LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN GAPUWIYAK The Lake Evella Story In the Dreamtime two men, Girrgirrwanga and Gurrulan, cut a large hollow tree for a Djalubu, a coffin, in preparation for a burial ceremony. The Djalubu was placed upright in the ground on the south west edge of the current lake. A cormorant of the Dhalwangu clan flew from Gan Gan towards Gapuwiayk and when it approached, its wings hit the water and turned it into a big lake. Gapuwiyak is the traditional land of the Gupapuyngu Liyalanimirr clan. © 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 SIGNATORY PAGE We will all work together to Close the Gap. DAVE CHALMERS AO CSC NT STATE MANAGER Through respect and collaboration DEPARTMENT OF FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS we will create a better future for all of our children. This Local Implementation Plan is our THE HON MALARNDIRRI MCCarthY, MLA Northern Territory MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT commitment to create a long lasting partnership between the people of Gapuwiyak and governments. BANAMBI WUNUNGMURRA IAN BODILL President CHIEF ExECUTIVE OFFICER EAST ARNHEM SHIRE Council EAST ARNHEM SHIRE COUNCIL MALA LEADERS GROUP: MARRANGU GALPU K A MUNYUKU DJARRWAR PUWIY A G DHALWANGU DADIWUY GUPAPUYNGU GUNBAL GUNBAL DJAMBARRPUYNGU WANGURRI RIDHARRNGU WARRAMIRI Local Implementation Plan MADARRPA WAGILAG 1 DJAPU Introduction TABLE OF Welcome to Country 4 CONTENTS Closing the Gap in Gapuwiyak 5 Closing the Gap Building Blocks 6 Gapuwiyak’s Partnership with Government 8 Local Implementation Plan Process 10 About Gapuwiyak 12 History 12 Location 12 Population 12 Languages 12 Clan groups and families 12 Traditional Owners 13 Land Council 13 Local Government 13 Mala Leaders Group 13 Early Childhood Highlights 14 Schooling Highlights 16 Health Highlights 18 Healthy Homes Highlights 20 GAPUWIYAK Economic Participation Highlights 22 Safe Communities Highlights 24 Governance and Leadership Highlights 26 List of Acronyms 28 Published 30 september 2011 Local Implementation Plan Schedule A: Priorities, Strategies and Actions 30 Schedule B: Baseline Mapping Report Snapshot 46 3 Schedule C: Summary of Community Engagement 48 4 WELCOME to COUNTRY Hello my name is Bobby Wunungmurra, with government to create one community that Chairperson of the Gapuwiyak Mala Leaders is healthy and safe to live in, and that provides GAPUWIYAK Group. I would like to begin by paying my respect opportunities for our young and old people and to the local Miyarrga people, the traditional our children. custodians of Gapuwiyak. On behalf We have spent a lot of time coming up with of the traditional custodians, the Gapuwiyak priorities to make our community a better place Mala Leaders Group welcomes you all. to live. We, the Gapuwiyak Mala Leaders Group, Published 30 September 2011 Gapuwiyak Mala Leaders Group, old and young, young and old, fully commit to the details of this and the Gapuwiyak Year 12 students, the future plan and will work hard to ensure we can all leaders, have worked hard with government to meet our commitments. Local Implementation Plan develop the Gapuwiyak Five Year Local We, the Gapuwiyak people, young and old, are Implementation Plan. We have had many proud to sign this plan and to work together with meetings and have participated in training government to make Gapuwiyak community a through a Visioning Forum to complete this plan. better and safer place to live in. Through this plan, our community wants to work BOBBY WUNUNGMURRA, INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT OFFICER CLOSING THE GAP IN GAPUWIYAK 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 Gapuwiyak Local Reference Group, the Mala commitment based on delivering coordinated, Leaders Group. It sets out the priorities for the THIS AGREEMENT IS A LONG-TERM, targeted and accelerated development in Gapuwiyak community and includes targets, generational COMMITMENT Indigenous communities, and it changes the way actions, success measures and timelines for BASED ON DELIVERING governments invest in remote areas. achieving those priorities. Existing community and government plans and agreements in coordinated, targeted AND The Agreement takes a direct approach Gapuwiyak complement the Remote Service accelerated DEVELOPMENT IN to improving conditions. This includes Delivery approach. All the signatories agree to engaging directly with the communities INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES work together to deliver the actions in the plan. on delivering improvements. It also involves clear accountability for who does what, Transforming Gapuwiyak will require a two-way GAPUWIYAK where and by when, backed up by rigorous commitment to change. This means: monitoring and reporting. • community members agree to take more Gapuwiyak is one of the 29 remote Indigenous personal responsibility and fully participate in communities across Australia where this the commitments of the Gapuwiyak Local approach is being started through Local Implementation Plan, and Implementation Plans. The Gapuwiyak Local • governments agree to listen to the community Implementation Plan has been developed and provide resources and planning to improve Published 30 september 2011 Local Implementation Plan through close consultation between governments infrastructure, services and access to services. and the Gapuwiyak community through the 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 GAPUWIYAK 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