Newslines Radio: Working together to Close the Gap in Walgett

This Newslines Radio program is part of this month’s community profile featuring the Walgett community and their work to Close the Gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

When it comes to the mission of Closing the Gap and creating positive change for Aboriginal people in the remote north western New South Wales town of Walgett, the local Land Council has found the best results occur when the community and government work together.

In this Newslines Radio program, Walgett Aboriginal Land Council deputy chair Steve Rutley and Aboriginal Land Council of New South Wales councillor, Anne Dennis, talk about some of the great projects underway in the Walgett township and the surrounding reserves that have been made possible by the community, working in partnership with all levels of government.

These include improved sewage and water facilities, community meeting places for Namoi and Ginge Reserves, a rent-to-buy housing scheme and a project to preserve the history of families living on the reserves.

“It’s community people having pride and actively participating and being able to start to share their stories, share our history and get a better understanding about those histories so that we can start to look at and identify strategies on how we can actually work together,” Anne says.