Is community development equity or justice?

[Extract] This chapter considers community development within a framework of rights and justice. It also discusses what development approaches do and do not work for Aboriginal communities.

It is frequently argued that community development approaches are the best method for working with Aboriginal people and communities. However, it is not often considered how community development is carried out, under whose agenda and what impact it will actually have upon Aboriginal people and communities. This chapter examines how community development is often used to fix the ‘Aboriginal problem’. It considers the underlying assumptions of community development – that it is about equity and the need to shift the focus onto one of rights and justice. The chapter also looks at many of the challenges and possibilities that arise out of basing community development within the framework of rights and justice and what these might look like for community development practices with Aboriginal people and communities. We explore what is considered good practice in community development with Aboriginal people and also discuss approaches that work. The chapter finishes with a conversation about the possible ways forward for Aboriginal community development.