Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory – Executive Summary

Consultations to discuss stronger futures in the Northern Territory were held between June and August 2011. This report provides an opportunity for all Australians to understand what Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory told the Australian Government during those discussions.

Several strong common themes and messages emerged. Participants identified addressing school attendance, jobs, reducing alcohol-related harm and improving housing as the top priorities for action to build stronger futures for people and communities.

Meetings were held in almost 100 Northern Territory communities and town camps to hear what Aboriginal people had to say. Public meetings were also held in major towns.

Indigenous Engagement Officers and Government Business Managers held over 370 meetings with individuals, couples, families and groups to ensure everyone who wanted to have their say had the opportunity to do so.

This report summarises those discussions.

Consultation approach

Since 2007, the Australian Government has taken steps to strengthen its engagement with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

There has been a wide range of consultations since 2007. The Stronger Futures consultations build on the extensive 2009 Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) Redesign consultations in which several thousand people participated across 73 communities and town camps.

The purpose of the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory consultations was to invite people in remote Northern Territory communities and across the Northern Territory to talk to government about what needs to be done next to tackle the continuing unacceptable levels of disadvantage for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory and help build stronger futures for Aboriginal Territorians.

To guide these conversations, the Australian Government launched the discussion paper Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory on 22 June 2011.

Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory looked at the strengths of the Northern Territory Emergency Response and talked about where government effort could be improved. It identified future priorities including:

• school attendance and educational achievement
• economic development and employment
• tackling alcohol abuse
• community safety
• health
• food security
• housing, and
• governance.

The priorities were identified based on discussions with Aboriginal people over the last four years.

The consultation approach was structured around these eight priority areas. People were also encouraged to talk about other issues that were important to them and they raised issues outside the priorities and the discussion paper.

To ensure that everyone was able to have their say, individual and small group meetings were available with Government Business Managers or Indigenous Engagement Officers (Tier 1 meetings).

Experienced senior officers from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs facilitated the whole-of-community meetings (Tier 2 meetings). The facilitators encouraged open participation and created opportunities for participants to express their views.

The Department worked with the Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service to ensure that, as far as possible, interpreters were present where needed at the whole-of-community meetings.

In addition, public meetings were held in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and Darwin. Brief summaries of the range of views expressed in these meetings are included in this report. Meetings were also held with Aboriginal representatives, stakeholders and service provider and advocacy organisations.

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP, visited several communities and attended consultation meetings over the consultation period including Tennant Creek, Lajamanu, Maningrida and Engawala.

The Minister for Indigenous Health and Federal Member for Lingiari, the Hon Warren Snowdon MP, and Northern Territory Minister for Indigenous Development, the Hon Milarndirri McCarthy MLA, also attended some meetings.

Key themes and messages

Strong common themes and messages can be identified from the consultations. Many of the people who were involved in the consultations said:

• the top priorities were getting more children to school, increasing the number of local people in jobs in communities, reducing alcohol-related harm and improving housing
• they wanted to take more responsibility for their lives and communities. They believed, for example, that education is vitally important for children and that parents should be responsible for their children’s regular attendance at school
• they would like to have more effective and reliable services from all levels of government, including greater availability of police and night patrols; good teachers to stay longer in communities; better enforcement of alcohol restrictions; more specialist health services available in communities; and improved repairs and maintenance of houses
• they wanted to work better with government. They wanted governments to talk with them and they wanted to be listened to
• while people continued to feel hurt at the way the Northern Territory Emergency Response was initially implemented, many of the Aboriginal people who participated in these consultations said that they wanted to move on, be more self-reliant and take pride in their culture
• they wanted their communities and young people to develop and be strong for the future.

Individual measures

School attendance and educational achievement

There was a great deal of discussion recorded on this priority area. Overall, there was a strong sense of the importance of education, with people in a large number of consultation meetings saying that parents should take responsibility for getting their children to school.

There was considerable discussion about how to get children and young people in remote communities to go to school. A relatively frequently expressed comment was that parents often lack the capacity to ensure their children’s regular school attendance because of personal alcohol, drug or gambling problems, a loss of control of their children’s behaviour and, in some communities, a lack of educational experience among parents themselves.

There was a strong sense that schools could better meet the needs of Indigenous children through greater Indigenous involvement. There were two aspects to this: having community members such as parents and elders spend more time in schools, and incorporating Indigenous culture in the school curriculum. Respondents in several communities commented that parents, teachers and principals needed to talk together more often about children’s attendance and achievement in schools. A school liaison officer or truancy officer was also seen as important in making sure children attend school.

Positive comments were made about principals and teachers. Comments were made about the need for school to be an interesting and positive experience for children living in remote communities. Several suggestions were made about how to attract and retain good teachers.

A frequent comment was that where parents were receiving income from welfare payments, payment arrangements should give parents an incentive to make the effort to get their children to school regularly. Suggestions included withholding part of welfare income or fining parents if they do not send their children to school on a regular basis. It was also frequently suggested that some parents would benefit from the support of mentors and parenting education.

Where respondents commented on childcare and crèches delivered under the NTER, comments were generally positive.

Respondents expressed worry about children having to leave communities to continue their schooling, and about children who got into trouble at boarding schools and who have returned to their communities. The need for more local or regional high schools was frequently expressed in the Tier 2 (whole-of-community meetings). The need for vocational education, careers advice in schools, and education that was linked to jobs was frequently discussed in relation to older children and young people.

Economic development and employment

The most frequently recorded comments about economic development and employment were that people wanted jobs in the community and didn’t want to have to leave their community. Respondents said people wanted real jobs with proper pay.

Many comments related specifically to young people: that they need to work and that they need training and careers advice.

A relatively frequently expressed comment was that there are no jobs in their communities and that outsiders often get jobs in preference to community members. A relatively high number of comments were made about wanting to set up and run a business.

There were many comments in relation to training, with the most frequent requesting support or training to establish or run a business. There is a perception that, while some local people are adequately trained for jobs, it is non-Indigenous people who get the jobs.

There were mixed views about the current Community Development Employment Projects program. Where respondents commented on job-placement providers, most said they were dissatisfied with the service.

A relatively frequently expressed comment was that since the creation of the shire councils, local government job opportunities appeared to have declined for Aboriginal people, and that jobs had gone to non-Indigenous employees or contractors.

Tackling alcohol abuse

There was a wide range of views expressed on tackling alcohol abuse. In many meetings, discussions centred on the ways in which alcohol abuse was harming communities, families and children; suggestions for better management of alcohol and heavy drinking; and support for people who abuse alcohol. There were also frequent comments under this priority area about the emerging problems with gambling. There were also comments expressing attitudes to the alcohol and pornography restrictions signs.

Respondents talked about the harm caused by alcohol including road accidents, deaths and health problems. There was a strong call for communities to maintain their ‘dry’ status where alcohol restrictions are in place. Another strong theme in the comments is that people should be able to have a drink in their own home or at a regulated venue such as a pub or club.

Respondents wanted to see alcohol and heavy drinking subject to strong regulation and enforcement through policing and night patrols. In some communities, respondents commented that alcohol restrictions had resulted in communities becoming quieter with fewer incidents of violence. There were also comments that people continued to bring alcohol into areas that had restrictions resulting in noise, fights and people not being able to get to sleep. There were also reports of people travelling to towns, hotels and roadhouses outside the prescribed areas to drink and buy alcohol to bring back to communities.

Where respondents expressed concerns about the welfare of drinkers, most said they did not want people affected by alcohol in their communities at night. A relatively frequently expressed view was that there was a need for safe drinking places outside prescribed areas or community boundaries where people could safely stay overnight and not return to the community until they were sober. There were discussions about the need for better care and support through drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Community safety

In making comments on this priority area, respondents reiterated concerns raised under the priority area on tackling alcohol. They pointed to the continuing influence of alcohol and its contribution to community unrest and violence. A relatively large number of comments raised the need for improved community infrastructure, such as street lighting, footpaths and mobile phone coverage, as being important for improving safety. Respondents wanted to see effective and reliable services from police and night patrols.

Few respondents commented on the prohibitions on customary law in bail and sentencing decisions, Australian Crime Commission powers, Australian Federal Police powers, or the publicly funded computer measure. Where respondents commented on the pornography restrictions, most wanted them to continue. Respondents in a few communities commented that action to address child abuse issues had been welcomed. Gunja (marijuana) and gambling were frequently identified as emerging problems.

Health

Comments from the discussion on health were generally positive. Where respondents were aware of and commented on the expanded health services delivered under the NTER, many said they had benefited from those services. The NTER child health checks, where they were mentioned, received generally favourable comments with specific mentions of improved health and people needing to get follow-up checks.

The most frequent comment was that health services would be improved if there was a doctor living in the community and if a dentist either lived in the community or visited more regularly. The most frequently expressed need was for Aboriginal Health Workers. More and better dental services were frequently requested. Other areas of need identified by respondents included dialysis units and more health workers generally. Transport for patients to local clinics and to townships for appointments was also identified as a need.

Community stores

The most frequent comment was that respondents were generally happy with their local stores. Communities in the north were more likely to comment that they were happy with their store than those in the south. Most comments were concerned with the cost, quality and variety of food and other goods. Many comments indicated that respondents believed that food sold at community stores was too expensive. Views were also expressed that more healthy food should be available and that junk food should not be sold. There was also concern about communities losing control of their stores.

Housing

Respondents reported living in run-down houses which were not secure from the elements or break-ins. There were many complaints about living in overcrowded houses. Respondents referred to the impact of overcrowding on conflict in families, the health of children and school attendance.

More new houses were being asked for, as respondents felt the impact of a growing population on already overcrowded houses. Particular comments were made about the need for separate housing for single people, teenagers and old people. There was dissatisfaction with the response times and quality of repairs and maintenance. There was a desire for these basic repairs and maintenance to be undertaken locally, employing local people. More housing and construction training opportunities were needed for young people.

Respondents talked about the need for rules to help them manage visitors in their homes. Visitors who drank and became violent and damaged houses were not welcome but because they were family, they could not be asked to leave. Respondents said that taking care of houses and managing tenancy obligations when visitors came to stay was a challenge. They were looking for help on this from government and housing providers.

Governance

The consultations also indicated a strong call in many communities to be more involved in decision making, for people in communities to work better together, and for each community to speak with one voice about its concerns and needs. Respondents said frequently that they wanted governments to come and talk to communities about policies and that they wanted government to listen to them. Receiving timely, honest feedback in plain English from both government and community representative bodies was seen as important for building trust and good long-term working relationships.

Face-to-face relationships between governments and communities were valued. Where respondents commented on Indigenous Engagement Officers and Government Business Managers, comments were mostly positive. In a few communities more Indigenous Engagement Officers were requested.

Structure of report

The introduction to this report provides the background to the consultations and outlines the consultation process. An analysis is then provided of the feedback from the community consultations. This is structured according to each of the eight key priority areas and the responses to each of the questions on the priority areas in the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory discussion paper. A summary of feedback from the public meetings is also provided. More details, including the locations and numbers of Tier 1 (one-on-one and small group) and Tier 2 (whole-of-community) meetings and the stakeholders consulted are provided in the Appendices.

There was little difference between the comments made in Tier 1 and 2 meetings. The report therefore only refers to the exceptions where there were salient differences.

The quotations used in the report are taken from the record of the consultation meetings. The staff who made records of the meetings were encouraged to record quotations and, to the extent that they were able to do this, most of the quotations record what people actually said at the meetings. Some of the extracts from the record of meetings are summaries of the discussion of a particular topic. Many extracts from meeting reports including direct quotations from respondents are included in this report to illustrate the diversity and richness of views.