Every council area exists on Country.

AiiPD works across many council areas, and many nations. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of each of those Countries, and the Kaurna people, on whose Country AiiPD is based in Adelaide. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. This land was never ceded, and First Nations authority over First Nations knowledge remains with First Nations people.

Because every council area exists on Country, AiiPD intends that every council profile, candidate briefing, mayoral briefing, civic intelligence report and community impact review includes a First Nations Country and Community Context section, wherever relevant public information is available.

Where it is public and appropriate, that section can include Traditional Owners, Country, language groups, council Acknowledgements of Country, Reconciliation Action Plans, First Nations organisations, cultural heritage, colonial dispossession, local history, frontier violence, survival and current community priorities, each with its public source and access date. We do not store or publish private personal information, and we do not name Elders unless they are publicly identified in an official public role or have given consent.

This material is public-source civic context. It is not cultural verification. AiiPD does not speak for Traditional Owners, Elders or First Nations communities. Until material has been reviewed by appropriate cultural authority, it is marked Public-source information only. Cultural verification pending.

Every relevant output carries one of these status labels:

• Public-source information only. Information has been collected from public sources only.
• Cultural verification pending. Appropriate First Nations review has not yet occurred.
• Cultural review requested. A review has been requested but not completed.
• Culturally reviewed. Review has occurred for the stated purpose.
• Restricted. Material should not be published.
• Withdrawn. Permission or use has been withdrawn.
• Not assessed. No First Nations context review has occurred yet.

New profiles start at: Public-source information only. Cultural verification pending.

AiiPD is making a free licence pathway available to eligible First Nations organisations, Elders groups, Local First Nations Voice structures, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and Indigenous-led civic initiatives that want to use the database and report structure for their own community, council accountability, truth-telling, engagement, training or policy work.

The free licence can include access to:

• Public-source council profile structures
• Evidence register templates
• First Nations Country and Community Context templates
• Council engagement and accountability templates
• Report generation structures
• Community feedback and correction workflows
• Public data mapping structures
• Candidate, mayoral and council briefing templates

A free licence does not give AiiPD ownership or control of any First Nations cultural knowledge, Elder advice, community feedback or Indigenous-led product created through the system. First Nations organisations can use the system internally, create and sell their own products, partner with councils directly, seek grant funding, request technical support, co-brand by agreement, or keep their work completely separate from the AiiPD website.

Setup, local engagement, data review, community validation, report development, training, hosting and administration all cost money, and they need to be funded. That funding can come from:

• Council project budgets
• State and Federal Government grants
• Philanthropic and reconciliation funding
• Local First Nations Voice structures and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations
• Research partnerships and paid council accountability projects
• Indigenous-led product sales

AiiPD does not expect Elders, First Nations researchers, cultural advisers or Indigenous organisations to provide unpaid cultural labour. Where cultural review, Elder feedback, Yarning Circles, local history review, language review, community validation or First Nations-led interpretation is requested, those contributions should be properly funded. Councils need to fund the engagement they say they value.

AiiPD is exploring how the database could support local First Nations engagement through Elders feedback, Yarning Circles, community review and First Nations-led civic intelligence. This is not a formalised program. It will only proceed where local First Nations people, Elders, organisations or community-controlled structures want to shape, govern or use it. AiiPD will not claim cultural endorsement unless a formal agreement exists.

First Nations organisations can use the free licence pathway to create their own products, sold or shared through their own structures, websites or partnerships. Examples include:

• Council Reconciliation Action Plan accountability reports
• Local truth-telling profiles
• Country and council briefings
• Local Voice evidence packs
• Elders civic knowledge briefings
• Community Yarning Circle reports
• Youth research reports
• First Nations Budget impact briefings

AiiPD can support these as a technical provider, report production provider, database provider or training partner. Ownership, branding and revenue are agreed separately. AiiPD is offering the engine, not claiming the story.

AiiPD welcomes correction, restriction, verification and feedback from Traditional Owners, Elders, First Nations organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives. If something is wrong, should be restricted, or should be withdrawn, tell us and we will act on it.

Email liamclancy@aiipd.com.au or call 0432 292 022.