
Ophelia is an anthropologist with over sixteen years of research experience working with urban, rural and remote Aboriginal communities. As a consultant, Ophelia provides expert anthropological advice for native title and related matters throughout Australia. She is currently a Research Fellow at AIATSIS.
Ophelia has presented papers for the Australian Anthropological Society and the Canadian Anthropology Society’s annual conferences. She has been a chair, presenter and facilitated various workshops with AIATSIS, Aurora, Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation and the Centre for Native Title Anthropology.
We don’t really want to talk about it: Working as a woman and a consultant in native title
Summary: In this talk Ophelia outlines some of the issues facing consultant anthropologists, especially those who happen to be women, working in native title. She offers some space to the concerns that anthropologists and others don’t really want to publicly talk about. She opens up the conversation by discussing insecure work, rights in the workplace, personal and professional safety and the emotional toll of constantly standing up for ourselves.
Contact details
Peter Veth and Jo McDonald in conversation
- Monday, 20 April 2026 00:47
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Written by
Ronnie
Peter Veth is a renowned Australian archaeologist with extensive experience in Native Title claims in Western Australia, NSW and South Australia. He has worked in the Academy, at AIATSIS and recently completed his tenure as Director of UWA’s Oceans Institute. Jo McDonald is currently the Director of the Centre for Rock Art Research + Management at UWA, after a long first career in cultural heritage management. She has been involved in native title claims in South Australia and Western Australia.
The role that archaeology and heritage can play in Native Title claims
Summary: The podcast is a conversation between two archaeologists who have worked on a number of Native title cases over the last 25 years or so. It discusses the disciplinary framework that archaeology can bring to native title cases. Both McDonald and Veth have published on this topic, and in this conversation they will draw on the various results and findings of the different cases that we have worked on, including de Rose Hill (SA), Ngarluma-Yinjabarndi (WA), Martu (WA) and Birriliburru (WA). They discuss continuity of tradition, referable use and how the diachronic focus of archaeology provides an appropriate lens to explore contemporary societies. Rock art as a lens for viewing change and contact, material culture (i.e. the introduction of glass into the formal tool categories) and the linking of tangible and intangible values are three unique ways that archaeology can contribute to successful native title claims.
Contact details
Emails: jo.mcdonald@uwa.edu.au and peter.veth@uwa.edu.au
Prof David Trigger and Robert Blowes SC – a Courtroom role play
- Monday, 20 April 2026 00:45
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Written by
Ronnie

David Trigger works on the different meanings attributed to land and nature across diverse sectors of society and in different countries. . In Australian Aboriginal Studies, Professor Trigger has carried out more than 35 years of anthropological study on Indigenous systems of land tenure, including applied research on resource development negotiations and native title claims. Robert Blowes is a senior Canberra-based barrister with extensive experience in Native Title matters, including the original 1992 Wik High Court decision.
Handling sticky questions in Court
Summary: In this podcast, Robert Blowes and David Trigger use a modified form of role play in considering difficult questions in cross examination in a native title proceeding which go to such issues as the expert’s expertise or impartiality. An outline of the presentation notes can be downloaded from this site.