TY - JOUR
T1 - Much being Written about Us, not much being Written with Us
T2 - Examining how alcohol and other drug use by indigenous Australians is portrayed in Australian Government policies and strategies: A discourse analysis
AU - Gentile, Victoria
AU - Jobson, Laura
AU - Carter, Adrian
AU - Adams, Karen
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nations, on whose land they work, and pay their respects to their Elders, past and present – acknowledging that their sacred bonds to this land remain unbroken, and unceded.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - Background: Using critical discourse analysis, this study examined the portrayal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Government policies regarding alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Methods: We used critical discourse analysis, informed by an Indigenous Research Paradigm, to analyse texts and contexts of six key Australian Government AOD drug policies; two Aboriginal AOD data documents, two reporting documents and two AOD strategy documents. Results: The social practice analysis found issues of power imbalance relating to the socio-political situation the documents were created in. Textual analysis identified: culture being performative or functional in documents; cultural unsafety in construction of targets and outcomes, and; the decentring of Aboriginal peoples in the framing of the documents. The discourse analysis identified that the documents often wrote about Aboriginal peoples rather than writing documents with or by Aboriginal peoples. This typically: absented complexities of consultation occurring within a complex power imbalanced cultural interface; did not support an Aboriginal paradigm; centred Gubba people in power and; promoted a paternalistic view of ‘helping’ Aboriginal people. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to move from policy relating to Aboriginal affairs that relies on a deficit discourse, to more effective AOD policy that improves power balance in policy development, is written with or by Aboriginal people, is inclusive of Aboriginal epistemologies and ontologies, and represents a paradigm-shift to a strength-based approach.
AB - Background: Using critical discourse analysis, this study examined the portrayal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Government policies regarding alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Methods: We used critical discourse analysis, informed by an Indigenous Research Paradigm, to analyse texts and contexts of six key Australian Government AOD drug policies; two Aboriginal AOD data documents, two reporting documents and two AOD strategy documents. Results: The social practice analysis found issues of power imbalance relating to the socio-political situation the documents were created in. Textual analysis identified: culture being performative or functional in documents; cultural unsafety in construction of targets and outcomes, and; the decentring of Aboriginal peoples in the framing of the documents. The discourse analysis identified that the documents often wrote about Aboriginal peoples rather than writing documents with or by Aboriginal peoples. This typically: absented complexities of consultation occurring within a complex power imbalanced cultural interface; did not support an Aboriginal paradigm; centred Gubba people in power and; promoted a paternalistic view of ‘helping’ Aboriginal people. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to move from policy relating to Aboriginal affairs that relies on a deficit discourse, to more effective AOD policy that improves power balance in policy development, is written with or by Aboriginal people, is inclusive of Aboriginal epistemologies and ontologies, and represents a paradigm-shift to a strength-based approach.
KW - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
KW - Australian Government policy
KW - critical discourse analysis
KW - Indigenous
KW - substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138107451&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103855
DO - 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103855
M3 - Article
C2 - 36130419
AN - SCOPUS:85138107451
SN - 0955-3959
VL - 109
JO - International Journal of Drug Policy
JF - International Journal of Drug Policy
M1 - 103855
ER -
