Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / East Arnhem Regional Council President Lapulung Dhamarrandji and CEO Dale Keehne are hopeful of continuing the push for formal recognition of Aboriginal Community Controlled Local Government Councils
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Now we know that East Darnham Regional Council is progressing
- 0:04Speaker 1: the call for formal recognition of Aboriginal community controlled local
- 0:07Speaker 1: government councils by the Northern Territory and Australian governments. They've
- 0:12Speaker 1: got three motions which are going for consideration and endorsement
- 0:16Speaker 1: to the General Meeting of the Local Government Association, which
- 0:19Speaker 1: is legant as many people will know it today here
- 0:23Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory. Now I'm really pleased to say
- 0:25Speaker 1: that joining me in the studio this morning, we have
- 0:28Speaker 1: got the East Dannham Regional Council President lap Along Daramanji.
- 0:33Speaker 1: Good morning to your laff Along.
- 0:35Speaker 2: Good morning, ye.
- 0:36Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining us. And we have also
- 0:38Speaker 1: got the CEO Dale Keane. Good morning to you Dale.
- 0:42Speaker 1: Great great to have you both in the studio. I
- 0:44Speaker 1: really appreciate your time and I know that we have
- 0:48Speaker 1: got this situation today we're the call for that formal
- 0:51Speaker 1: recognition of Aboriginal community controlled local government councils. Those three
- 0:57Speaker 1: motions happening today at Lagan and at the meeting Dale,
- 1:02Speaker 1: I might go to you first what are these motions
- 1:05Speaker 1: and what will they mean for the Arnham region.
- 1:09Speaker 3: Thanks for that look, absolutely, there's three important motions and
- 1:12Speaker 3: we're really confident. We've been talking to the mayors and
- 1:14Speaker 3: the CEOs of the other councils, particularly the mayors and councilors,
- 1:18Speaker 3: and they're really supportive as so you know, as other
- 1:20Speaker 3: motions were put up in the past were really you know,
- 1:22Speaker 3: we're all in the same boat on this. So but
- 1:24Speaker 3: the first real thing about it is about the recognition
- 1:27Speaker 3: by the Anti Australian governments of the current Aboriginal control
- 1:31Speaker 3: of local government in the Northern territory. It's really unique
- 1:33Speaker 3: a It's not like down South Sydney, Melbourne even o
- 1:36Speaker 3: there as South Australia and so on. There's such a
- 1:39Speaker 3: control in terms of Aboriginal population and the board members
- 1:42Speaker 3: and local authorities in each and every community gay so
- 1:45Speaker 3: that is there. But we are finding we really want
- 1:48Speaker 3: to work constructively with government when we work in closing
- 1:50Speaker 3: the game and working the voice, which is meeting Indigenous voice,
- 1:53Speaker 3: which is about local and regional control and say in
- 1:55Speaker 3: a voice yep.
- 1:56Speaker 4: And also anti government's local decision making.
- 1:59Speaker 3: That's been a policy for four years that we can
- 2:02Speaker 3: make the difference as a bridge and lap Along will
- 2:03Speaker 3: took that more in a second A. But the bridge
- 2:06Speaker 3: with all the additional people, the tos, the clans and
- 2:10Speaker 3: all of people, young women, old, some people don't always
- 2:13Speaker 3: have the voice as strong as others. When we're talking
- 2:16Speaker 3: about how to improve an engage your community with the
- 2:18Speaker 3: other levels of government, the Balander, the non.
- 2:20Speaker 4: Indigenous levels specifically.
- 2:22Speaker 3: Now I'm happy to see Warren snow in there today
- 2:24Speaker 3: at Legant and is speaking on behalf of marrying wouldn't
- 2:27Speaker 3: get there, and we're talking to the current government as well.
- 2:30Speaker 3: But there's been thirty one point eight million dollars and
- 2:33Speaker 3: it's been allocated in the budget.
- 2:35Speaker 4: For the voice.
- 2:36Speaker 3: Yeah, so the proportion of that for the six areas
- 2:39Speaker 3: and the NT they would relate to to go to
- 2:42Speaker 3: practically the local authorities and council as a key role
- 2:46Speaker 3: of not just having government come in and and til
- 2:49Speaker 3: can sort of listen or see the listen and go away.
- 2:51Speaker 3: But actually where you write things down, you follow up
- 2:54Speaker 3: with action. And that's what we do day in day
- 2:57Speaker 3: already for fourteen years. And all the pre accounts, the
- 3:00Speaker 3: councilors before this regional one they're all Aboriginal two. And
- 3:04Speaker 3: the next bit about that is just to ensure that
- 3:06Speaker 3: that federal policy A that's just been endorsed in December
- 3:08Speaker 3: last year is in line with all really that local government,
- 3:12Speaker 3: local decision making when it comes in line with that,
- 3:14Speaker 3: so you don't have government going out there fed's one
- 3:17Speaker 3: week into the next month or whatever, because it should
- 3:20Speaker 3: all be joined up. A community w of course, just
- 3:22Speaker 3: see it all together and all connected. And look the
- 3:25Speaker 3: last one it's it's it's it's the last in terms
- 3:28Speaker 3: of priority, but really significant as well as Aboriginal organizations.
- 3:32Speaker 4: Councilors can't get one dollar because.
- 3:34Speaker 3: They're not recognized as Aboriginal only, which are really important
- 3:37Speaker 3: to a and we work with them all the Averaginal corporations,
- 3:39Speaker 3: we contract them, we partner with them, but we do
- 3:42Speaker 3: have very high capacity and we can be there to
- 3:45Speaker 3: nurture them, support them and partner with them, which we
- 3:47Speaker 3: do every day. The other funds we get, but we
- 3:50Speaker 3: don't get any dollars. And there's big opportunities with the
- 3:53Speaker 3: land councils and the a BA for good work we
- 3:55Speaker 3: can do together on that as well.
- 3:57Speaker 1: Along How important is it that's some of these change happens,
- 4:01Speaker 1: but then it is led by local Aboriginal people.
- 4:07Speaker 2: I reckon talking as First Nations.
- 4:13Speaker 5: Leader, a strong leader in the community where I come from,
- 4:16Speaker 5: Millian Gimbee in northeast Crocodile Islands of eastern anam Land. Right,
- 4:25Speaker 5: just wanted to recap on what we are trying to
- 4:28Speaker 5: enhance today. It's about building that capacity and a bridge.
- 4:36Speaker 2: Of commonality between the government and.
- 4:42Speaker 5: People in the remote community as we call ourselves community control,
- 4:48Speaker 5: local government and local authorities. We needed our voice into
- 4:54Speaker 5: the top level of what we're enhancing and what we
- 4:57Speaker 5: are doing because sometimes our people are struggling between the time.
- 5:03Speaker 5: I mean today is the twenty first century. We need
- 5:07Speaker 5: to start walking together to build that capacity in what's
- 5:14Speaker 5: missing in the chapter of the Lives of the First
- 5:17Speaker 5: Nation Indigenous People.
- 5:20Speaker 2: The your law, I guess yep.
- 5:23Speaker 1: And how important is it as well? You know when
- 5:25Speaker 1: you talk about the young ones coming up, you know,
- 5:28Speaker 1: the young ones growing up in community and having opportunities
- 5:32Speaker 1: and being able to stay out in their communities.
- 5:34Speaker 5: Also, well, I'm I've got a great passion to try
- 5:39Speaker 5: and put an emphasis into what I believe we're depending
- 5:46Speaker 5: on those young people that we wanted to seccur you
- 5:51Speaker 5: know from where we are in this chapter to the
- 5:55Speaker 5: next phase into the next horizon. You know, I wanted
- 6:00Speaker 5: my people that we wanted to build a bridge of
- 6:05Speaker 5: communality for them to walk in the pastway of freedom
- 6:09Speaker 5: from where they are. But we need the heart of
- 6:12Speaker 5: the Government of Australia to give us a fair faired
- 6:16Speaker 5: income spirit where we can work together to build that
- 6:20Speaker 5: capacity and a bridge of communality between your war and
- 6:24Speaker 5: balunder and love.
- 6:26Speaker 1: Long do you feel as though we're getting to the
- 6:28Speaker 1: point where that is starting to happen in your communities
- 6:31Speaker 1: and in your region.
- 6:33Speaker 5: Yeah, there is little that is happening, but we needed
- 6:39Speaker 5: more of their passion, their demand and giving us a
- 6:45Speaker 5: help in hand to lift us to the next phase,
- 6:48Speaker 5: into the next level so that we can sustain and
- 6:52Speaker 5: work together and to enhance a breakthrough together and walk together.
- 6:57Speaker 1: And with this meeting that's opening today with legant you know,
- 7:02Speaker 1: and being able to put forward these motions, it's obviously
- 7:06Speaker 1: it is an opportunity where the people of the East
- 7:09Speaker 1: Darnham region will hopefully be able to have their voices
- 7:13Speaker 1: heard and to be able to put forward these motions
- 7:15Speaker 1: and really make sure that you are bridging that gap.
- 7:19Speaker 5: Well, I guess talking hard to heart, Sol to soul
- 7:22Speaker 5: as human being.
- 7:25Speaker 2: As you're from manham Land.
- 7:28Speaker 5: I wanted the heart of the government to work with
- 7:31Speaker 5: us and we wanted to walk with them.
- 7:35Speaker 2: This is the twenty first century.
- 7:38Speaker 5: It's a call of wakening, a great call of wakening
- 7:41Speaker 5: where we need to work together to sustain our nation.
- 7:46Speaker 4: And you'd like Lapelungs.
- 7:48Speaker 3: We'd like to invite Chancey Paik the Minister of Local
- 7:51Speaker 3: Government's invited and keen to wait his response and other
- 7:55Speaker 3: key ministers.
- 7:57Speaker 4: Do you want to talk about that level of inviting
- 7:58Speaker 4: Hi Mento country.
- 7:59Speaker 3: Proper way ceremony, right, you had that bond with the people, yeah,
- 8:03Speaker 3: and then start proper discussions.
- 8:06Speaker 5: Yeah, I reckon. We wanted the minister I don't know
- 8:11Speaker 5: the directory to come and visit our community. It's good
- 8:15Speaker 5: to know that there's someone out there talking on behalf
- 8:18Speaker 5: of us. We wanted him to come and sit with
- 8:22Speaker 5: us in the fair Thai land, in anam Land, so
- 8:26Speaker 5: that we can have orientation to say this is the
- 8:32Speaker 5: country where we belongs to. We have been struggling back
- 8:37Speaker 5: in the days. We have seen a lot of our
- 8:40Speaker 5: people involving in politics and all those other stuff in government.
- 8:46Speaker 5: Building that alliance saying enough, it's enough, it's a bad time.
- 8:51Speaker 5: We need to listen, listen very carefully and talk for
- 8:58Speaker 5: the truth telling is initiative at the moment.
- 9:05Speaker 1: And so Lap Belong, you are inviting you want to
- 9:07Speaker 1: see the Minister Chancey pay head out there to the
- 9:10Speaker 1: community in that in that traditional way.
- 9:12Speaker 2: We wanted to welcome him to the country so that I.
- 9:17Speaker 4: Was there and I would look forward to his when
- 9:19Speaker 4: he's able to do that.
- 9:20Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 9:21Speaker 1: Well, I really appreciate you both coming in this morning.
- 9:24Speaker 1: I think it's really important, you know, to hear from
- 9:26Speaker 1: you both. I appreciate your time. I know it's a
- 9:28Speaker 1: busy time today as well. There's a lot happening, Lap Belong.
- 9:32Speaker 1: I understand as well that you have got have you
- 9:35Speaker 1: got a rock band?
- 9:36Speaker 5: Well, going back to nineteen seventy nine, Yeah, we started
- 9:45Speaker 5: up as Black Wizard Band.
- 9:46Speaker 2: Yep.
- 9:48Speaker 5: I've when my brother passed away, so I picked up
- 9:52Speaker 5: the sales seventy nine, nineteen seventy nine, and then we
- 10:00Speaker 5: we're called Winning a Band then, yep, and today we're
- 10:05Speaker 5: still Winning a band. Did some recordings back in nineteen nineties.
- 10:11Speaker 5: In nineteen ninety six we did another second album and
- 10:16Speaker 5: that was called Dreamtime Wistay Modern Time Vision. The first
- 10:21Speaker 5: one nineteen nineties, it was a dream Time Shadow. But
- 10:26Speaker 5: the second one, I was there in the studio with
- 10:29Speaker 5: a fame of Goanna.
- 10:33Speaker 2: What's his name? He was playing in the Goanna band.
- 10:41Speaker 5: Shane Howard, Shane Howard, So we were there together.
- 10:45Speaker 2: He was there with me, and yeah, we had a
- 10:50Speaker 2: good time there.
- 10:51Speaker 1: Oh, I'd love to hear some of your music.
- 10:53Speaker 4: Plain to night.
- 10:54Speaker 3: I understand that the Local Government Association dinner pretty awesome.
- 10:59Speaker 1: Oh that is wonderful. Well, Like I said, I really
- 11:01Speaker 1: appreciate you both coming in this morning and speaking extensively
- 11:04Speaker 1: to us. I reckon, it's really important you know that
- 11:07Speaker 1: everybody around the Northern Territory here's the work that is
- 11:10Speaker 1: happening out in the East Dannham region at the moment.
- 11:13Speaker 1: So I really appreciate you both coming in today. East
- 11:16Speaker 1: Darnham Council President lap Along Dara Maji, thank you very
- 11:20Speaker 1: much for your time today and I also appreciate your
- 11:23Speaker 1: time today, Dale Keen, CEO of the Eastdarnham Regional Council.
- 11:28Speaker 2: We'll talk to you again soon.
- 11:30Speaker 5: Honor for coming to your studio. I admire that.
- 11:37Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 11:37Speaker 1: No We really appreciate you taking the time to come
- 11:40Speaker 1: and have a chat with us today, so thank.
- 11:42Speaker 2: You, thanks very much.
- 11:44Speaker 1: It is just eight minutes away from eleven o'clock and
- 11:47Speaker 1: I tell you what, I don't know. Well, we're going
- 11:49Speaker 1: to have a bit of queen here, but I don't know.
- 11:51Speaker 1: I reckon I'd rather hear Lap Belongs band, so I'm
- 11:53Speaker 1: going to have to do that another day