Publications & videos | Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership - UNSW Sydney

Explore our publications to better understand the important work of the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership with the Dharriwaa Elders Group. Below are publications covering all of the aspects of our work.

Mel Flanagan & May Miller-Dawkins (2025) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Policy Paper: Making government finances make sense for communities.

Alicia Dunning, Devanshi Gala, Loretta Weatherall, Tyrin Hickey, Christine Corby AM, Trish Tonkin, Ann-Marie Deane, Wendy Spencer, Ruth McCausland, Keziah Bennett-Brook & Jacqui Webster (2025) Food and Water for Life: Strengthening community-led initiatives, 2019-2024.

Ruth McCausland, Rebecca Reeve, Peta MacGillivray & May Miller-Dawkins (2024) Yuwaya Ngarra-li 2020-2023 Evaluation and Learning Report.

May Miller-Dawkins, Wendy Spencer & Ruth McCausland (2024) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Processes to enable community-led, systemic and collaborative change.

Peta MacGillivray, Zoe Sands, Ruth McCausland, Wendy Spencer & May Miller-Dawkins (2024) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Lessons from the Two River Pathway to Change Diversion Model 2018–2023.

Rebecca Reeve, Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray & Virginia Robinson (2024) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Data Linkage.

Peta MacGillivray, Rebecca Reeve & Ruth McCausland (2023) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Dealing with Fines.

Samantha Rich (2023) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Housing in Walgett.

Trish Tonkin, Ann-Marie Deane, Alinta Trindall, Loretta Weatherall, Ty Madden, Bruce Moore, Niall Earle, Melissa Nathan, Sera Young, Ruth McCausland, Greg Leslie, Keziah Bennett-Brook, Wendy Spencer, Christine Corby, Jacqui Webster & Emalie Rosewarne (2023) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Community Briefing Report: Food and Water for Life, Key findings from the Food and Water Security Surveys in Walgett.

Niall Earle, Wendy Spencer, Ruth McCausland, Pauline Futeran, Jacqui Webster & Greg Leslie (2023) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Walgett’s Drinking Water.

Mel Flanagan & May Miller-Dawkins in collaboration with Wendy Spencer & Ruth McCausland (2022) Creating better futures with contracts, Yuwaya Ngarra-li Policy Paper.

Bob Davidson (2022) Caring for Elders, Community and Culture: A study of the potential impact of changes to the funding of home care on the aged care services provided by Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG), Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper.

Rebecca Reeve, Ruth McCausland & Peta MacGillivray (2022) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Research Report: Has criminal justice contact for young people in Walgett changed over time? Analysis of diversions, charges, court and custody outcomes 2016-2021.

Niall Earle (2022) Sustaining the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Community Garden.

Virginia Robinson (2020) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Research Brief: Core Principles of our Partnership, Dharriwaa Elders Group.

Ruth McCausland (2018) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Youth Justice Report.

Ruth McCausland, Elizabeth McEntyre & Eileen Baldry (2017) Indigenous People, Mental Health, Cognitive Disability and the Criminal Justice System, Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse.

Eileen Baldry, Ruth McCausland, Leanne Dowse & Elizabeth McEntyre (2015) A Predictable and Preventable Path: Aboriginal people with mental and cognitive disabilities in the criminal justice system, UNSW Sydney.
Ruth McCausland (2018, updated 2022 and 2024) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Research Protocol.

Rebecca Reeve, Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray & Virginia Robinson (2022) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Data Linkage Protocol Version 2 October 2022
Nellie Pollard-Wharton, Amy Townsend, BJ Newton, Melanie Andersen, Rona Macniven, Christine Corby, Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray, Wendy Spencer, Kate Hunter, Kathleen Clapham, Christine Erskine, Madeleine Powell & Rebecca Q Ivers (2025) ''Better together': codesign of Aboriginal unintentional child injury prevention programme', Injury Prevention, Online First. 

Amy Townsend, Rona Macniven, Nellie Pollard-Wharton, Melanie Andersen, Madeleine Powell, Sallie Cairnduff, Ruth McCausland, Christine Corby, Kathleen Clapham & Rebecca Q Ivers (2025) ''They have a really good way of getting it to the kids': evaluation of a child injury prevention programme in Walgett, New South Wales', Injury Prevention, Online First. 

Lisa Ewenson, Christine Corby, Vanessa Hickey, Wendy Spencer, Peta MacGillivray & Ruth McCausland (2025) 'Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations and disaster response', Alternative Law Journal 50(2): 145-149. 

Sacha Kendall Jamieson, Wendy Spencer, Virginia Robinson, Ruth McCausland, Melanie Andersen, Rona Macniven, Vanessa Hickey & Peta MacGillivray (2025) 'A Community-Led Approach to Understanding How Service Providers Can Support 'Ageing well' for Older Aboriginal People in Australia', Journal of Gerontological Social Work 68(4): 509-536. 

Loretta Weatherall, Alinta Trindall, Trish Tonkin, Joseph Alvin Santos, Dori Patay, Ruth McCausland, Wendy Spencer, Greg Leslie, Eileen Baldry, Keziah Bennett-Brook, Julieann Coombes, Tamara Mackean, Janani Shanthosh, Ty Madden, Bruce Moore, Ann-Marie Deane, Niall Earle, Christine Corby, Melissa Nathan, Sera L Young, Emalie Rosewarne & Jacqui Webster (2025) 'Measuring Food and Water Security in an Aboriginal Community in Regional Australia', The Australian Journal of Rural Health 33(1): e13214.

Emalie Rosewarne, Trish Tonkin, Alinta Trindall, Joseph Alvin Santos, Dori Patay, Ruth McCausland, Wendy Spencer, Christine Corby, Julieann Coombes, Tamara Mackean, Greg Leslie, Niall Earle, Eileen Baldry, Janani Shanthosh, Ty Madden, Ann-Marie Deane, Loretta Weatherall, Bruce Moore, Keziah Bennett-Brook & Jacqui Webster (2024) 'Food intake in an Australian Aboriginal rural community facing food and water security challenges: A cross-sectional survey', Nutrition & Dietetics Early View 82(1): 86-96.

Ruth McCausland, May Miller-Dawkins, Peta MacGillivray, Rebecca Reeve, I Burton-Clark & Samantha Rich (2024) 'Research, Learning and Evaluation in the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership: How UNSW is Enabling Elders' Vision for Change', Transform: the Journal of Engaged Scholarship 8:17-43.

Rebecca Reeve, Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray & Virginia Robinson (2024) 'Community-led diversion of Indigenous young people from the justice system: The role of government administrative data', International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice 76(100650).

Ruth McCausland, Sacha Kendall Jamieson, Virginia Robinson, Wendy Spencer, Peta MacGillivray & Melanie Andersen (2023) 'Elders' perspectives and priorities for ageing well in a remote Aboriginal community', Ageing & Society, 45(1): 31-54.

Ashleigh Chanel Hart, Emalie Rosewarne, Wendy Spencer, Ruth McCausland, Greg Leslie, Janani Shanthosh, Christine Corby, Keziah Bennett- Brook & Jacqui Webster (2021) 'Indigenous Community-Led Programs to Address Food and Water Security: Protocol for a Systematic Review', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, pp. 6366- 6366.

Ruth McCausland, Wendy Spencer, Peta MacGillivray, Virginia Robinson, Vanessa Hickey, Eileen Baldry & Elizabeth McEntyre (2021) 'CommUNIty-Led development: A partnership to realize Aboriginal Elders’ vision for change', Community Development, 52(5): 573-591.

Ruth McCausland & Leanne Dowse (2020) 'The need for a community-led, holistic service response to Aboriginal young people with cognitive disability in remote areas: A case study', Children Australia, vol. 45, pp. 326-334.

Eileen Baldry, Ruth McCausland, Leanne Dowse, Elizabeth McEntyre & Peta MacGillivray (2016) '‘It’s just a big vicious cycle that swallows them up': Indigenous people with mental and cognitive disabilities in the criminal justice system', Indigenous Law Bulletin, vol. 8, pp. 10 - 16. 
Peta MacGillivray, Virginia Robinson & Ruth McCausland (2025) 'An Elders-Led Response to the Criminalisation of Aboriginal Young People in a Remote Community', Chapter 31 in the Routledge International Handbook of Critical Policing Studies.
Samantha Rich, Ruth McCausland, Wendy Spencer & Peta MacGillivray (2024) 'How can we make design decisions meaningful?', Architecture Australia (Jul/Aug).

Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray, Sacha Kendall Jamieson & Virginia Robinson (2023) ‘The aged care system has failed Aboriginal people. Here's what Elders say needs to change’, The Conversation, 14 September.

Vanessa Hickey, Wendy Spencer & Jacqui Webster (2020) ‘Walgett community unites to tackle pandemic-related food shortages’, Croakey, 8 April.

Peta MacGillivray (2020) ‘When public health becomes punitive, rather than supporting communities’, Croakey, 8 April.

Ruth McCausland (2019) ‘New report documents a community-led response to a health crisis in Walgett, NSW’, Croakey, 26 June.

Ruth McCausland (2018) ‘Dharriwaa Elders Group launches a vision for young people in Walgett’, Croakey, 6 June.

Yuwaya Ngarra-li (2018) Action Plan for Children and Young People.
Yuwaya Ngarra-li Partnership (2024) Australia's Youth Justice and Incarceration System, submission to the Federal Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2024) Community safety in regional and rural communities, submission to the NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2024) Statuory Review of the Crown Land Management Act 2016, submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2024) Inquiry into the National Water Initiative, submission to the Productivity Commission.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2023) Inquiry into the Water Amendment (Restoring our Rivers) 2023, submission to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2023) Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Draft Report, submission to the Productivity Commission.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2023) Review of the Gwydir Regulated River Water Sharing Plan, submission to the NSW Natural Resources Commission.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2023) Murray-Darling Basin Plan: Implementation Review 2023, submission to the Productivity Commission.

Virginia Robinson & Ruth McCausland (2023) Yuwaya Ngarra-li submission: Youth Justice and Child Wellbeing Reform across Australia, submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2022) Some responses to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage (Culture is Identity) Bill 2022, submission to the NSW Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee.

Dharriwaa Elders Group & Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (2022) Inquiry into food production and supply in NSW, submission to the NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning.

Dharriwaa Elders Group, Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations & Environmental Defenders Office (2020) Manifestations of Aboriginal water dispossession in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment.

Dharriwaa Elders Group & Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (2020) Inquiry into food prices and food security in remote Indigenous communities, submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs.

Yuwaya Ngarra-li (2019) Indigenous Evaluation Strategy, submission to the Productivity Commission.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2019) A brief submission in response to the Draft Barwon-Darling Watercourse and Namoi Water Resource Plans ("WRPs"), submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Dharriwaa Elders Group (2018) Response to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2018, submission to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
Government finances, community control & improving outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people

Explore how our recent policy papers can assist governments in working to increase Aboriginal community control, through the example of youth wellbeing in Walgett.

What does an impactful community-centred learning experience look like?

Watch the recording of the launch of the video 'Community-centred learning experiences: Who benefits?' introduced by Prof. Verity Firth and followed by a discussion panel with UNSW staff and students.

UNSW Diversity Festival 2024 | Putting it into practice: How can EDI be implemented? A conversation with Gemma McKinnon

Yuwaya Ngarra-li's event for the 2024 Diversity Festival, held by the Division of Societal Impact, Equity & Engagement.

Yuwaya Ngarra-li 2020-2023 Evaluation and Learning Report | Author discussion

Join the authors of the report as they discuss the methodology and findings of the evaluation, and reflect on what it takes to see the outcomes achieved for Aboriginal people in Walgett.

Confronting carceral and interpersonal violence and reimagining justice

Join Yuwaya Ngarra-li's Peta MacGillivray in conversation with A/Prof Reuben Miller (University of Chicago), where they explored his research on race, hyperincarceration and the criminal legal system.

Yuwaya Ngarra-li pub talks: Community-led youth diversion & data linkage

Our first Pub(lication) Talks event with staff discussing recent publications about data linkage and youth justice.

Dealing with Fine Debt

Hear from key representatives of the Dharriwaa Elders Group, Aboriginal Legal Service and UNSW Sydney about their work to address fine debt in Walgett.

UNSW Diversity Festival 2023 | More than Diversity? Keynote and panel discussion

What does 'diversity' actually mean, and how can we move beyond this concept to better achieve equity? How do institutions need to change to dismantle structures of power and privilege?

In Conversation with Samantha Rich

Join Yuwaya Ngarra-li UNSW Director Ruth McCausland in conversation with Wiradjuri building designer and Masters of Architecture graduate Samantha Rich.

Food & Water Security in Walgett

Hear from key Walgett Food and Water for Life collaborators from DEG, WAMS, UNSW and TGI on the ongoing community-led efforts to improve food and water security in Walgett.

Community-led Research, Government Data, and Indigenous Data Governance

Hear about the approach of the Dharriwaa Elders Group-UNSW partnership to community-led research, government data and Indigenous Data Governance.

Ethical Research with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations

In this webinar, the first in the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Webinar Series, you will hear from Partnership staff and Aboriginal researchers who collaborate with us across UNSW and Walgett.