Exploitation or economic prosperity: What is the intersection between Aboriginal self- determination and corporate activities in Northern Australia’s media discourse

Background The political and regulatory environment in which people live can have profound impacts on health and well-being through practices that prioritise commercial development and interest over public health. For Aboriginal people, this is further undermined through corporate influence over decision-making power, including over lands, waterways, governing systems, and the development and implementation of strategies aligned with the aspirations of Aboriginal people, referred to as self-determination. Methods This study employed a content analysis to understand the intersection of this issue with media discourse in the Northern Territory of Australia, and the representation of commercial developments specifically from the extractive resource, alcohol, and food industries that impact Aboriginal people and/or communities from 2015 to 2025. Results One hundred and sixty-one articles were included in the analysis. Key concepts that arose related to health and wellbeing impacts, socio-economic outcomes, corporate social responsibility, engagement, partnerships, third-party activism, policy context, and government intervention. It is clear within the mainstream media in the Northern Territory that varying narratives exist and that the mutual benefits of corporate activities dominate the discourse. Commercial determinants of health research typically frame Indigenous peoples as recipients of harm by commercia actors, and while some media articles supported this position, our study adds a new and unique contribution internationally which emphasizes how other actors have also played roles in undermining self-determination of Aboriginal peoples through this assumption. Further, centering self-determination requires a suspension of assumptions about what is best for Aboriginal peoples.