Guides
First Nations Governance, First Nations Affairs
This guide explains why genuine Indigenous governance requires real decision-making authority, not just consultation with suggestions for how to embed it. It makes clear the difference between tokenistic advisory roles and legitimate power-sharing structures that respect First Nations authority over Country and culture.
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What you'll learn:
- The difference between consultation, representation, and actual governance authority.
- Why cultural legitimacy matters and how to identify it.
- Common governance failures (advisory groups with no power, unclear terms of reference, symbolic rather than structural roles).
- How to design legitimate governance structures with clear accountability.
- Different models that work: Elders Councils, Advisory Groups, Cultural Governance Committees.
- How to properly embed First Nations governance into organisational decision-making.
- Connection to the FNSAF (First Nations Strategic Alignment Framework) for ESG and policy implementation.
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