We live in urban streets and suburbs too' : the growing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban areas

The locations and settings in which Australian Indigenous people live varies, however over 70 % of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia now live in urban or regional urban areas (ABS 2001). Over half of the total population lives in Queensland and New South Wales. The 2001 Census data indicates that 25 957 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or 23% of the Queensland Indigenous population were living in the greater Brisbane area.There are other sizeable urban Indigenous populations along the Queensland coast including Wide Bay, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns. The statistics demonstrate that living in urban centres is as much part of reality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as living in a remote discrete Aboriginal community. Historically, discrete rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have been the focus of most of the research conducted with Indigenous populations. These locations have provided researchers with an easily identifiable study population. However, unlike rural and remote communities, identifying and accessing urban Indigenous communities can be much more difficult despite the growing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban areas. Limited research has been undertaken on the issues that impact on urban Indigenous communities or have explored methods of undertaking research with urban Indigenous communities. This paper will explore the need for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused research and the issues in working with urban Indigenous people.