Linda Thomson

• BA (Hons) Qld

Linda has a Graduate Diploma in Graphic Design (1992) and a BA (Hons) in Anthropology (UQ 2002).

Linda’s honours thesis was titled "Indigenous Land and Resource Management and the Process of Reconciliation in Australia". The thesis centred on the conflicting views held by the then Australian Government and Indigenous Australians as to what is considered important and necessary in achieving reconciliation. While the Howard Government believed that reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians would only be achieved through the implementation of ‘practical’ policies and programs, Indigenous Australians claim that, in addition to practical measures, an understanding of the deeper underlying issues of disadvantage is required, in particular, the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ continuing relationship with the land, sea and natural resources.

Linda’s interests lie in the areas of Indigenous rights, cultural heritage, land issues and reconciliation. She is particularly interested in Aboriginal social issues such as alcohol abuse and deaths in custody. Over the previous years, Linda has been involved in a number of projects including the “Indigenous Mobility in Discrete and Rural Settlements” Project in which she conducted fieldwork in two Aboriginal communities to find out about people’s travel patterns so as to determine what further support and facilities are needed in remote communities. She also worked on a project funded by the CRC for Sustainable Tourism which looked at the utilization of mining project infrastructure to support sustainable Indigenous tourism activities in Northern Australia.