New toolkit launched to strengthen Indigenous governance

Practical governance information and resources are now at the fingertips of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations across Australia thanks to a new online Indigenous Governance Toolkit.

Reconciliation Australia, which is funded by the Australian Government, recently launched the free Indigenous Governance Toolkit following the success of the 2012 Indigenous Governance Awards.

The toolkit is designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities looking for information to strengthen their governance.

Developed as part of Reconciliation Australia’s partnership with BHP Billiton, it includes comprehensive advice, tools, templates and audio-visual resources that can be downloaded and customised to local circumstances.

Reconciliation Australia CEO, Leah Armstrong said the new toolkit is about sharing knowledge and innovation.

“The new toolkit is a way to share the innovation, success, wisdom and resilience that we consistently see from Indigenous organisations across the country as part of the Indigenous Governance Awards,” Leah said.

“The finalists of the 2012 Indigenous Governance Awards demonstrate just how successfully the best Indigenous organisations are at sustaining governance models that are effective, meaningful and legitimate in both worlds.

“The toolkit is about sharing this knowledge so that we can help breed success and see it replicated across the nation.

“Reconciliation Australia encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to use and adapt the toolkit to their needs.

We are confident it will become an invaluable resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people determined to exercise control over their own futures and create shared prosperity across the nation,” Leah said.

The Indigenous Governance Toolkit draws on evidence from the Indigenous Community Governance Project in Australia and the latest international research from the United States and Canada.

The toolkit pairs this research with practical examples of outstanding governance from the Indigenous Governance Awards program since 2005. The case studies, insights and tips in the toolkit come straight from the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians working on the ground with their own communities and organisations.