Aboriginal History, truth-telling, transitional justice, barriers to historical engagement in settler colonial contexts
As an historian with significant professional experience and expertise in the human rights field, my research has a strong focus on applied research with ‘real-world’ applications. My book Stolen Motherhood: Aboriginal Mothers and Child Removal in the Stolen Generations Era was published in 2021. I am currently employed as a Senior Research Fellow in the Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group. I am an Associate of the Australian Human Rights Institute, and an Honorary Industry / Professional Fellow of the Centre for the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledges, University of Technology Sydney.
My Grants
In 2023 Professor Heidi Norman and Dr Anne Maree Payne undertook contract research on behalf of Reconciliation Australia to investigate understandings of, barriers to and enablers of community-based truth-telling in Australia. The project also explored factors impacting on engagement / disengagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories in the Australian context. This research involved a media analysis, literature review, survey and interviews with both First Nations and non-Indigenous participants. The findings of this research project are being used to inform Reconciliation Australia’s community-based truth-telling program.
In 2020 Professor Heidi Norman and Dr Anne Maree Payne were commissioned by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies to prepare a report on the history and circumstances that led to the need for a National Resting Place for Indigenous Ancestral Remains. Their report provided a key public foundational document which informed the Detailed Business Case, targeted consultation with key stakeholders, and was a resource for Government policy and communication in relation to the development and delivery of the National Resting Place. The research included consideration of the National Resting Place concept in the context of similar public infrastructure in Australia and around the world that deal with respecting the deceased and trauma, including memorials to unknown soldiers and massacre sites.
My Qualifications
PhD (History), University of Technology Sydney; M.Sc (Human Rights) with Distinction (LSE); M.A (Applied History), University of Technology Sydney; B.A. (Honours), University of Sydney.
My Research Activities
An important aspect of my research output over the past decade has been my work on a number of industry reports and publications on significant public policy issues, including exploring barriers to and enablers of community truth-telling in Australia, the need for a National Resting Place for the care of Indigenous Ancestral Remains, media studies focusing on gender and the representation of Aboriginal political issues, women’s access to tertiary education and employment in Afghanistan, gender and fishing in Solomon Islands, and two national studies contributing to human rights policy and practice, one in Australia and one in the UK. My book Stolen Motherhood: Aboriginal Mothers and Child Removal in the Stolen Generations Era, was published in 2021.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2273-0253