It has long been suspected that Australia-affiliated researchers have dominated Southeast Asian and Micronesian rock art studies, but the extent and implications were unknown. A systematic quantitative literature review was used to update previous work that investigated the distribution of publications, the methods employed, and author affiliation of rock art research in the region. The results highlighted research trends and quantitatively verified the dominance of Australia-affiliated authors. As a consequence, further investigation into the proportion of Australian involvement in research outputs per geographic location, the institutional affiliations, the productivity of authors, the types of collaboration, and the distribution of the first authorship when publishing with locals was undertaken. The purpose of this paper is to open a conversation around the ways in which ethical collaboration can be envisaged and designed to ensure an inclusive and diversified approach in archaeological research. Emerging trends indicate that, while there has been a surge of interest in archaeological research in Southeast Asian and Micronesian rock art, there has also been an increasing need to question the modes of research design and collaboration implemented by researchers. This conversation is particularly relevant in an academic environment and in the wider socio-political context as a principal aspect of decolonising academic work that is embedded in ensuring that Indigenous and non-Western voices challenge the Western trajectories of research methodologies and representation.