Governance Our Way: An Introduction to Aboriginal Governance in Practice

"Governance Our Way" is a resource from Relational Intelligence that introduces Aboriginal governance in practice. The resource explains that most governance models are built on hierarchy, ownership and control, and offers Aboriginal governance as a different way of organising people, relationships and responsibility, one developed over tens of thousands of years and grounded in Country.

The resource moves through several themes: the foundations of Aboriginal governance in Country, law and relationship; how authority and leadership work differently to conventional hierarchy; and what this means in practice for decision-making, accountability and success. It uses direct quotes from Elders and practitioners throughout, alongside a real-world example of an Aboriginal enterprise, to ground the concepts in lived experience rather than theory alone.

It is designed as a starting point for reflection, not a complete how-to, and it says as much itself, describing Aboriginal governance as something learned through ongoing practice and relationship rather than reading alone. It closes by inviting readers to consider whether their own partnerships and ways of working are genuinely reciprocal or merely transactional.