Cirrus@Austlit

'In the 1995/2 issue of Australian Aboriginal Studies, we foreshadowed the restructuring of the advisory committee to include a number of scholars representing institutions beyond AIATSIS. This has happened, and we welcome Dr Nicolas Peterson from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, and Dr Peter Read from the Department of History, both at the Australian National University, and Ms Helen McLaughlin from ATSIC, to the new committee. At the first meeting, there was a general discussion and review of the particular contribution made by this journal in the context of the increasing number of other journals in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. The discussion identified several areas in which it has played and should continue to play a significant role. Perhaps the clearest is the presentation of current research results across a range of disciplines, in a form that is accessible to a diverse readership. Through the research reports, as well as in the articles, the journal provides the opportunity for material to be included not only from more established researchers but also from a broader research community more loosely attached, if at all, to formal academic institutions.' (Editorial introduction)