7. Coordination
7.1 Government Business Managers (GBMs) survey
Coordination of Commonwealth agencies
The aspects of the whole of government approach which are reported as working primarily relate to improvements in the level of communication between agencies, and the coordination of services.
Specifically, GBMs report that communication between the GBM and the ICC, the CEO, Centrelink, and the CEB are working well. Other aspects highlighted as working include activities under the petrol sniffing strategy, youth programs, income management and the community store, community housing, health checks and night patrols.
GBMs in the community can allow a process to build trust and relationships with locals and through that they are able to explain the Governments aim and purpose.
GBMs report that government visits place a burden on 90% of communities (mild burden - 21%; moderate – 39%; and heavy – 30%). Some GBMs feel this burden can’t be reduced; others believe coordination could be improved.
While GBMs indicated that better coordination of visits, and less visits by officials overall is needed, they frequently highlight the Visitor Officer Notification system as one aspect of the whole of government approach which is working well when utilised.
Those aspects of the whole of government coordination of services that are reportedly not working relate to barriers to communication and information sharing by some agencies with other agencies and the GBMs. Better communication and information sharing could potentially assist effectiveness of service provision.
Governance within community
GBMs report some level of community involvement in community management for the majority of communities. Community members are considered to be highly involved in around 17% of communities.
Those GBMs who answered that the community has a high level involvement in their own management refer to a number of characteristics evident in both community leaders and the community as a whole.
These characteristics include:
- strong leadership
- leaders are educated and well informed
- leaders who display good governance
- the involvement of women in leadership roles
- leaders with a high degree of literacy and numeracy
- being in a smaller community was also mentioned as facilitating community management.
- There are a number of GBMs who state a concern about the effect that changes to the Local Government arrangements will have on community involvement, particularly in regards to the community becoming less engaged in local decision making, feeling they will have little say in what goes on.
Community understanding of the measures
GBMs rate community understanding of the NTER aims and why the NTER was launched as good or excellent in a large majority of communities (more than 70%). This includes understanding of alcohol bans, community safety, income management, child health checks, clean ups and pornography bans.
7.2 Community Engagement
Community engagement workshops
The Indigenous Leadership and Engagement Group (ILEG) in FaHCSIA developed and delivered a community engagement approach for the NTER resulting in engagement with and support for development of 300 Indigenous people from targeted communities. The approach was to use a series of workshops for key people from the NT communities to promote understanding of the NTER and the implementation process and encourage communities to engage effectively with government representatives. ILEG was able to establish contact with key community stakeholders through its network of past leadership development course participants, and so set up regional workshops to cover the original 73 identified communities.
The community engagement workshops were successful in promoting understanding of Government plans and their implementation among Indigenous communities, and in encouraging communities to engage effectively in the implementation (for example, by articulating their communities’ priorities across the measures to be available via the NTER). Workshop facilitators conducted a qualitative assessment of success in achieving the community engagement aims.
The community engagement workshops were most effective when discussions took place before NTER measures were implemented in communities. ILEG consequently developed and delivered the workshops to 170 people, covering the 73 NTER communities between July and November 2007. A further six cluster workshops which included a leadership training component were delivered to another 130 participants between January and June 2008.
The community engagement approach, as assessed by the workshop organisers/facilitators, was that all stakeholders gained a better understanding of what was planned by the Government and how it could affect them. The reaction to the workshops was generally positive, although a few participants remained pessimistic. The value of engaging actively with Government was well understood.
Analysis
Ideal sequencing would have seen the engagement workshop as the first phase of roll‑out for each community.
The approach of the current Government is a greater emphasis in consultation with Indigenous people.
No formal evaluation process was possible.
7.3 Commonwealth Ombudsman Support for the NTER
The Ombudsman was provided funding in 2007 to investigate complaints arising from the NTER and provide an objective channel of communication for Indigenous communities. As at 30 June, the Ombudsman’s office had received 489 complaints, of those, 340 are/have been investigated.
The trend analyses of complaints by reporting period were:
August to 31 October 2007
- Lack of understanding and information regarding the rollout of income management (IM)
- Service delivery
- Not enough information in language
- Lack of understanding of the allocations and the difference between IM funds and discretionary funds
- CDEP transition payments
- Not enough information in language
- Lack of understanding of the allocations and the difference between IM funds and discretionary funds
- CDEP transition payments
Community Stores, unsure of how to use money allocated to the store, balances not being given - No prices on goods at the stores
- Store licensing
- GBM’s - communities unsure of the GBM’s role and what powers they have. Complaints received that GBM’s do not introduce themselves and don’t explain their role.
By 30 June 2008 the Commonwealth Ombudsman had visited 39 communities and town camps investigating complaints related to the NTER and held complaint clinics in Alice Springs and Wadeye.
Target
The target is to visit 73 NTER communities after the commencement of IM.