Indigenous engagement

19 July 2013Brian Gleeson, Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous ServicesUN Youth Australia National Council, Sydney

The lay of the land

Closing the GapA COAG initiative – targets and

building blocks

Remote Service DeliveryA new way of working?

Accountability - the Coordinator General

for Remote Indigenous Services

A watchful eye

Strengthening communities

Closing the Gap

BUILDING BLOCKS

EarlyChildhood Schooling

HealthyHomes Health

EconomicParticipation

SafeCommunities

Governanceand

Leadership

Three core areas

• Improved engagementAcross governments - improved collaboration and coordination Between governments and communities

• Better service systems Better standard and range of servicesLocal Implementation PlansPublic accountability

• Stronger communitiesSupport development of governance and community leadership

RSD Priority Communities

The Office of the Coordinator Generalfor Remote Indigenous Services

Key element of the new model Independent Drive reform Accountability and reporting

“ we need to convince communities that this is a new way of working and not just a new way of describing what we have always done”

CGRIS second six monthly report

Statutory officer established under the Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services Act 2009

Oversee the implementation of the RSD partnership.

Formally report twice a year on progress, and ensure that all government agencies are held accountable for their implementation responsibilities.

Have the authority to work across agencies to cut through red tape and bureaucratic blockages and to make sure services are delivered effectively.

Work with the whole of government Regional Operations Centres established to coordinate services in communities and the single government contact points located within the priority communities.

What do we do?

Engagement and capacity building

Engage and empower Indigenous people … in the design and delivery of programs and services (C9 (b))

Be transparent regarding the role and level of Indigenous engagement along the continuum from information sharing to decision making (C9 (e))

Develop the skills, knowledge and competencies … of Indigenous people and organisations (C10 (c) (i))

Support Indigenous communities to harness the … corporate, non-government and philanthropic sectors (C10 (c) (ii))

Support the capacity of Indigenous service sector and communities to play a role in ensuring services are responsive, accessible and appropriate (C13 (f))

New ways of working

Engagement and community strengthening

• Long term success and safer, stronger and vibrant communities are only achievable if communities are strengthened through their engagement with government.

• RSD includes a focus on contributing to:

community led planning and decision making; improving the level of governance and leadership within

communities and community organisations; more highly developed capacity in Indigenous communities; and the development of local skills and a stable local workforce.

considerable effort to make sure that the development of the LIP was grounded in local context and community input

dynamic process which evolved as the community awareness and understanding increased.

the various family and clan groups in the community were mapped, identifying family leaders, traditional owners and elders who held positions of influence in the strong cultural context of the community.

the Men’s and Women’s Yarning Circles were enthusiastically embraced - some women’s sessions went for four to five hours with up to 50 women participating

Mornington Island engagement

• Local Year 12 students involved in the development of the Local Implementation Plan

• Some of their suggestions: Football competition Music room Driving lessons Youth Centre Training centre

• Their suggestions were accepted into the Local Implementation Plan

Gapuwiyak engagement

• Engaging Today, Building tomorrow – a framework for engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

• Three key areas of focus: changing business processes building staff capacity building NGO and community capacity

• Additional tool kit including engagement planning checklist

National Indigenous engagement framework

Staff working at the community level must have the capability, resources and scope to:

– communicate and engage with all stakeholders, in particular Indigenous community organisations and individuals;

– assess a situation and define a vision and mandate;

– formulate strategies and play a central role in identifying whole of government policy solutions to match local circumstances;

– budget, manage and implement strategies in partnership with communities; and

– evaluate, monitor and report progress and have the scope to adapt to changing circumstances.

Place based engagement

Locally based teams need the following supports:– well understood community and government needs, aspirations and actions,

incorporating the lessons from the many years of engagement between the communities and government;

– a process which respects culture, diversity and community dynamics, preferably through strong and existing social network systems;

– a willingness to relax control and be responsive to community perspectives;

– the inclusion of all community interests and affected groups, including women and youth;

– a commitment to ensuring all stakeholders are fully informed – both of the process and of the evidence they need to make informed decisions; and

– well developed communications products which are meaningful to local community members.

Place based engagement

Summary – government’s role is to

• create an environment where communities can improve their own circumstances

• empower communities in their efforts to solve their own problems

• respond to priorities that lead to sustainable outcomes

• support capacity building efforts

• provide ongoing support and investment to meet community priorities

Insanity : doing the same thing and expecting a different resultAlbert Einstein

UN Youth Engagement Options

• Liaise with National Congress of Australia's First Peoples to talk about UN Youth and seek their support

• Liaise with relevant Australian, State and NT Governments who have a mandate on youth, eg DEEWR

• Tap into existing youth programs to build on engagement strategies • Target a few remote communities where active youth programs are in

place to develop lessons learnt • Establish youth focal points and related network of Indigenous youth• Long term - considering a proposed Indigenous Youth Conference in Alice

Springs • Develop a specific communications strategy on Indigenous youth

UN Youth Engagement Options

• Develop communication products that relate to different groups • Forge partnerships with government agencies which conduct current Indigenous

programs • Link UN youth to annual UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues • Consider conducting a survey to assess areas of interest and current knowledge

of UN• Develop priority marketing messages that sell UN to Indigenous youth • Language is an issue in a lot of Indigenous communities • Build on existing opportunities in communities through schools, scheduled youth

activities

• Consider youth Ambassador concept

Behold the turtle. He makes progress only

when he sticks his neck out.

James Bryant Conant

www.cgris.gov.au