help Solve Climate Change - SBS

    Article by Bec Blurton.

    Jan 2025

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  • Screenshot of an online news article titled "As we face a climate crisis, corporate responsibility and collaboration are overdue," focusing on climate change, corporate responsibility, and sustainable business practices.

    As We Face a Climate Crisis, Corporate Responsibility and Collaboration Are Overdue - Women’s Agenda

    Article by Bec Blurton.

    Feb 2025

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  • Australian and Aboriginal flags flying against a blue sky.

    First Nations Governance Lacking Amid Growing Shareholder and Consumer ESG Pressure - The Fifth Estate

    Article by Bec Blurton.

    May 2025

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