Indigenous Learning – Capacity Building and Governance
Capacity building emphasises the need for public management and developing the community’s governance, administration, managerial and leadership structures and skills in order to meet accountability requirements in terms of government funding and processes and to comply with relevant government governance laws.
Capacity building is also concerned with the empowerment of communities to participate in their own policy making and implementation, and in the development of their own effective and culturally informed governance structures. This includes the development of skills of Indigenous people to take effective responsibility and control over their own issues and futures.
Building capacity occurs on two levels: firstly by increasing communication and cooperation within and between governments and secondly, by improving communication and cooperation with Indigenous communities and groups. The issue of capacity building cannot be divorced from wider issues like the education, health, housing and employment status of Indigenous people.
Aboriginal organisations may be incorporated under Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, or may not be incorporated at all. A new Commonwealth Act, the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act was introduced in 1 July 2007. It is administered by the Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations and is accompanied by a range of support materials and training resources.
A Role for VET in Indigenous Governance
Compliance with Government policy is a survival strategy for many Aboriginal communities, but many Indigenous people feel they do not know the rules and are disadvantaged in accessing funding. They believe VET can play a role in empowering communities through providing training on:
- Oral, written, computer and financial literacy
- Standard English Language as well as the technical language of meetings and governance
- Accountability
- Conflict resolution
- Business management
- Information technology; and
- Balancing community and governance (O’Callaghan Katy, 2005 Indigenous vocational education and training At a Glance, NCVER Adelaide)
Websites
The Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations (ORAC)
The Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations (ORAC) was set up to support and regulate corporations for Indigenous people through out Australia. They run a training service and have useful references to Training and information sessions and training materials on governance. Many of the materials here were sourced at their web site.
Innovation and Business Skills Australia
Innovation and Business Skills Australia is the Industry Skills Council which manages the Indigenous governance component (BSBGOV (BSB01)) of the Business Services Training Package (BSB07).This is the web page which list resources for these units of competency which are available for download at a cost. At
www.ibsa.org.au/content/bookshop/indigneous_supt.mat.html you will find additional free teaching resources for download for the Indigenous Governance competencies.
Building Effective Indigenous Governance Conference, Jabiru, November 2003
This site contains papers from the Building Effective Indigenous Governance Conference at Jabiru in November 2003. It encompasses practical examples and issues from communities around Australia, as well as some International examples.
Research on Governance conducted by the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) Australian National University Canberra.
The site contains research findings, papers, reports and a newsletter form the 13 different collaborating sites and their participating communities and organisations.
Indigenous Community Governance Project
This is a collaborative action research project by the Australian National University’s Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research and Reconciliation Australia. The site contains research findings, papers, reports and a newsletter form the 13 different collaborating sites and their participating communities and organisations.
The Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission publish annual social justice reports all of which can be accessed from this site. They include statistical overviews and report on reconciliation and governance accountabilities. A range of educational resources can also be accessed from this site.
The Productivity Commission
The Productivity Commission reports annually at the request of the Council of Australian Governments on Indigenous Disadvantage. The Report’s key task is to provide indicators of Indigenous disadvantage that are of relevance to all governments and Indigenous stakeholders and that can demonstrate the impact of the program and policy intervention. Priority outcomes of safe healthy and supportive family environments with strong communities and cultural identity; positive child development and prevention of violence, crime and self harm; and improved wealth creation and economic sustainability for individuals, families and communities are supported by a number of headline indicators including important educational indicators.
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development
This represents a systematic comparative study carried out by the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University into social and economic development of American Indian reservations. It has some excellent material which may inform ideas for governance and capacity building with regard to Indigenous Australians.
Publications
MUNGABAREENA ABORIRGNAL CORPORATION AND WODONGA INSTITUTE OF TAFE (undated) Managing in two Worlds. Governance Competencies for Boards of Management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. ATSIC
This manual was developed to assist community organisations and training providers to use the competency standards which make up the Certificate IV in Business (Governance) and Diploma of Business (Governance) which can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People run their community organisations. It is accompanied by a video explaining why how competency standards and training will help develop the skills of committee members.
Managing in two worlds training materials is also available on CD from ORATSIC at www.orac.gov.au/training_information_sessions/materials/manage_two_worlds.aspx
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS (June 2004) Many ways forward report of the inquiry into capacity building and services delivery in Indigenous Communities. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra
This report considers the capacities of Indigenous community members to better support families, community organisations and representative councils so as to deliver the best outcomes for individuals families and communities; Indigenous organisations to better deliver and influence the delivery of services in the most effective, efficient and accountable way; and Government agencies so that policy direction and management structures will improve Individual and community outcomes for Indigenous people.
It considers the educational context in which capacity building is framed. It outlines a number of frameworks and principles to inform projects for capacity building and provides useful summaries of the context for communities.
KRAL Inge, and FALK Ian, 2004 What is all this Learning For? Indigenous Adult English literacy practices, training, community capacity and health. NCVER Adelaide
This report is based on a study of a remote Indigenous community in its quest to implement a culturally appropriate health service, and integrate training and employment of local Indigenous people as a means of strengthening community capacity. The authors found education and training, including literacy, must be linked to community goals and aspirations. Literacy, in particular, is more likely to be adopted if linked to cultural and religious activities and community responsibilities.
NSW ABORIGINAL EDUCATION CONSULTATIVE GROUP INC. AND NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, 2004, Yanigurra Muya: Ganggurrinyma Yaarri Guurulaw Yirringin.gurray. Freeing the Spirit: Dreaming and Equal Future. The Report of the Review of Aboriginal Education. NSW Department of Education and Training, Darlinghurst, NSW
The review found that education and training is only one part of the story in bringing brighter futures to Aboriginal teenagers and young adults. Key messages were:
one of the most valued aspects of schooling and training is the potential to lead to employment; people within DET, its schools and campuses would benefit from additional training and experience in working with Aboriginal people; the understandings of community, collaborative decision making and self determination held by non-Aboriginal leaders and staff members are only a shadow of what these concepts mean to Aboriginal people.
The report has extensive recommendations on building community capacity and advancing leadership and accountability.