Book Review Leading From the North: Rethinking Northern Australia Development

Australian Government’s 2015 report Our North, Our Future: White Paper on Developing Northern Australia suggests a series of policy reforms and projects to develop major population centres and drive infrastructure development. To achieve these goals, it is important to capture the impact of current practices and policy on this region and its people. Leading From the North: Rethinking Northern Australia Development points out that understanding land, environment and people of northern Australia should be the first step in any government policy formation. It is an anthology of articles by researchers from Charles Darwin University, James Cook University and Australian National University, and is an important reference work for anyone working in Northern development. It explores specific issues that impact Northern Australia through six sections that focus on appropriate ways of using land, understanding northern environment, taking account of the diverse and rich histories of its residents and the importance of framing policies and regulations that respond to the uniqueness of the region. It heavily critiques the ‘one size fits all’ approach to policy formation and the top-down framing of polices by policymakers residing in southern Australia.