Here's a hyperlink to a transcript of the public lecture I gave as part of Macleay Museum's Being Collected Exhibition. It addresses how Palm Island was colonised through processes of criminalising Indigenous people, often for crimes that were exclusively targeted at Indigenous people (such as under the Aboriginal Acts). Palm Island's status as a penal colony has been perpetuated throughout its history and continues to have devastating effects today. But there is a resiliant Indigenous population who, with support and empowerment, have the will and resources to create a viable community:
http://www.usyd.edu.au/museums/pdfs_docs/Palm%20island%20Speech%2027%20Aug%20final.pdf
And here's an interview on National Indigenous Radio on the lecture:
http://www.nirs.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=835:law-academic-palm-island-policing-dysfunctional-since-settlement&catid=3:features&Itemid=112