The Indigenous experience of Australian civil society: making sense of historic and contemporary institutions

The article explores the participation of Indigenous Australians in Australian civil society with reference to the legal framework established by the country's constitution. The authors argue that Australia's constitution is based on a European liberal ideology that constructs itself in terms of white, free-market values and explores how various policy objectives have enacted an elision of Indigenous values from Australian civil society. The implications for self-efficacy and political participation for Australia's Indigenous populations are considered in light of this constitutional-legal framework.