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Indigenous organisations wow judges in awards program
We have a media release update from Reconcoliation Australia:
(exerpt)
Eight of Australia’s top Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations have been selected from a record pool of nominees in the prestigious 2012 Indigenous Governance Awards (IGAs).
The 2012 IGAs attracted over 100 applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned organisations and projects—more than tripling the number from the previous awards program in 2010.
An independent judging panel chaired by Professor Mick Dodson had the tough job ofselecting just eight finalists.
“Indigenous governance is really improving and our finalists represent the best of what is happening in Indigenous communities,” Professor Dodson said.
“We’re very pleased with the enormous response. We received a record-breaking 107 applications and the standard of quality was also very high.
“They are true success stories, achieving clear results in what are largely very challenging environments.”
Included in the eight finalists is a women’s council who work to strengthen the economic, emotional and social wellbeing of women and families living in traditional homelands across South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia; and a youth development and leadership program in the Northern Territory.
While the 2012 finalists represent a diverse range of services, each has been developed from the ground up and are genuinely owned and driven by the communities and members they represent.
Judges will visit each finalist throughout August and September with the winners announced at an Awards event at BHP Billiton in Melbourne on the 12 October.
Held biennially, the IGAs were created in 2005 by Reconciliation Australia in partnership with BHP Billiton, to identify, celebrate and promote strong leadership and effective governance.
Further information: www.reconciliation.org.au/iga
2012 Indigenous Governance Awards finalists
Category B: Outstanding examples of Indigenous governance in a non-incorporated initiative or project
Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly Represents the Community Working Parties of Bourke, Brewarrina Broken Hill, Cobar, Collarenebri, Coonamble, Dareton/Wentworth, Enngonia, Goodooga, Gulargambone, Ivanhoe, Lightning Ridge, Menindee, Walgett, Weilmoringle and Wilcannia, NSW.
The Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly’s governance charter “expresses our resolve to manage our own affairs, build sustainable communities and determine our own future. It demonstrates the depth of our resolve to make real improvements in our wellbeing...Establishing jurisdiction involves governance arrangements at the regional and community levels within the Australia’s federal system of government. These arrangements will flow from further consultation, discussion, debate and deliberation by communities. MPRA was established as a regional governance structure to support Community Working Parties (CWPs), governance bodies in the 16 Murdi Paaki region communities.
The Assembly comprises Chairs (or their representatives) of these 16 CWPs. MPRA develops a Regional Strategic Plan, the information for which is sourced from the 16 communities. Priorities are identified by the MPRA and then implemented with the aim of providing capacity for governments and service providers to invest effort that will effectively address disadvantage in the region. The Assembly’s Charter of Governance, rather than any incorporation legislation, provides the regulation, the goals and objectives, the functions and principles which guide its operations.