Helping communities direct their own futures

Across Australia, Indigenous organisations are often the lifeblood of their communities, providing vital services and employment for locals. So it’s crucial they are well run and their management understands the opportunities and risks they may face.

Following requests from community leaders, Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APONT) are running Australian Government-sponsored governance and management workshops throughout the Territory.

While governance and management might not sound exciting, APONT’s Wes Miller, a Jawoyn man based in Darwin, believes the key to successful Indigenous organisations are good directors and managers, and sees a link between good management and successful, thriving communities.

“We work to improve governance and management of Aboriginal organisations so board members become more efficient and stronger and take control of their organisation,” Wes said.

“It’s about self-determination – Aboriginal communities running their own organisations and taking control of their own lives, and the fact there is a lot of money being generated that needs to be managed well so communities can benefit.”

Workshops are being held in major centres like Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine, as well as remote locations including Yirrkala and West Arnhem. The coverage ensures that board members from remote Aboriginal organisations have the opportunity to attend and share ideas and solutions and develop youth leadership.

Wes is quick to point out that holding these workshops does not imply that Aboriginal organisations are poorly managed.

“There’s a perception that Aboriginal run organisations aren’t functional and reliable but that’s a myth,” Wes said.

“For example, some of the very remote organisations are doing really well but don’t get any credit for it. Instead, it’s the few organisations that run into trouble that get all the news. And some of these problems stem from a lack of understanding that some board members, particular senior elders, have of the complexities of running multi-million dollar organisations in the twenty-first century.

“There are thousands of Aboriginal people employed by these organisations, so it’s important that they are run well, and these workshops play a part in this,” he said.