Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land and water management, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based research, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and regional development, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance and decision making, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander political participation and representationSEO tags
Biography
I am the Research Coordinator of the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group in the School of Humanities and Languages at UNSW Sydney. As a first-generation settler of Filipina descent, my work is grounded in supporting Aboriginal landholders and communities in advancing land rights, land justice, and land-based governance in environmental and energy transitions.
I am currently part of a multi-partner research project led by Professor Heidi...view more
I am the Research Coordinator of the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group in the School of Humanities and Languages at UNSW Sydney. As a first-generation settler of Filipina descent, my work is grounded in supporting Aboriginal landholders and communities in advancing land rights, land justice, and land-based governance in environmental and energy transitions.
I am currently part of a multi-partner research project led by Professor Heidi Norman that places Aboriginal land rights at the centre of the renewable energy transition. Working alongside Local Aboriginal Land Councils across New South Wales, we map renewable energy potential on Aboriginal land and identify pathways for employment, enterprise, equity, and care for Country. In collaboration with GIS, renewable energy specialists and land councils, we have co-produced spatial tools and governance resources designed to strengthen Aboriginal decision-making and secure community-controlled benefits.
Previously, I worked on an Australian Research Council-funded project examining the social, economic, and governance impacts of Aboriginal land restitution in NSW. My broader interests include Indigenous governance, environmental history, political ecology, and climate justice.
My Grants
- 2023: Living on Country: Aboriginal Land Holders and Climate Adaptation and Mitigation funded by the Australian Public Policy Institute
- 2025: Capacity-Building for Aboriginal organisations in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone funded by NSW Energy Corporation
My Qualifications
BA (Honours I) History (USyd); BSc Psychology (USyd)
My Awards
- 2018: Charles Trimby Burfitt Prize for the Study of Australian History Prior to 1900
My Research Activities
- Delivery of Aboriginal capacity-building workshops and regional gathering in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone
- Research for the Local Aboriginal Land Council Review of the NSW Land Negotiation Program
- Research and editorial assistant for a project analysing news media coverage of Aboriginal political moments, which culminated in the edited book Does the media fail Aboriginal political aspirations (eds. Archie Thomas, Heidi Norman and Andrew Jakubowicz).
- Archival and oral history research for the NSW State Library exhibition's Koori Knockout: 50 years Exhibition
- Co-ordination of workshops for Local Aboriginal Land Councils to build capacity and knowledge in climate change and renewable energy.
- Produced policy overviews detailing land rights and renewable energy policy in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania to inform discussions at the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy Roundtables.
- Coordinator of the Yaliwunga Indigenous Research Program for Indigenous and ally undergraduate students
Contact
Publications
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This research was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council and the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Hub at the University of Technology Sydney