Territory Stories

ALC 15 year strategic plan 2012-2027

Details:

Title

ALC 15 year strategic plan 2012-2027

Creator

Anindilyakwa Land Council

Collection

Anindilyakwa Land Council annual report; Anindilyakwa Land Council strategic plan; Reports; PublicationNT

Date

2012

Notes

Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).

Language

English

Subject

Anindilyakwa Land Council (N.T.) -- Periodicals; Aboriginal Australians -- Northern Territory -- Groote Eylandt -- Periodicals

Publisher name

Anindilyakwa Land Council

Place of publication

Alyangula

Volume

2012-2027

Copyright owner

Anindilyakwa Land Council

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/254602

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/529654

Page content

ALC 15 year Strategic Plan 8. Goal D: Strengthen Community Capacity 99 8. GOAL D: STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY CAPACITY This Strategic Plan provides a 15-year outlook for Anindilyakwa people to take greater control of the things that impact on their lives. Anindilyakwa people have expressed that they wish to determine what their future will be like and to lay the foundations for that now. The execution of this strategic plan will provide opportunities for Anindilyakwa people to strengthen capacity to take up training and economic participation opportunities in the two mainstreams of essential services delivery and in the building of a culture-based economy. The community has asked for more jobs and to be able to deliver its own essential services, to repair and maintain its own existing houses, develop a modest royalty-supported house building scheme, increase aged care and support services for our increasing Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) affected population and re-establish fresh food sources on the island. The Youth Steering Committee has done extensive consultation with youth and determined their main priority is to have their culture at the forefront of their education and employment. However there are a number of challenges that must be addressed for Anindilyakwa people to optimise the realisation of the vision, goals and actions within this Plan. Substance misuse is a major challenge that has been highlighted by community and is impacting on engagement in training and employment. There are also other factors that hamper participation in employment including poor participation in schooling and training and a lack of exposure to mainstream workforce. A focussed employment strategy is required to achieve measurable outcomes in this area. There is also a need to build strong leadership and governance within organisations and to broaden the pool of Anindilyakwa people who can take up roles within these governance structures. 8.1 TACKLE SUBSTANCE ABUSE Substance abuse, particularly cannabis, has long been a problem in the Groote archipelago, causing havoc and pain. Substance abuse rips through the hearts of people and communities. According to a recent report on substance misuse on Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island, a staggering six out of 10 Anindilyakwa people regularly smoke marijuana across both islands (Lee and Conigrave 2011). Around nine out of 10 people smoke tobacco, which is a significantly higher proportion compared with Indigenous people in other parts of Australia (where just under five in 10 are smokers). Many Anindilyakwa people are also starting smoking as young as 10 years old. When asked why people smoke, the most common reasons were because of: boredom, unemployment, lots of stress and because everyone else was doing it. Alcohol is also a big problem for Anindilyakwa people when off island. It is estimated that up to any one time there are 100 to 150 Anindilyakwa people drinking in Darwin. During royalty,