Local cross-cultural planning and decision-making with indigenous people in Broome,Western Australia

Abstract

Recent debates concerning the relationship between communication, democracy and justice have implications for the analysis of local government land use decision-making. This is particularly true where local government decisions impact on people with a range of racial and cultural identities, especially marginalised indigenous people. The authors explore Young's theory of democracy and difference and develop a model of communication and democracy in which all discussions and exchanges between people are inter-related in a spiralling process of decision-making. This model is used to analyse the impact of local government land use decision-making in Broome, Western Australia on local indigenous people. Theoretical concerns with difference can offer insights into the ways in which relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Australia are structured. These theoretical arguments, however, need to be carefully related to indigenous concerns and, in this instance, local government relationships with indigenous people over meanings of land and debates about its use. In the case of Broome, only through new ways of thinking about equality and difference, society and justice¹ can there be a reconciliation in local government areas between indigenous and settler Australians.