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Principles for Action

The CLC survey (Attachment A) showed that Aboriginal people and their representative community organisations were deeply disappointed with the processes followed by NTER. People remain offended and demoralised by the lack of engagement. Aboriginal leaders feel marginalised. The CLC survey showed in particular: an absence of consultation with communities and community-based agencies, a lack of basic information on measures and legislation and their intentions, limited transparency in decision making around community specific funding and poor conduct of some Taskforce meetings. The NTER military deployment was no real solution to the deep-seated problems that underlie the issues of sexual abuse in remote Aboriginal communities. The use of the military in what was positioned as ‘voluntary’ health checks was problematic (pers comm 12 August 2008):

Child health checks [were conducted] with people in army uniform actively transporting children from the school to the clinic. The voluntary nature of this process at Kintore should be severely questioned. Which parent or child would oppose a man in uniform especially in the atmosphere of fear which surrounded the whole exercise at the time?

The CLC survey, in addition, showed that NTER processes have tended to undermine community governance structures and have not been effective in reducing tensions caused by marginalisation and uneven economic development. Unintentionally, the NTER has at times exacerbated local uncertainty and conflict, intensified the level of dissatisfaction associated with government programs and bureaucrats, and increased alcohol abuse by community residents. The sentiments signify a growing disaffection of many Aboriginal leaders with their marginalisation from political and economic processes.

The success of long term development and social change requires a strong base in community driven approaches and levels of involvement in decision making. The principles for action aim to provide a method for constructive engagement with Aboriginal communities. The principles below also provide a basis to undertake proper long term development planning discussed within this section. They should be considered together and are not mutually exclusive.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Fundamentally, there is a need to develop an evidence base for Indigenous policy that accommodates both the goals of ensuring Indigenous outcomes improve and distinct Indigenous aspirations are achieved. In saying this, the CLC would like to see evidence based policy become real instead of rhetoric. Measures should be trialled or piloted before broader roll-out is undertaken. The blanket introduction of specific measures needs to be supported by an evidence base that clearly indicates the value of measure. As a first step, the Australian Government needs to remain true to evidence base founded by this review.

Evaluation of the policies, their associated programs and measures is fundamental. The FaHCSIA Budget Statement 2008-09 does contain some performance indicators and targets but the scope is limited. Evaluation can only be devised through an elaborate policy framework that defines objectives, targets and outcomes. This needs to be compared with a reliable baseline data that includes cost benefit analysis, analysis of community perspective and framed from on-going monitoring reports. Check and balances on policy frameworks underline the value of its intention and need to be made publicly accessible.

Linked with evaluation and monitoring, is the development of mechanisms to ensure that those within all levels decision making levels are held accountable for the consequences of policy making. The CLC is concerned much of resources spent on NTER has been used to increase bureaucracy, which has limited the amount spent on the ground (see section on funding for more detail). Clear lines of accountability need to be assigned.

ENGAGEMENT: Significant outcomes will only be long-term if they are developed on effective engagement processes. Meaningful engagement with the community involves, but is not limited to: holding regular meetings, consulting across the community, forming a community based reference group and developing a range options (use of graphics, media) for providing information to all community members and their agencies. The Australian Government needs to formally recognise that community based agencies provide a critical support role to Aboriginal people in increasing awareness and understanding, and sorting out issues and problems that result from policy and program changes.

Furthermore, it is also questionable whether community residents have the capacity at present to equally engage with governments. Therefore, it is essential that governments develop closer relationships with community agencies and organisations working with communities and focus on building the numeracy and literacy levels and governance capacity of Aboriginal people. Through increased engagement, government will be able to better frame policies that target the regional diversity in Aboriginal community circumstances.

STABILITY: Indigenous affairs is characterised by a lack of clear long term direction and stability in policy arrangements to achieve this. In the Northern Territory communities, there is a continued need to focus immediately on the reducing the incidence of child abuse through increased child protection workers, social workers, policing and roll out of targeted diversionary youth and educational programs. However, there also needs to be longer term development planning with communities that focuses on wider child protection and community development goals including housing, health, education, community safety and effective service delivery. Stability needs to be grounded by learning from past successes that have delivered much progress (albeit slowly).

FAIRNESS: New policies need to ensure that both rights of Aboriginal people are respected and there is a fair sense of equity in monetary allocations.

Key rights laws, such as the Racial Discrimination Act and the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and Native Title Act, need to be respected. Where ‘special measures’ are needed under the RDA, special permissions need to be sought from those communities. Where commercially valuable property rights are implemented, land and native title rights need to continue to be respected. Many Aboriginal people have fought lifetime battles to have rights to their land recognised. Washing that away with the stroke of a pen will be counterproductive.

Remote communities face many real and significant barriers such as climate, small populations, and poor infrastructure which do not need to be exacerbated by a lack of fair government service provision. Without appropriate support for key services, such as law and order, health and education, Aboriginal people will continue to be marginalised and denied access to basic services on a fair and equitable basis.

CLC POSITION

The CLC recommends the processes of governments working with community needs to be refined around principles of accountability, engagement, stability, and fairness.

Development

The rapid deployment of the NTER meant there was little long term planning, personnel management or attention given to building a transparent and accountable reform process. There has also been a key failure in prioritising and coordinating public diplomacy across all areas of the NTER and with government, opposition parties and community agencies. The response needs to be informed and led by Aboriginal people. One of the consequences of the NTER was that instead of engaging with people, the NTER undermined good governance structures in communities. The array of community perspectives on the NTER highlighted that a one-sized ‘intervention’ approach was problematic. The community context is critical for developing meaningful strategies to increase development of and provide opportunities for people in communities. Building on the strengths of existing community programs and services rather than undermining or ignoring these is essential. Overall, the NTER long-term focus is unclear and there is no clear exit strategy to signal the end of the ‘emergency response’.

The process described below provides some generic principles to community engagement. It is vital that Governments and communities work together to get these medium and long term strategies right from the outset. This will avoid the ‘stop-start’ policy making and frequent changes in directions that have, for too long, characterised Aboriginal Affairs. At a community level this development plan needs to be placed within a framework of community aspirations and goals, and balanced with clear budgetary commitments. The CLC sees that the Government Business Manager roles could be better orientated towards community planning and capacity development role. Below provides a step by step basis to development of a community plan with community engagement and consultation:

STEP ONE: Undertake community planning/surveying: Survey community residents on priorities and objectives. This should be done in families, kin groups, agency groups (e.g. art group, women’s group, football team) or gender aligned groups. From this map out community objectives for next year, 5 years and 10 years. It should be used flexibly with a community and should be open to reinterpretation.

STEP TWO: Provide avenues for sharing information in the community: Hold regular community meetings for general discussion and information planning on the findings of the community survey. Use trained interpreters who have been properly briefed. This should include the provision of appropriate information findings of the survey and planning. Then undertake further consultation with smaller groups across the community to canvas responses.

STEP THREE: Community representation in decision making processes: Negotiate an appropriate community governance structure for decision making on community objectives. This should include the involvement of Traditional owners, and senior men and women of the community, community agencies and organisations.

CLC POSITION

The CLC argues that the NTER lacks a long term focus. In addition, the NTER’s short term focus on incidents of child abuse and violence were not properly addressed. The CLC sees that improved process of government working with community needs to start with the development of long term plans that achieve community aspirations whilst reducing Indigenous disadvantages. The principles of working towards this plan include:

STABILIITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

ENGAGEMENT

FAIRNESS

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Funding

Introduction