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Editors --- "Agenda for Action: A 'Whole of Government' Approach to Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory 2005-2009" [2006] AUIndigLawRpr 37; (2006) 10(2) Australian Indigenous Law Reporter 95

AGENDA FOR ACTION: A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY 2005–2009

Office of Indigenous Policy, Department of the Chief Minister (NT)

March 2006

Priorities and Principles

The Northern Territory Government has six main Indigenous affairs priorities for the next four years. The Government believes that focusing on these priorities is the most effective way to achieve substantial, lasting improvements to Indigenous peoples’ social and economic well-being.

The Six Priority Areas are to:

• Establish and maintain a ‘whole-of-government’ approach — all Government agencies need to talk with each other and work together to achieve good results for Indigenous Territorians.
• Invest in the Territory’s future by assisting young Indigenous Territorians to get a good start in life, a strong education, and the skills necessary to reach their full potential.
• Foster further Indigenous economic development, by creating more local jobs for local people and using land rights to boost community economies.
• Develop Indigenous peoples’ ability to govern their own communities, and encourage other community-building activities.
• Build on the strong progress made over the past four years to improve housing, roads, communications infrastructure (including access to telephones and the internet), and other essential services in Indigenous communities.
• Ensure all Indigenous Territorians feel safe living and working in their communities.

The Government will achieve these goals by basing its specific policies and programs on three central principles. These principles will influence all Government action to take full advantage of Indigenous Territorians’ determination to enhance their own and their communities’ well-being.

These Three Principles are:

1. More fully understanding Indigenous peoples’ history and continuing strength in the Northern Territory, by:

• Valuing the rich heritage of Indigenous people and the contribution they have made to the development of the Northern Territory, particularly in the pastoral and mining industries, land management, government,tourism, sport and the arts.
• Recognising the injustices perpetrated against the first Australians and the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families.
• Addressing the historic lack of effective investment in education, housing, essential services, health, transport and employment, particularly in remote communities.
• Recognising that Indigenous Territorians must have access to the services necessary to improve quality of life and sustain community wellbeing.
• Working with Indigenous Territorians to create and maintain strong regional and Territory-wide consultative bodies, so Indigenous issues, opinions and ideas are heard.
• Acknowledging the essential roles played by Indigenous organisations.

2. Working in partnerships with Indigenous people in an environment of mutual respect, by:

• Acknowledging Indigenous people as the Traditional Owners of the land.
• Recognising that traditional Indigenous authority and ways of governing are essential for strong, functioning communities and good relationships with government.
• Appreciating that Indigenous communities should be supported by Government to run their own affairs, make their own decisions, and find their own solutions to community issues.
• Building on Indigenous peoples’ current skills and existing government resources to make sustainable community improvements.
• Ensuring Indigenous Territorians have equal access to job opportunities in the Northern Territory Public Sector.
• Negotiating fair solutions to Indigenous land claims, so Indigenous people can use their land rights to improve their economic wellbeing and boost Territory development.

3. Recognising that because social ,cultural and economic issues facing Indigenous Territorians are interconnected, Government agencies must communicate with each other, coordinate policies, and work together, by:

• Forging partnerships between the Northern Territory and Australian Governments to more effectively deliver services to Indigenous communities.
• Using connections across agencies to identify areas where government resources and programs will prove most effective.
• Appreciating that government needs to focus on addressing the underlying causes of social and economic disadvantage to bring about sustainable improvements in Indigenous communities.
• Promoting partnerships between Indigenous communities and business and industry groups, to ensure greater Indigenous participation across all sectors of the Northern Territory economy.
• Ensuring Northern Territory Public Sector employees have the skills to communicate effectively with remote and urban Indigenous communities, and to respond effectively to assist communities achieve their goals.

…

A Whole of Government Approach

The Northern Territory and Australian Governments recognise that to achieve better results for Indigenous Territorians, Government agencies need to communicate with each other and work together. This is what a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to Indigenous affairs means: Government agencies coordinating their ideas, efforts and resources, to ensure that policies and services achieve intended results, operate efficiently, and don’t overlap.

The Overarching Agreement on Indigenous Affairs between the Northern Territory and Australian Governments, which came into effect in April 2005, is helping both Governments reach these goals. The Overarching Agreement focuses on improving overall results by:

• enhancing the performance of existing programs;
• delivering services more efficiently and flexibly;
• forming specific arrangements to reduce the doubling-up of government responsibilities;
• recognising that local circumstances need to be taken into account;
• forming partnerships and sharing responsibility with Indigenous communities; and
• strengthening government effort in priority areas that will most effectively improve Indigenous Territorians’ economic and social wellbeing.

By clarifying the roles and responsibilities of various Territory and Australian Government agencies, the Agreement will reduce duplication in the services they deliver. Resources will more effectively reach Indigenous communities to improve education, health, economic development and community building. This also means communities and community workers will spend less time dealing with different agencies, trying to understand different programs, and complying with different reporting requirements to receive funding for priority areas.

The Overarching Agreement aims to make programs and services that are available to all Australians, such as Medicare, more accessible and responsive to the needs of Indigenous people. A previous focus on using Indigenous-specific programs to deliver essential services meant that better-resourced national services have not adequately reached and supported Indigenous communities.

Importantly, the Overarching Agreement’s set of priority areas — the areas where government will focus its resources and effort — reflects the Northern Territory’s own priorities, as set out in this Agenda: investing in Indigenous education and skill-building; fostering Indigenous economic and employment opportunities; enhancing Indigenous community building and governance abilities; improving housing and essential services; and making communities safe.

The full ‘Agenda for Action’ is available online at <http://www.nt.gov.au/dcm/people/pdf/200603AgendaForAction.pdf> . The ‘Overarching Agreement’ is available online at <http://www.oipc.gov.au/publications/PDF/IndigenousAffairsAgreement.pdf> .