The team takes great care to ensure that the principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Sovereignty are upheld in this research. 

 

We have adopted the definition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Sovereignty from the Maiam Nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective:  

• “IDS is the right of Indigenous people to exercise ownership over Indigenous Data. Ownership of data can be expressed through the creation, collection, access, analysis, interpretation, management, dissemination and reuse of Indigenous Data”. (Maiam Nayri Wingara, 2018; https://www.maiamnayriwingara.org/) 

 

Put simple, our understanding of obeying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Sovereignty principles means that as researchers, we respect the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants have a right to retain ownership of the data they provide to researchers and have an ongoing say on how this data is used and treated. 

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A couple of other definitions: 

“In Australia, ‘Indigenous Data’ refers to information or knowledge, in any format or medium, which is about and may affect Indigenous peoples both collectively and individually.” (Maiam Nayri Wingara, 2018; https://www.maiamnayriwingara.org/) 

 

Throughout the RAAYS project, we are collecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents’ experiences and responses to racism and microaggressions, as well as data on what these adolescents think about daily diary (DD) methodology to study microaggressions. 

• “‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Governance’ refers to the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to autonomously decide what, how and why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data are collected, accessed and used. It ensures that data on or about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reflects our priorities, values, cultures, worldviews and diversity.” (Maiam Nayri Wingara, 2018; https://www.maiamnayriwingara.org/) 

 

In AAERS, data governance means that decisions about what happens to the information provided by participants are made in consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Specifically, decisions around: 

1. Which groups of people hold the data 

   1. The data will be held under password protection at Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre, Murdoch University 

2. Which groups of people have the authority to access and use the data 

   1. CI Uink and CI Brand will have access to the raw data- this includes names of participants who have taken part in the study attached to what they say in the study 

   2. All other research team members will have access to deidentified data 

3. How the data will be used 

   1. To answer the research questions: 

      1. What are the types, contexts and frequencies of racism and microaggressions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents experience daily? 

      2. Does the concept of microaggressions resonate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents and do similar categories of microaggressions apply to them? 

      3. What are the positive ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents are responding to daily racism and microaggressions? 

      4. What are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents’ thoughts on DD methodology for studying microaggressions? 

   2. In answering these research questions, the data will be used by our research team for peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and community reports.  

   3. To develop a short survey of microaggressions for use in future studies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents 

   4. To educate participants’ schools and communities about the impact of racism and microaggressions and advocate for the implementation of anti-racist practices. 

 

​The first step of the data governance protocol will consist of members of the AAERS research team, along with the manager of the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre, assessing the request’s suitability to be submitted to the participants for consideration. 

 

Questions that the data governance mechanism will answer include: 

• Requests from community members, or academics external to the project (i.e., potential collaborators) to use the data to answer a research question outside the scope outlined above. 

• Requests from community members, or academics external to the project (i.e., potential collaborators) to access the data to answer a research question within the scope outlined above 

• Requests from community members for a project finding to be suppressed or have limited dissemination 

• Requests from community members for project data to be deleted. DATA WILL NOT BE DELETED UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BY A PARTICIPANT, THEIR GUARDIAN, OR A REASONABLE REQUEST FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS.