Search communities & contacts across the tristate region.
Anangu maintain a strong connection to culture and traditional values, through Tjukurpa (Law), Walytja (Family), Manta (Country) & Wangka (Language) that transcend state borders.
The impacts of inter-generational trauma are widely experienced by Anangu who face disadvantage on almost every socio-economic, health and wellbeing measure when compared with the rest of Australia.
Anangu continue to maintain lives rich in cultural and social capital, despite complex historical and structural barriers.
Whilst significant progress has been made in land rights and other areas of policy, much work remains to address ongoing disparities – and building a future that aligns to the aspirations of the Anangu.
Less than 2 out of 10 Aṉangu aged 20 to 24 years have completed Year 12 in the NPY Region (ABS Census, 2016)
Less than 2 out of 10 Aṉangu adults are working or studying in the NPY Region (ABS Census, 2016)
Almost 9 out of 10 Aṉangu are living below the poverty line in the NPY Region. In 2016, the average income for Aṉangu was $150 - $300 per person per week. The ‘poverty line’ is considered $430 per person per week in Australia. (ABS Census, 2016)
There are more than 250 service providers in the NPY region. Only a quarter of them are Aboriginal organisations.
This information is not yet a complete picture. It is a snapshot from 2016/17 based on data from two Federal Government Departments (NIAA & DSS), and anecdotal information from organisations operating within NPY communities. See data section for more information on the challenges we face in collecting this data.
Empowered Communities wakarintjaku Ananguku ka panya red kala pulka ngarantjaku munu blue palatja Ananguku wiya palunya tjukutjukuntjaku, piranpa tjutaku.
Empowered Communities is working with Anangu to increase the number of Aboriginal owned organisations (red section of the graph) bigger, and make the non-Aboriginal owned (blue section) smaller.
Empowered Communities wakarintjaku Aṉanguku ka panya red kala pulka ngarantjaku munu blue palatja Aṉanguku wiya palunya tjukutjukuntjaku, piranpa tjutaku.
Empowered Communities is working with Aṉangu to increase the number of Aboriginal owned organisations (red section of the graph) bigger, and make the non-Aboriginal owned (blue section) smaller.
These challenges include some of the highest levels of poverty and disadvantage on almost every socioeconomic, health and wellbeing measure when compared to the rest of Australia.
Moreover, there is poor coordination of policies, services and programs between organisations, government and other stakeholders, as well as across state and territory borders. This is despite Anangu consistently voicing the commonality of issues that affect communities across the entire region.
Due to the lack of coordination mechanisms and absence of an authorising environment to work across borders at the most senior levels of government, efforts to coordinate across borders are often avoided or met with red tape and other barriers. As a result, there are inequitable and inadequate services, investment and negligible economic and social development opportunities for Anangu families and communities.
A root cause of these issues is that Anangu have inadequate opportunities to participate in and lead decision-making about the policies, programs and services in their own region, despite the fact that Anangu know best what their communities need.
There is a need for better place-based (i.e. locally-led) approaches that draw from the wealth of knowledge and skills already held by Anangu, while at the same time enabling greater capability and capacity-building for local communities and organisations.
Ultimately, major systems change is required in the region in order to shift power into the hands of Anangu and thereby delivering the best results for communities.
Developed by Kulintja Kutju, the Roadmap outlines what Anangu have told us are the key regional priorities, strategies for empowerment, and approaches to regional investment and governance. It is a map that aligns with the Closing the Gap priorities, and is designed to guide organisations and governments on how we can work together, guided by Anangu, towards a better life for families and communities. It shows the direction for our shared journey to support Anangu empowerment.
Key elements of the roadmap include:
Empowered Communities is about creating a genuine and balanced partnership, where everybody is united and strong, working together on a level playing field. To achieve real and lasting positive change, stakeholders must play their part in supporting the vision of Anangu. This roadmap provides the guide for how we will get there.
Learn more about what we are doing about these areas here.
