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

Globalization and Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-026-01218-8 Article in Press Exploitation or economic prosperity: corporate activities and Aboriginal self-determination in media discourse Jacob Cubis, Cassandra J.C. Wright, Clement Bresson, Teegan Wattam, Royce Ramsamy & Beau Cubillo Received: 8 December 2025 Accepted: 14 May 2026 Cite this article as: Cubis J., Wright C.J., Bresson C. et al. Exploitation or economic prosperity: corporate activities and Aboriginal selfdetermination in media discourse. Global Health (2026). https://doi. org/10.1186/s12992-026-01218-8 A S S We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply. E R P If this paper is publishing under a Transparent Peer Review model then Peer Review reports will publish with the final article. 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To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. ACCEPTED ARTICLEMANUSCRIPT IN PRESS Exploitation or economic prosperity: Corporate activities and Aboriginal selfdetermination in media discourse Jacob Cubis1,*, Cassandra JC Wright1,2,3, Clement Bresson1, Teegan Wattam1, Royce Ramsamy1, Beau Cubillo1,4 1 S S E PR Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia E L C IN 2 Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3 Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 4 Deakin University, Institute for Health Transformation, Global Centre for Preventive Health I T AR and Nutrition, School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Corresponding author: Jacob Cubis, 1 ACCEPTED ARTICLEMANUSCRIPT IN PRESS Abstract Background: 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. Methods: This study applies a content analysis to understand the intersection of this issue S S E within media discourse focused on the Northern Territory of Australia. Articles were located PR 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. E L C IN Results: One hundred and sixty-one articles were included in the analysis. The dominant I T AR 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 singlevictim 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. 2 ACCEPTED ARTICLEMANUSCRIPT IN PRESS Keywords Commercial Determinants of Health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Corporate Political Activities, Australian Media S S E E L C IN PR I T AR 3 ACCEPTED ARTICLEMANUSCRIPT IN PRESS 1 Positionality statement The lead author of this study, JC, is a Larrakia and Wadjigan Aboriginal man from the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia with a background in criminology and experience working within the NT legal system. The second author, CW, is a non-Indigenous mid-career researcher with expertise in alcohol and other drugs, public health, and commercial determinants of health. The third author, CB, is a non-Indigenous early career researcher S S E with a background in community-based entrepreneurship research and twelve years’ experience in Aboriginal Community and enterprise development in remote NT. Author TW PR is a Larrakia and Wadjigan woman from the NT with expertise in speech pathology and IN health science. Author RR, a Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal man from Queensland, Australia, has E L C expertise in Aboriginal health research, including in alcohol and other drugs. Senior author I T AR BC is a Larrakia and Wadjigan Aboriginal man from the NT with expertise in Indigenous health and wellbeing, Indigenous research methodologies, and the commercial determinants of Indigenous health and nutrition. This research study was undertaken on Larrakia land in Darwin, NT, Australia, but had a wider focus on the NT with global significance for Indigenous People. Despite authors JC, TW and BC being accepted members of the Larrakia Nation and Bulgul Community, we undertake this research study with the intention of not speaking on behalf of our Indigenous communities but rather from the position of Aboriginal individuals who have lived experiences with commercial developments. The positionality of this authorship team enables insightful attention to Aboriginal governance, leadership, and relationships in the NT. With four of six authors being Aboriginal, we are also appropriately positioned to interpret the framing and representation of Aboriginal People and 4 ACCEPTED ARTICLEMANUSCRIPT IN PRESS communities. Our team incorporates public health and other disciplinary backgrounds, enabling insider-outsider (...truncated)