September 2018

NDIS Regional Community Planning Report:

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Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation Contents

Page

1 Introduction

Regional Community Planning 5

Contributing PIC Projects 6

2 The Region

Central Australia Region Communities 8

Central Desert Regional Council Area 9

McDonnell Regional Council Area 11

3 Stakeholder Engagement in Central Australia

Community Engagement in Central Australia 15

Stakeholdersconsulted 16

4 Central Australia Service Profile

Services available for people with disability 20

Expressed need for services 21

Adjacent services in the Central Australia 22

Central Australia SWOT analysis 23

Stories fromCentral Australia 24

5 Concluding Comments

Concluding comments from Central Australia 27

6 Acknowledgements 28

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PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 3 1 Introduction

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Regional Community Planning

The Department of Health, Office of Disability engaged PIC initially to undertake the Community Planning Project for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the . Due to the success of the engagement with East Arnhem stakeholders the project methodology was replicated in the remaining four project regions (Top End, Katherine, Barkly and Central Australia).

Community engagement was the focus of the work that was undertaken by PIC during the project and the reports reflect the thoughts of those people ‘on the ground’ in each region, including people with disability and their circle of support, current and potential service providers and support workers. At all points of engagement PIC focused on what the NDIS could bring to communities and promoted collaboration, as opposed to a strictly market based competitive environment, putting people with disability at the centre of all conversations. The knowledge and wisdom of the people engaged, which included high representation from Aboriginal people either living or working in remote communities, has been captured in an effort to provide solutions for a way forward in the implementation of the NDIS in remote regions.

Reporting for the completed project comprises six separate reports. The Community Planning for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Northern Territory is the main report for the project. This report contains the overall findings including information gathered on workforce considerations, opportunities and potential market development that highlights opportunities for new jobs under the NDIS for Aboriginal people living in remote communities. While many of the overall findings across the remote communities that PIC visited were similar, the regional reports provide more detailed information on the makeup of individual regions and communities and should be read in conjunction with the main report. It is important to note that communities in each region are in themselves unique with their own challenges which demonstrates a need to take a place based approach as opposed to ‘a one size fits all’ that will compromise the successful roll out of the NDIS in remote regions of the Northern Territory.

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 5 Contributing PIC Projects

PIC completed an additional three projects focusing on the NDIS, the findings of which have contributed to the Community Planning Project.

NDIS Community of Practice Project

The nine organisations who formed the Community of Practice had applied under the NT NDIS Innovation Grants Program to undertake projects related to place based community engagement and examine ways to leverage existing activities, and those activities undertaken by others in their respective communities, to provide new services for people with disability. The organisations were a mix of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (6) and mainstream organisations (3) that have strong links to the communities where their services are provided. Participant organisations in Central Austalia were: Australian Regional and Remote Community Services ( and also known as Docker River), Catholic Care NT (Ltyentye Apurte also known as Santa Teresa), Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation (Yuendumu) and Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation (, Willowra, Laramba and Engawala).

Photo credit: PIC. Central Australia has huge distances to cover but the team enjoyed some stunning scenery.

Meeting and Exceeding Cultural Safety in the Workplace Project

Workshops were delivered in all regional centres for mainstream providers to build their cultural safety capacity as required under Domain 5 (Cultural Safety, Security and Competency) of the Northern Quality and Safeguarding Framework 2016. Five organisations generously shared their time and experience to assist in the development of content and format for the workshops. The Meeting and Exceeding Cultural Safety in the Workplace Project also delivered collective resources and best practice examples for organisations to use in the delivery of culturally appropriate services.

Engaging Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations in disability service provision

PIC was engaged to promote involvement of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) with the NDIS. This work is embedded in the Community Planning Project with PIC building on existing relationships and utilising multiple approaches for community engagement in communication with ACCOs. None of the ACCOs that PIC consulted with provided disability services as a major part of their overall suite of services. Where it was provided, support services to people with disability was integrated into other services such as aged care. Those ACCOs providing mental health services all expressed concern regarding the transfer of Commonwealth funding under the Personal Helpers and Mentors Scheme (PHaMs) into the NDIS which may render many people ineligible for continuation of services. However, overall there was a keen interest expressed by ACCOs consulted in exploring possibilities for expansion of services under the NDIS. PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 6 2 Central Australia Region

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Central Australia Communities

Central Australia covers the regional service centre of along with the communities in the Central Desert Regional Council to the north and MacDonnell Regional Council to the south. While both Councils provide services in their respective major communities, the sparse population density and large distances have led to many service providers and both Regional Councils headquartering in and providing services from Alice Springs.

While weather does not play the same constraining role as in the wet tropical areas of the Top End, nonetheless, intense rainstorms can lead to some communities being isolated by road for long periods. Central Australia has a land area of just under 552,000 km2 and a population reported in the 2016 census as 34,459, only slightly more than 9500 living outside Alice Springs. A population density of one person for each 55 km2. Outside Alice Springs more than 80% of the population identifies as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

Source: Google Maps, 2017, https://www.google.com.au/maps, Bushtel http://www.bushtel.nt.gov.au/ ABS Census 2016

8 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Central Desert Regional Council Area

The Central Desert Regional Council, formed in 2008 through the amalgamation of a number of small community councils, covers an area of approximately 283,000 km2 from Engawala and Anatye, in the south and east to Lajamanu in the north end west. The original inhabitants of the Central Desert Regional Council area were the Anmatjere, Arrernte and Warlpiri Indigenous people. The 2016 census records a population of 3,677 persons, of whom 3,092 or 84% identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. The median age was 28 years. Rural land is used largely for cattle grazing and fruit and vegetable growing, with mining also being an important industry. The Council’s Aged and Disability Services continue to develop to meet the needs of elders and people with a disability. Services are focused on providing site-specific and culturally sensitive activities and care tailored to remote clients' needs. There is also a particular focus on taking opportunities to get clients out to enjoy country whenever possible.

Source: Central Desert Regional Council http://www.centraldesert.nt.gov.au/ Bushtel http://www.bushtel.nt.gov.au/ ABS Census 2016 Lajamanu Community Hooker Creek Native Settlement was established in 1948. A large number of Aboriginal people from Yuendumu Native Settlement were moved there by truck. On two occasions the group walked the 600 km back to Yuendumu, but were trucked back again to Hooker Creek. Missionaries from the Australian Baptist Home Mission resided there from 1962. The settlement was handed over to the local community in 1978 and became known as Lajamanu. Remoteness & Access Lajamanu, classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS is located 550 km south west of Katherine, on the northern edge of the Tanami Desert. Access is via the sealed Buntine Highway and then via 100 km of unsealed road. Access can also be made from Alice Springs via the Tanami Road, which is unsealed and often in poor repair. The travel time from Katherine is 6 hours. The community has a sealed airstrip for charter flights and is serviced by the Bhodi Bus. Population The population of Lajamanu is approximately 606 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 81.4% (508 people) identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

. Median age: 22 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 68 people (17.9%). Amenities Central Desert Regional Council provides a range of infrastructure and utility services along with aged and disability care, post office and Centrelink agencies, and youth activities. In addition Lajamanu has a police station, school, health centre (operated by Katherine West Health Services), fuel supply and employment services operated by Victoria Daly Regional Council. 9 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Yuendumu Community Yuendumu is a community largely made up of the Warlpiri and Anmatyerr Indigenous people. It was established in 1946 by the Native Affairs Branch of the Australian Government to deliver rations and welfare services. In 1947 a Baptist mission was established there. By 1955 many of the Warlpiri people had settled in the town. Yuendumu retains links with other Warlpiri communities within the region, including Lajamanu, Willowra and Nyirripi Remoteness & Access Yuendumu, classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS, is located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs, a journey of around 3 hours, along the Tanami Highway. The road is sealed for the first 145 km from the highway, the remainder formed and mostly gravelled, is usually passable for ordinary vehicles except after heavy rains. The access road to the community is 3km after the Tanami Road, of which the first 1 km is gravelled and the balance is sealed. The community has a sealed airstrip for charter flights and emergency access and is serviced by the Centre Bush Bus. Population The population of Yuendumu is approximately 759 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 70.6% (766 people) identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

. Median age: 28 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 61 people (11.4 %). Amenities Central Desert Regional Council provides local government services in Yuendumu along with the Community Development Program (CDP), early childhood services, night patrol, library and Centrelink agency. The community also has a store and post office, fuel outlet, school (K-12), clinic operated by Department of Health and commercial accommodation.

Photo credit: PIC. The Adult Education Centre is providing a range of literacy programs and provides community members with access to computers and a safe place to store key identification documents and treasured family photos.

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 10 MacDonnell Regional Council Area

MacDonnell region covers an area of 268,784 km2 (103,778 square miles) and has an estimated population of 6,982 people. The MacDonnell Shire Council was created on 1 July 2008 as were the remaining ten shires. On 1 January 2014, it was renamed MacDonnell Region. MacDonnell Regional Council occupies the south of the bNorthern Territory and is the only LGA that borders with ; with Anangu Yankunytjatjara in the southwest and the in the southeast. Home Care Services deliver aged and disability care programs in eight MacDonnell Regional Council communities working collaboratively with other agencies in the area. Training for all local teams delivers a 92% indigenous employment rate across the service. Other community support services operated by Council include Children’s Services and youth development programs.

Source: Google Maps, 2017, https://www.google.com.au/maps, MacDonnell Regional Council http://www.macdonnell.nt.gov.au/. Bushtel http://www.bushtel.nt.gov.au/ Ltyente Apurte

Community Ltyentye Apurte, also known as Santa Teresa, is named after Carmelite nun Saint Therese of Lisieux who was born in Alencon, France in 1873. In 1950, Bishop J P O'Loughlin submitted a grant for land for the Mission. In 1952 Crown land was divided into four blocks with the Catholic Church being granted one of the blocks for a mission which the Church called Santa Teresa. Remoteness & Access

Ltyentye Apurte, classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS, is located 85 km south-east of Alice Springs and 80km from the Simpson Desert. Access via the graded gravel road is usually good but can be impassable in extreme wet conditions. The community is serviced by the Centre Bush Bus service.

Population The population of Ltyentye Apurte is approximately 605 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 86.6% (499 people) identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

. Median age: 27 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 62 people (15.5%). Amenities MacDonnell Regional Council provides basic services including airstrip maintenance to the community. Council also provides children’s, youth and night patrol services as well as Australia Post and Centrelink agencies. There is also a general store, fuel supply, Catholic school, art and craft centre, health clinic (operated by the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress), police station and church and CDP operated by Catholic Care NT. PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 11 Kaltukatjara

Community Kaltukatjara, also known as Docker River. The original Indigenous name for the place was Kaltukatjara. Following the relocation of Pitjantjatjara people to Areyonga in the 1920s, some returned to their traditional homelands in the late 1960s and along with others from the community of Warburton, established the community of Docker River. Remoteness & Access Kaltukatjara is classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS and is located 670 km west south west of Alice Springs, 8 km from the West Australian border. By road, access from Alice Springs to Kaltukatjara, via Uluru, is via both sealed and unsealed sections (the last 190 km is unsealed). The community is also accessible via Lasseter Highway through to Tjukaruru Road. It's around 7 hours drive from Alice Springs. Kaltukatjara is serviced by the Center Bush Bus. Population The population of Kaltukatjara is approximately 394 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 72.4 per cent (294 people).

. Median age: 31 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 30 people (9.1 %). Amenities The MacDonnell Regional Council provides municipal services to Kaltukatjara including infrastructure, and utilities. MacDonnell Council also provides Centrelink services, a postal agency, inspection and maintenance of the airstrip, children’s and home care and night patrol services. The community also has a school, Department of Health managed health clinic, employment program and store. Ntaria

Community Ntaria, also known as Hermannsburg, was established as an Aboriginal mission on 4 June 1877 by two Lutheran missionaries. Severe droughts during 1897-8 and 1903 and 1927 meant poor food production and an influx of Aboriginal people. The mission land was handed over to traditional ownership in 1982. The Ntaria Historic Precinct was included on the Australian National Heritage List in April 2006. Much of the historic township is now protected by the National Trust. Remoteness & Access

Ntaria, classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS, is located 130 km west of Alice Springs. The sealed road can be cut for short periods following heavy rain. The community is serviced by the Centre Bush Bus.

Population The population of Ntaria is approximately 605 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 72.3% (454 people) identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

. Median age: 29 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 82 people (17.8%). Amenities MacDonnell Regional Council provides basic services to the community as well as airstrip maintenance and Commonwealth Government funded services, including children’s and youth development, home care and night patrol services. Council is also contracted by Australia and by Centrelink to provide services. Ntaria also has police station, Department of Health managed health clinic, school, church, supermarkets, bank agency, takeaway food, fuel station, employment services and historic precinct tourism operation.

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 12 Mutitjulu

Community Mutitjulu is named after a knee-shaped, water-filled rock hole at the base of Uluru, and is located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Its people are traditional owners and joint managers of the park with Parks Australia. The majority of the Anangu (people) are Pitjantjatjara but there are also Yankunytjatjara, Lurtitja and Ngaanyatjarra people. The Aboriginal Lands Rights (N.T.) Act, 1976, give the Anangu freehold title to these traditional lands an area of 44,970 km2. Remoteness & Access Mutitjulu, classified as ‘very remote’ by the ABS, is located 466 km by road from Alice Springs in the far south west corner of the Northern Territory. The community is accessible all year round by road via Lasseter Highway and Uluru Road . A commercial airport is located at Yulara, 27 km from the community. The community is serviced by the Centre Bush Bus. Population The population of Mutijulu is approximately 323 people (based on the 2016 Census) of whom 55.3% (189 people) identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

. Median age: 26 years old . Number of people who provided unpaid assistance to persons with a disability: 36 people (13.8%). Governance

The Mutitjulu Community Council provides local government services. Amenities Utilities are provided in Mutitjulu by Parks Australia. There is a general store, police station, Department of Health managed health clinic, football oval, health and community agencies, a large aged care facility operated by ARRCS and a church. Along with schools (NT Government and Nyangatjatjara College), employment services are provided by Wana Ungkunytja Pty Ltd trading as Anangu Jobs. Fuel is available at Yulara.

Photo Credit:. PIC In consultation with Office of Disability PIC conducted workshops in Central Australia as we identified that there was limited knowledge about NDIS by many service providers in the region.

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 13 Stakeholder Engagement in 3 Central Australia

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Community Engagement Visits

Key dates and schedule of Central Australian community visits

The following table represents the dates that the PIC consultants visited the remote communities in the Central Australia region. The visits generally involved 2 – 3 consultants with a mix of genders to address any cultural gender issues and facilitate communication.

Location Date

Lajamanu (Hooker Creek) 5/6/2018

28/2/2018 Yuendumu 10/7/2018

Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) 24/10/2017

Kaltukatjara (Docker River) 23/2/2018

Ntaria (Hermannsberg) 25/10/2017

Mutitjulu 19/2/2018

Alice Springs Workshops and Forums

Innovation Grants Workshop 13/9/2017 22 attendees

Alice Springs Service Provider Forum 26/10/2017 22 attendees

Alice Springs Critical Incidents Response 17/11/2017 44 attendees and Service Provider Forum

NDIS Community of Practice Inception 21/2/2018 9 attendees Workshop held in Darwin

Alice Springs Meeting and Exceeding 24/5/2018 9 attendees Cultural Safety in the Workplace Workshop

NDIS Community of Practice Recall 7/6/2018 10 attendees Workshop held in Darwin

15 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Stakeholders Consulted

16 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Stakeholders Consulted

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 17 Stakeholders Consulted

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 18 Central Australia 4 Service Profile

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Service available for People with Disability Existing services were mapped by community during the consultation. It must be noted that this table reflects a snapshot in time that is subject to change, and there are many variables affecting the functionality of a service on the day. One area of observation by the PIC team regarding service availability was the role played by allied health professionals in the provision of support that also included the transportation of equipment to communities and follow ups with regard to repairs to essential assistive technology. In many cases allied health professionals are the ‘glue’ that maintains supports for people with disability in remote communities.

Equipment Community Personal Home Day Community Employment Allied Meals maintenance Based Care Help Activities Access support Health & repair respite

Lajamanu

Yuendemu

Ltyentye Apurte

Kaltukatjara

Ntaria

Mutijulu

= Not available = Limited availability = Available

Definitions Personal Care: Personal activities of daily living such as showering, toileting, dressing, eating. Meals: Assistance with meal preparation or the delivery of one cooked meal to the house each day. Home help: Laundry, house work (including cleaning, washing dishes) and yard tidy up. Day activities: Structured planned day activities usually undertaken in a group environment and working towards goals (eg to be able to undertake shopping on own, to build exercise tolerance so that participants can walk independently to watch the football games). Community Access: participating in activities outside the home environment such as going to watch school concerts or participating in hunting or fishing trips. Equipment Maintenance and repair: timely repairs and maintenance undertaken on community such as fixing punctures on wheelchair tyres and screwing loose pieces of walking frame together. Employment support: Assistance given to help people apply for and maintain employment or the provision of Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) services on community. Community based respite: Services on communities that provide a break for carers of the person with a disability and a break for the person with the disability from the family home. Visiting Allied Health services: A regular home visiting service to the person with the disability from allied health staff. This is usually on a consultative basis.

20 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Expressed Need for Services

The following table represents the expressed need for services by community as translated to the consultants by people with disability and their carers and existing service providers.

A consistent theme of the consultations was the expressed need for transport both within community and surrounding areas, between communities and to regional service centres. The importance of both locally based and regionally based respite was also raised as an important issue that is dependent on the needs of the person with a disability and their circle of support. For example some service providers spoke of a fear people have that if they leave their community they might never come back, while others spoke of cases where regular culturally appropriate respite off community to attend to medical needs and access social and recreational services in regional centres is an enjoyable experience that is assisting people to remain on community long term. Both transport and respite remain unresolved issues within the context of eligibility under the NDIS.

Equipment Community Personal Home Day Community Employment Allied Meals maintenance Based Care Help Activities Access support Health & repair respite

Lajamanu

Yuendemu

Ltyentye Apurte

Kaltukatjara

Ntaria

Mutijulu

= Expressed need for this service = Service available = Adequately on community as it not available or but not enough serviced is insufficient to meet the needs of people with disabilities on the community

21 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Adjacent Services in Central Australia

The Community Planning Project recognised the importance of those organisations providing aged care, health clinics, CDP and sport and recreation programs on community and their potential role in considering the provision of direct or indirect support to people with disability under the NDIS. It was also evident that opportunities could arise through collaboration between these organisations and other organisations providing services on community.

Health clinics are a critical element in access for people with disability to the NDIS through the support provided in terms of information on medical conditions and assessment, as well as in the identification of people with disability as potential NDIS participants. There are two Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) managed clinics on the communities that were consulted. These AMS’s would have the ability to register for the provision of NDIS support services should they wish to do so in the future. However, health clinics managed by the Northern Territory government will not register to provide NDIS supports.

Aged Care Clinic / Health CDP Sport and Centre Recreation

Lajamanu

Mampu Maninja- Yuendumu kurlangu Jarlu Patu-ku Aboriginal Corporation

Ltyentye Apurte Arelhe- Inkerrenyekekenhe Ltyente Apurte Apmere

Kaltukatjara Anangu Jobs

Tjuwanpa Ntaria Resource Centre

Mutitjulu Mutitjulu Anangu Jobs Community Council

22 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting SWOT Analysis

This table comprises the compilation of feedback from forums and consultations and is a point in time snapshot. The information collected has been distilled into high level insights and as such does not represent verbatim feedback from any single person.

Strengths Weaknesses • Some long established organisations. with strong • Very small numbers of potential NDIS participants in relationships to remote communities, including many communities where 2 to 6 people are likely to the provision of aged care, have the scale and meet eligibility requirements. capacity to provide multiple services. • No AMS involvement in NDIS at this time. • Local government is involved in a range of community based service delivery to people with • One of the last areas to be transitioned to NDIS in the disability with local Aboriginal people employed NT. Level of NDIS knowledge was limited and in community. organizations coming to terms with the impact.

• Strong established Aboriginal Controlled • Disability is often not a priority in very small Organisations that have been operating for many communities who are often dealing with challenging years across all remote communities. circumstances e.g. inadequate/overcrowded housing and the lack of basic utilities. • Private allied health market with some capacity but located in Alice Springs. This could be an • High turnover of non-Aboriginal staff in remote emerging market. communities. • There is a high level of interest from existing • Delivery of personal care type support by Aboriginal providers in providing NDIS services to people people on community is an issue due to cultural with disability in the region. reasons.

• Limited transport options within and between communities and Alice Springs particularly for those with reduced mobility.

Threats Opportunities • Lack of cultural understanding by the NDIA of the • There is potential to draw people with disabilities need to develop and maintain relationships with into other existing services making people more people and communities over an extended period of visible giving them a voice and making them time. important in their communities. • Many communities have ‘consultation fatigue’ and • Potential to increase Aboriginal employment, difficulties in meeting current program reporting particularly in remote communities. An example requirements and may not be open to new ideas was given regarding that high turnover and regarding additional services. difficulty in recruiting sufficient numbers of allied health professionals could be assisted by the • Viability of disability services in remote communities employment of Aboriginal therapy assistants under the current NDIS model is questioned. The located on community, along with the use of loss of one or two people receiving NDIS supports computer technology on community to support from an organization will render the continuation of them. NDIS services financially unviable.

• Roll up of Commonwealth dollars for mental health programs into the NDIS viewed as a major threat for continuation of services to people who will not meet NDIS eligibility criteria.

23 PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Stories from Central Australia

During the course of the Community Planning Project PIC engaged with people with disability, their support networks including carers, service providers and members of the community. By asking people to share their stories we captured a wide range of experiences and views in both remote communities and regional centres. To protect individual and community confidentiality we have changed people’s names and amalgamated elements of different stories.

Fred, a community member, mentioned in conversation to us that people can’t get into the store if they’re in a wheelchair as the access is so difficult. When asked who owns the store he replied…‘Oh, we do the community.’

Photo credit: PIC. Language materials at the adult education centre in Yuedumu

Sabina currently coordinates the Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHaMs) program in a small remote community. Over 60 local people regularly access the very flexible program for all sorts of assistance from navigating Centrelink to help with solving practical day to day problems such as housing and relationships. In many communities PIC visited this program was described as being very successful because of its flexibility to meet community need and not requiring a formal diagnosis of mental illness. This is seen as a significant factor because not only is a diagnosis difficult to achieve in the remote context but there is also a huge stigma about being identified as ‘crazy in the head’.

Sabina expressed real concern that when the funding ceases many clients will not fit the criteria for NDIS and that there are no other services available at all. ‘Even if people wanted to access a service they would need to have a phone to Photo credit: PIC. The region is famous for its contact a stranger far away in another language or find internationally recognised art work. some way to get 600km on a dirt road to their office….. people are going to fall through the gaps…… I fear for the impact in our community on everyone.’

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 24 Stories from Central Australia

Jessica an Aboriginal government worker visiting a community with PIC consultants shared her experience over lunch. Her view was that the non- Aboriginal service providers need to engage an interpreter when working in remote communities to help ‘them’ understand better the Aboriginal client’s needs when working with people who have English as a second language. ‘For many people there is a ‘shame job’ factor in using an interpreter as it says I don’t speak English very well. Remember that there is no word for disability in Aboriginal languages.’ The lack of use of interpreters in the development of NDIS plans was raised in most communities outside the regional centres where NDIS had been rolled out.

Photo credit: PIC. Workshops in Central Australia identified the very important issues of culture and two way learning for NDIS to work successfully.

Disability isn’t our core business. Our organisation has many demands on it with multiple administrative and audit requirements and the administration for NDIS looks even more complicated than most programs for very small Photo credit: PIC. Service Providers deal with real numbers of people. We currently administer 60 issues relating to transport challenges given the vast distances between communities. different programs and grants most of which are short term and then there is dealing with the constant stream of visitors…..it’s exhausting...

Photo credit: PIC. All workshops demonstrated real interest in bringing new services to Central Australia

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 25 5 Concluding Comments

PwC’s Indigenous Consulting Concluding comments from Central Australia

The NDIS roll out in Central Australia commenced on 1 July 2018. PIC’s Community Planning activities began in collaboration with the NDIA and the OoD in late 2017. Despite the significant work undertaken in terms of information related activities prior to the roll out, it was evident that many organisations who were funded to provide services to people with disability were not fully aware of the enormity of changes to service delivery and financial management that would be involved in transition to the NDIS. In addition grave concerns were raised regarding the impact of some mental health programs being taken up by the NDIS and the potential loss of service for those people what may not meet the eligibility criteria of the NDIS.

Alice Springs is the base for a number of large community service organisations, some of whom provide disability services to remote communities. There are also a number of strong established ACCOs that have been successfully managing service delivery both within Alice Springs and in remote locations for many years. There may be potential for growth in the private sector with regard to expansion of allied health and specialist disability services. However, this growth may be compromised by the increased need for specialist services nationally as take up of the NDIS increases. As with other regions, services for people with disability are patchy in remote communities and generally do not provide the level of core support services to ensure that the basic functional needs of people are met. Allied health services have, in the main, been provided by the Department of Health.

During the PIC consultations many experienced service providers spoke of the hierarchy of priorities for people living in remote Central Australian communities where disability is not a priority when people are dealing with challenging circumstances, for example inadequate/overcrowded housing and the lack of basic utility services. This situation is not unique to Central Australia but the harsh climatic conditions of the region do highlight the real circumstances of many people in the region.

A major issue identified by many current and potential service providers related to difficulties associated with recruitment and retention of staff. Alice Springs, like Darwin and other regional centres, now relies on a high proportion of unskilled or semi-skilled staff coming in from overseas. Overall, service providers in Alice Springs were struggling to engage Aboriginal workers in the disability and mental health fields. Although employment of Aboriginal workers in remote communities was reasonably high in the delivery of integrated service aligned with other programs and services being provided in the community.

In summary, service providers in Central Australia are keen to engage in the provision of NDIS services and there are examples of where individual organisations have prepared in advance for the NDIS and are well on the way to providing a range of supports to existing and potential participants. However, not all is equal in the region regarding individual communities. For those smaller remote communities alternative approaches will be required to enable full access to the NDIS for functional supports, as well as support to engage in cultural and recreational activities for community members who are deemed eligible NDIS participants.

Photo credit PIC: Central Australia is desert country and experiences extremes of temperature. PwC’s Indigenous Consulting 27 Acknowledgements

PIC would like to acknowledge all who contributed to the Community Planning for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Northern Territory Project. Over the period of the project, PIC met with hundreds of people across the Territory from regional centres to very remote communities.

We particularly thank the Aboriginal people that we engaged with (people with disability, carers, family members, service providers, board members and elders) who shared their knowledge and wisdom which is reflected in this report.

Commonwealth Government