DoctorEllie Norris

I specialise in qualitative research methodologies, drawing on social theories to explore how accounting practices can influence the social world. I am particularly interested in the relationships between governance, accounting and accountability in First Nations and not-for-profit organisations, social enterprise and public sector entities. For my PhD, I conducted field work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations in Australia. The publications from my thesis highlight the unique governance and accountability contexts of these important organisations, their experiences of accounting and corporate reporting, and how they are finding novel ways to tell their stories.

I continue to conduct research with First Nations businesses and organisations, including Aboriginal enterprises in Australia and Māori businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand, showing how reporting systems shape organisational legitimacy, funding, representation and self-determination, and advocate for more culturally grounded forms of accountability that recognise relational value, community wellbeing and intergenerational stewardship. I am the current co-lead of the UCBS Indigenous Research Cluster.

I am also pursuing new research projects connected to reporting and governance in response to emerging modern slavery legislation, and the role of accountants in strategic waste reduction and circular economy initiatives in the private and public sectors.

I am a member of the editorial board of the Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, and received a High Commendation in the journal's Mary Parker Follett award for 2025. I am the Chair of the Australasian Centre for Social and Environmental Research (A-CSEAR) and chaired the 23rd A-CSEAR Conference and Early Scholars’ Colloquium hosted at UC in 2024. I am a committee member for the AFAANZ Qualitative Research special interest group. 

I was awarded the UCBS Early & Emerging Career Researcher Award in 2026.​