Shared Responsibility Agreements

Shared Responsibility Agreement

The Emu Point community wants to become self-sufficient by developing a stockyard and market garden, as well as maintaining traditional harvesting of bush tucker.

The SRA will provide labour and materials to complete the cattle fence and provide a water supply. The local land council is providing start-up stock and CDEP participants will learn how to run the stockyard and maintain the garden.

To support these activities and promote early childhood development, the Australian Government will also fund a new child-care facility.

Community elders will work with young people to develop stock-handling skills and art and craft skills. They will also ensure cultural knowledge is passed down to the next generation.

A new state school will soon be built for the growing community at Emu Point. As part of the SRA, the community will participate in the school and child-care councils and families will make sure kids go to school.

^ Back to contents

Key Facts

Remote Indigenous community 320 km SW of Darwin

Population:

Around 100

Focus of the SRA:

Self-sufficiency and children’s development

What the SRA provides:

Stockyard and market garden; child-care facility

ICC:

Darwin

^ Back to contents

Developing an SRA with the community

The SRA with the Emu Point community was signed on 29 March 2005 and provides for the establishment of a stock fence and market garden in the community. It also provides a child-care facility and improvements to the community’s water supply.

Discussions on this SRA commenced following a recommendation from the North West Regional Governing Council (the Regional Council) in response to the Australian Government’s new arrangements in Indigenous Affairs initiated from 1 July 2004.

In November 2004, the first of a series of six two-day, whole-of-community workshops was held in Emu Point, involving the Darwin ICC and the Northern Territory Government.

These workshops mapped out the community’s needs, identified their goals and set out the assistance that government could provide to meet these goals.

Key discussions were videotaped and played back at the start of the next workshop to ensure there was consensus on the issues and all stakeholders were fully engaged.

Work continues on a community plan that outlines how the community will look in ten years time and how it will get there.

The workshops led to the negotiation of an SRA that supported the development of a community garden and the completion of a fence around the community to manage cattle and define the community boundary. The fence also identifies the recently declared ‘Dry Area’ agreed by the Northern Territory Liquor Commission.

All working age community members signed up to participate in aspects of the community’s development—the crèche, the school, the garden or the fencing project—within the scope of the SRA.

In addition to this SRA, other facilities are being provided to the community by governments such as a new school, extra housing, and additional road funding.

^ Back to contents