Exploitation or economic prosperity: corporate activities and Aboriginal self-determination in media discourse

The political and regulatory environment in which people live can have profound impacts on health and wellbeing through practices that prioritise commercial development and interest over public health. For Aboriginal People, this is further undermined through corporate influence over Aboriginal autonomy, political and social participation, cultural preservation, economic and land control and, free prior and informed consent and decision-making capacity over their interests, referred to as self-determination.

This study applies a content analysis to understand the intersection of this issue within media discourse focused on the Northern Territory of Australia. Articles were located through Factiva and Newsbank searches targeting commercial activities from the extractive resource, alcohol, and food industries that impact Aboriginal People and/or Communities from 2015 to 2025.

One hundred and sixty-one articles were included in the analysis. The dominant narrative identified in the media articles focused on the economic contributions commercial development provided to Aboriginal Peoples (more commonly found in commercial news outlets and trade magazines), while a prominent counter-narrative focused on harm to Country and failures to consult Traditional Owners (more common in articles by the public broadcaster and Indigenous-owned media). Our findings challenge the notion of a single-victim narrative by illustrating how multiple stakeholders (i.e. industry, government, media, and at times civil society) collectively influence public discourse, which can either hinder or promote self-determination. Further, centring self-determination requires a suspension of assumptions about what is best for Aboriginal Peoples.