Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Implementation Approach for Remote Engagement Teams
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Draft Implementation Plan draft for public consultation Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Implementation approach for Remote Engagement Teams The Australian Government is publishing this Implementation Plan (IP) as part of its commitment to working with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, their representatives and leaders to effectively implement the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory measures. The Australian Government has made a 10 year commitment to work with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to build strong, independent lives, where communities, families and children are safe and healthy. Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory is a $3.4 billion investment and responds directly to what Aboriginal people told the Government is important to them. The Australian Government will work with Aboriginal people in both large and small communities to support local jobs, tackle alcohol abuse and encourage children to go to school, as well as provide basic services, including health, education and police. The Australian Government will talk to Aboriginal people in each community about how best to deliver services under Stronger Futures, providing Aboriginal people with more responsibility for services within their own community. The Australian Government will support Aboriginal organisations to deliver services under Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory and all services will be expected to employ Aboriginal people wherever possible. Building on current levels of remote staff, Remote Engagement Teams are part of the Government’s commitment to work differently, and more closely, with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. This plan outlines how this may be achieved through the Remote Engagement Teams. Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Remote Engagement Teams Remote Engagement Teams will help build stronger relationships between government and Aboriginal communities and homelands in the Northern Territory and help to improve government engagement, service accessibility and coordination with remote communities. 1 Draft Implementation Plan draft for public consultation Why are Remote Engagement Teams included in the Stronger Futures package? During consultations with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory about developing the Stronger Futures package, many Aboriginal people said they wanted government to talk to them about policies and they wanted government to listen to them, that there needed to be better coordination of government services, and respect for community governance arrangements. There were also requests for more Indigenous Engagement Officers and for Government Business Managers to more actively convey community decisions and views to government. It was clear there is a strong desire for face-to-face relationships between government and community and to develop better ways of working together. Remote Engagement Teams respond directly to these concerns and will build relationships with Aboriginal people based on effective consultation, engagement and lasting partnership. Government Business Managers will also now be called Government Engagement Coordinators to reflect an increased focus on engaging with local people and their new role in the teams. What are the objectives of the Remote Engagement Teams? The objectives of Remote Engagement Teams, as part of the Indigenous Coordination Centres, are to: • improve engagement with communities by establishing an on-the-ground presence of remote engagement officers (consisting of Indigenous Engagement Officers and Government Engagement Coordinators) to provide an overview of the effectiveness of the local service system and coordination of regional and local planning processes; and • provide a skilled and stable workforce that lives and works in remote communities. They will also: • support community involvement in local planning processes and the delivery of programs and services in their community; • help service providers to meet the needs of local Aboriginal families and communities; • facilitate improved government understanding of local community issues and increased community awareness of government programs and services; • be the primary point of contact for government working with communities and support improved coordination; and • provide feedback between government and community about effectiveness of programs and services. 2 Draft Implementation Plan draft for public consultation What are the expected outcomes and outputs of the Remote Engagement Teams? The Remote Engagement Teams will employ Government Engagement Coordinators and local Aboriginal people as Indigenous Engagement Officers to ensure there is better connection between government and communities and improved coordination at the local levels. Remote Engagement Teams will contribute to the following outputs: • regional and remote engagement; • coordination of government effort; and • increased local employment across all levels of the workforce by the expiration of the National Partnership Agreement. Remote Engagement Teams will contribute to outcomes such as: • improved government engagement, service accessibility and coordination in remote communities by: - providing better engagement on and regional coordination of government services - ensuring community feedback is heard and directed to the appropriate service delivery agency/agencies; and - ongoing monitoring of local service delivery. • improved economic participation, including employment and enterprise development through: - local jobs for local people; and - increased participation in enhanced community planning processes, addressing gaps and issues in local service delivery. The Government commits to: • establish Remote Engagement Teams throughout the Northern Territory over a two year transition period (July 2012 to June 2014); • increase the number of communities with Indigenous Engagement Officers from 30 to 54 by July 2014; • provide full and part-time job opportunities for up to 60 additional Indigenous Engagement Officers; • recruit 32 Government Engagement Coordinators by June 2014; • an Aboriginal Employment Target of 100 per cent of Indigenous Engagement Officer positions being filled by local Aboriginal people; and • an Aboriginal Employment Target of 20 per cent by 2016-17 and 50 per cent by 2021- 22 of Government Engagement Coordinator positions being filled by Aboriginal people. Who is part of a Remote Engagement Team? The Remote Engagement Teams will consist of Government Engagement Coordinators (GECs) and Indigenous Engagement Officers (IEOs). They will live and work in remote communities as well as in Darwin and Alice Springs. They will work closely with community members where they reside, as well as nearby communities and homelands. 3 Draft Implementation Plan draft for public consultation The Teams will form part of and be managed by the Indigenous Coordination Centre for their region. Indigenous Coordination Centres in the Northern Territory are located in Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy. They operate as whole-of-government centres and engage with Indigenous communities, other levels of government and service providers to support initiatives, such as Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory. What will Remote Engagement Teams do? Remote Engagement Teams will: • identify and utilise the best method/s to effectively engage with local Aboriginal residents and organisations; • explain government policies and provide comment and concerns from the community back to government; • regularly report to the community on the roll out of Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory commitments and other relevant initiatives; • work collaboratively with Australian and Northern Territory Governments, local government service providers and NGOs to coordinate service delivery and to identify opportunities for improvement; • report to the Indigenous Coordination Centres on the implementation of Australian Government initiatives within the community and help to identify any issues or barriers; • identify resources and opportunities to assist ongoing capacity development of local Aboriginal people–individuals, groups and organisations; and • if located in a Remote Service Delivery site, oversight associated reporting and the delivery of commitments, including supporting Local Reference Groups. The Indigenous Coordination Centre will: • coordinate training and development for both the Indigenous Engagement Officers and Government Engagement Coordinators; • provide logistic and administrative support; • support collaboration on government priorities and service delivery issues; and • facilitate access to whole of government resources to support solution brokering for the community. Where will Remote Engagement Teams work? Remote Engagement Teams will be responsible for a number of communities in their region, not just the one they live in. The services of Government Engagement Coordinators and Indigenous Engagement Officers will extend to homelands, including clusters such as those of Utopia in Central Australia. The location of Remote Engagement Teams may vary over time based on community discussions, government priorities and recruitment of Government Engagement Coordinators and Indigenous Engagement Officers. 4 Draft Implementation Plan draft for public consultation A map showing suggested locations of the teams is at Attachment A. Existing remote-based staff will continue to support communities while arrangements to establish Remote Engagement