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Katie Woolf spoke with Larrakia Development Corporation CEO Nigel Browne · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now you may have seen in the paper this morning
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  Speaker 1: the latest designs for the new Larakir Cultural Center being
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  Speaker 1: built at the Darwin Waterfront have been released by the
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  Speaker 1: Larikiir Development Corporation. And joining me in the studio is
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  Speaker 1: the CEO Nigel Brown. Good morning to you, Nigel.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Katie, and good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Great have you on the show. Tell us a little
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  Speaker 1: bit more about this new center and what it's going
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  Speaker 1: to look like.
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  Speaker 2: So well, hopefully a lot of people will now know
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  Speaker 2: what it looks like because it's on the front page
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  Speaker 2: of the paper, which is a good thing. But this
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  Speaker 2: is really a vision that's been coming since nineteen ninety eight.
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  Speaker 2: Larikire have for a long time been wanting to establish
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  Speaker 2: a center which showcases our history, our art, our language
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  Speaker 2: and our lives. And now I can proudly say that
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  Speaker 2: Larakie Development Corporation has pursued that vision for a number
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  Speaker 2: of years and we're at the thirty percent design phase
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  Speaker 2: of the project.
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  Speaker 1: It must be a really pleasing thing that you've reached
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  Speaker 1: that point now, given the fact that it's something you've
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  Speaker 1: been working on since nineteen ninety eight, it's a long
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  Speaker 1: time coming.
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  Speaker 2: Well, considering the Cambi land claim was filed in nineteen
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  Speaker 2: seventy nine. We just really like to take a long
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  Speaker 2: time to do things, not really, but it's certainly had
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  Speaker 2: a not a straight path to where we are today,
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  Speaker 2: but certainly one that's now starting to reap reward for us.
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  Speaker 1: And what is it going to mean to our Larachie
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  Speaker 1: people but also to everybody in Darwin to have this
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  Speaker 1: center where we really can find out more about history,
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  Speaker 1: the art, the culture of the Larochie people.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, for us obviously and all of the Larachie families,
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  Speaker 2: it means everything. You know. It's not only going to
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  Speaker 2: be a place where the visiting public can come to
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  Speaker 2: learn about the history of our people. It'll be a
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  Speaker 2: place where they can appreciate the struggles of Larachie families
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  Speaker 2: over many, many, many decades, but also take an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to look at our art, to learn the language. Larochie
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  Speaker 2: language is a threatn language. The more people that can
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  Speaker 2: speak it the better, so focusing on language classes in
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  Speaker 2: particular is a lesson that we've taken from other groups,
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  Speaker 2: not only around Australia but around the world in what
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  Speaker 2: they offer to not only their own people but also
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  Speaker 2: the visiting public to reinvigorate Larakiir language. We want to
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  Speaker 2: do the same thing that the Yahoo have done in Broom,
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  Speaker 2: the Normer have done in Perth, mobs all over the
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  Speaker 2: country reintroducing language not only for the benefit of their people,
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  Speaker 2: but for the benefit of the community.
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  Speaker 1: Would you like to see school groups and that kind
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  Speaker 1: of thing go through there as well, because I reckon
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  Speaker 1: it's really important for our young people to actually know
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  Speaker 1: about our history and culture.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, so the classrooms that are being designed to be
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  Speaker 2: part of the center will allow that to occur. But
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  Speaker 2: looking at how other mobs around the country have also
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  Speaker 2: handled that opportunity, we're hoping to be able to also
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  Speaker 2: offer things like night classes, but then also have competent
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  Speaker 2: and trained Larakiir language speakers going into classes around schools
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  Speaker 2: that are on Larachie Country. So not only having people
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  Speaker 2: coming into the center, of course, but then also the
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  Speaker 2: center branching out.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what's been some of the cultural influence I guess
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  Speaker 1: placed on the design concept as well. Yep.
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  Speaker 2: So one of the significant factors for the cultural center
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  Speaker 2: being built down at the waterfront is that it's immediately
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  Speaker 2: adjacent to Stokes Hill. Stokes Hill, some people may not
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  Speaker 2: know is a registered Larakia sacred site. The design and
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  Speaker 2: shape of the building takes its queue from that site
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  Speaker 2: to form the shape of an ancestral being in the
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  Speaker 2: shape of a bird. So that's the design that Rossy
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  Speaker 2: Architects and Susan doug Dale Associates and Ella Springs have
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  Speaker 2: been working to and that's been really informed by the
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  Speaker 2: Larakiir work group that's also been advising and assisting in
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  Speaker 2: relation to this development.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know there've been some commentary as well on
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  Speaker 1: social media, people wondering how it's being funded and that
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  Speaker 1: sort of stuff. How is it being funded, Nigel yep.
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  Speaker 2: So part of the detailed design funding has come through
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  Speaker 2: the city still, which is also covering things like the
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  Speaker 2: CDU campus built, so that's a two million dollar grant
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  Speaker 2: was made available for that. But in relation to the
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  Speaker 2: actual construction of the center, all of that money, all
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  Speaker 2: of those funds are coming through the Aboriginal Benefits account.
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  Speaker 2: So the important thing there for people who are concerned
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  Speaker 2: in the community is that it is not a territory
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  Speaker 2: government project and it is not being funded by the
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  Speaker 2: territory government. This is a Aboriginal cultural center being developed
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  Speaker 2: and built by an Aboriginal corporation with Aboriginal money from
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  Speaker 2: that Aboriginal benefits account.
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  Speaker 1: How important is that aspect to you and to the people.
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  Speaker 2: It's quite significant. It's quite an investment from the Aboriginal
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  Speaker 2: benefits account. All I can say is that we have
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  Speaker 2: really benefited from the support of the ABA board and
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  Speaker 2: from Minister White's office. He is a tremendous supporter of Larikia.
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  Speaker 2: He's a tremendous supporter of this development. But also people
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  Speaker 2: like SAMMYE. Bush Lnarsi, the chair of the Northern Land Council.
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  Speaker 2: So this is really being driven by Aboriginal people from
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  Speaker 2: all over the country, you could say, to help Larikir
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  Speaker 2: bring this cultural center to life.
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  Speaker 1: And when can we expect the center to open? Is
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  Speaker 1: it far? Is it? How far away is it? Nigel?
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  Speaker 2: We had hoped about three years ago that we'd already
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  Speaker 2: be halfway through the build by now, but a lot
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  Speaker 2: of things have happened, as we all know in the world.
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  Speaker 2: But from a boots on the ground turning of the
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  Speaker 2: sod perspective, we're hoping to be able to do that
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  Speaker 2: by the end of this year, so aiming for around
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  Speaker 2: the November period.
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  Speaker 1: Awesome and how important do you think that this center
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  Speaker 1: is as well in terms of sort of you know bridging.
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  Speaker 1: I guess what sometimes people see is a real gap
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  Speaker 1: between you know, between white Australia and our indigenous culture
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  Speaker 1: and really trying to educate all Australians about our past.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, it certainly is very important, and obviously from
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  Speaker 2: a Lower Kire perspective and even from a Darwin perspective,
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  Speaker 2: we just don't have a place like this that people
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  Speaker 2: can go to and learn. And we know that there
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  Speaker 2: are a lot of people who come to visit Darwen,
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  Speaker 2: you know, looking for that aboriginal tourism content, and a
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  Speaker 2: lot of the time they pass through Darwin onto other places,
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  Speaker 2: whether it be out Arnham Land or Catherine or other
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  Speaker 2: places where there are established facilities. So here we'll have
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  Speaker 2: an opportunity for the visiting public, but even those people
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  Speaker 2: in transit to be but to come along and to
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  Speaker 2: learn about not only old Darwin, but ancient Darwin. And
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  Speaker 2: I think that's that's really important. The other thing we
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  Speaker 2: are looking to achieve in relation to this project is
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  Speaker 2: to create an Aboriginal tourism hub. So if when the
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  Speaker 2: cruise ships return, you know, people will be able to
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  Speaker 2: visit the facility, but then if they're traveling back to Melbourne,
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  Speaker 2: they'll also be able to get information in relation to
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  Speaker 2: places like you know, the cultural centers down in Catherine
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  Speaker 2: Raila Springs or Tennant Creek or the Kala Arts Center,
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  Speaker 2: you know, and hopefully then they'll be able to make
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  Speaker 2: a choice that they may want to visit those places
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  Speaker 2: in the future. So we're really wanting to re establish
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  Speaker 2: some very ancient trade routes, if you like, with our
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  Speaker 2: brothers and sisters around the Northern Territory because Aboriginal tourism
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  Speaker 2: is what is going to drive tourism in the territory
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  Speaker 2: for a very long time to come.
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  Speaker 1: And create so many opportunities as well, you know for
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  Speaker 1: Indigenous and non Indigenous territorians as well.
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  Speaker 2: I'm assuming absolutely, and you know, the bottom line for
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  Speaker 2: us is if our community is doing well generally speaking,
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  Speaker 2: so we so it's not just about all focusing on
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  Speaker 2: Larachia or Aboriginal people. I mean, this is going to
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  Speaker 2: be a project and a development, you know, which is
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  Speaker 2: going to obviously make money. But then also in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the construction opportunities, the service provision opportunities and employment
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  Speaker 2: is going to benefit the gross regional product of the
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  Speaker 2: territory for many years to come.
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  Speaker 1: Well Nigel Brown, CEO of Larachie Development Corporation, I really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you coming in this morning and having a chat
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  Speaker 1: with us.
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  Speaker 2: No worries, my pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you,