Galiwin'ku Local Implementation Plan
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LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Galiwin’ku Artist: Gali Yalkarriwuy The Morning Star Pole (banumbirr) is a ceremonial emblem and an essential part of ritual. The Morning Star Pole is most commonly used in mortuary ceremonies and is held by men whilst dancing. The individual poles can differ, depending on the ceremony, the artist’s clan and their stories. The poles are statements about identity and can represent specific stretches of country and the Aboriginal (Yolngu) people it belongs to. They are also a part of spiritual/religious statements that binds the people in life and death. One story told, is of an old woman who releases the stars (feather ‘arms’) on the p[ole before dawn and they fly away like a kite. they act as a guide for the dead spirit to find it’s way “home”, before being pulled back at daylight. The first lone star in the sky (Venus) is said to be the Banumbirr star. The Banumbirr pole has always been sacred and was created by the Dhuwa clans and presented to the family of an elder who has passed away. They were made from a wooden pole called ngaraka and painted with the four colours of ochres representing the clan’s designs. Feathers at the top of the pole represented the Morning Star, and feathered bunches tied by hand spun bush string and native bees wax represent each of the clans and their link to the Banumbirr. The poles also included human bone and hair woven through the string and feathers. “My father decided that his law had to change and that he should share the Banumbirr Pole with the balanda. So he made a beautiful Banumbirr pole but without the human bone or hair. This rendered it incomplete and so it was not sacred. He then presented this pole to Dr John Rudder and Mr Fletcher the first missionary on Elcho Island as a gift to help thebalanda understand and respect his culture.” – Gali Yalkarriwuy © Commonwealth of Australia 2010 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth, available from the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney-General’s Department. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration. Attorney-General’s Department, Central Office, 3-5 National Circuit, Canberra ACT 2600 or posted at www.ag.gov.au/cca. Please be aware that this report may contain the images and names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have passed away. Design by Sprout DAVE CHALMERS AO CSC NT STATE MANAGER SIGNATORY DEPARTMENT OF FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND PAGE INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS We will all work together to Close the Gap. LyNNE WaLKER, MLA MEMBER FOR NHULUNBUY AND Parliamentary Secretary FOR Through respect and collaboration Education AND TRAINING ON BEHALF OF we will create a better future for all THE HON MALARNDIRRI MCCarthy, MLA of our children. This Local Implementation Plan is our commitment to create a long lasting partnership between the people of BANAMBI WUNUNGMURRA IAN BODILL Galiwin’ku and governments. PRESIDENT CHIEF ExECUTIVE OFFICER EAST ARNHEM SHIRE COUNCIL EAST ARNHEM SHIRE COUNCIL GAliwin’ku LOCAL REFERENCE GROUP liwin’ku A G lan P Local Implementation 3 4 Introduction TABLE OF Closing the Gap in Galiwin’ku 5 CONTENTS Closing the Gap Building Blocks 6 Galiwin’ku’s Partnership with Government 8 Local Implementation Plan Process 10 Galiwin’ku About Galiwin’ku 12 History 12 Location 12 Published 30 September 2011 Population 12 Languages 12 Clan Groups 13 Local Implementation Plan Traditional Owners 13 Land Council 13 Local Government 13 Local Reference Group 13 Early Childhood Highlights 14 Schooling Highlights 16 Health Highlights 18 Healthy Homes Highlights 20 Economic Participation Highlights 22 Safe Communities Highlights 24 Governance and Leadership Highlights 26 List of Acronyms 28 Schedule A: Priorities, Strategies and Actions 30 Schedule B: Baseline Mapping Report Snapshot 49 Schedule C: Summary of Community Engagement 51 CLOSING THE GAP in Galiwin’ku The Australian and Northern Territory Governments are working together with Local Governments, through the Shire Councils, to reduce Indigenous disadvantage. In recognition that outcomes for Indigenous Australians remain below those of non-Indigenous Australians, the Council of Australian Governments has agreed to implement the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Service Delivery. This Agreement is a long-term, generational through the Galiwin’ku Local Reference commitment based on delivering coordinated, Group. It sets out the priorities for the Galiwin’ku THIS AGREEMENT IS A LONG-TERM, targeted and accelerated development in community and includes targets, actions, success generational COMMITMENT Indigenous communities, and it changes the way measures and timelines for achieving those BASED ON DELIVERING governments invest in remote areas. priorities. Existing community and government coordinated, targeted AND The Agreement takes a direct approach to plans and agreements in Galiwin’ku complement improving conditions. This includes engaging the Remote Service Delivery approach. All the accelerated DEVELOPMENT IN directly with the communities on delivering signatories agree to work together to deliver the INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, AND IT actions in the plan. improvements. It also involves clear accountability CHANGES THE way GOVERNMENTS for who does what, where and by when, backed Transforming Galiwin’ku will require a two-way Galiwin’ku up by rigorous monitoring and reporting. commitment to change. This means: INVEST IN REMOTE AREAS Galiwin’ku is one of the 29 remote Indigenous • community members agree to take more communities across Australia where this personal responsibility and fully participate in approach is being started through Local the commitments of the Galiwin’ku Local Implementation Plans. The Galiwin’ku Local Implementation Plan, and Implementation Plan has been developed • governments agree to listen to the community through close consultation between and provide resources and planning to improve Published 30 September 2011 Local Implementation Plan governments and the Galiwin’ku community infrastructure, services and access to services. 5 6 CLOSING THE GAP BUILDING BLOCKS The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to six specifictargets to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage, outlined below. These Galiwin’ku targets are underpinned by seven building blocks – priority areas where action is required. Improvements in one area will affect results in other areas. COAG Targets Building Blocks Achieving COAG Targets Published 30 September 2011 For an equal start in life, Indigenous children need early learning, development and socialisation Ensure all Indigenous opportunities. Access to high-quality early childhood education and care services—including preschool, four-year-olds in child care and family support services such as parenting programs—is critical. Facilities and infrastructure, Local Implementation Plan a sustainable early childhood education and health workforce, learning frameworks and opportunities for remote communities parental engagement are also important and require attention. Action on maternal, antenatal and early have access to early childhood health will help close the gap in child mortality as well as in early childhood development. childhood education within five years. Education is the key to future opportunity. Schooling that responds to Indigenous education priorities requires attention to infrastructure, teacher and school leader supply and quality, curriculum, student Halve the gap for literacy and numeracy achievement, opportunities for parental engagement, and school-community Indigenous students partnerships. Transition pathways into schooling and into work, and post-school education and training in reading, writing are also important. So are lifelong learning and the development of adult literacy and numeracy skills. and numeracy within a decade. Access to effective, comprehensive primary and preventative health care is essential to improving Indigenous Australians’ health and life expectancy and reducing excess mortality from chronic disease. All health services play an important role in providing Indigenous people with access to Close the gap in life effective health care. These services need to be responsive to government and community health expectancy within priorities and accountable for achieving them. Closing the Indigenous health gap requires intense a generation. efforts in preventing, managing and treating chronic disease. Indigenous children and their parents need to use programs and services that promote healthy lifestyles. COAG Targets Building Blocks Achieving COAG Targets A healthy home is a fundamental precondition of a healthy population. Important contributors to the current unsatisfactory living conditions include inadequate water and sewerage systems, waste collection, electricity and housing infrastructure (including design, availability and maintenance). Children need to live in houses that are free from overcrowding and provide the infrastructure they Halve the gap in need for good hygiene and study. mortality rates for Indigenous children Indigenous people and communities should be able to benefit from the mainstream economy. This under five within includes real jobs, business opportunities, economic independence and wealth creation. Economic a decade. participation needs to extend to disadvantaged job seekers