THE establishment of the Northern Region Aboriginal Alliance (NRAA) is expected to bring positive change to Aboriginal communities in the Upper Hunter.
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For the first time in history, the NSW Government has provided Aboriginal people the opportunity to participate in decisions made at a higher level, which have an impact on indigenous people, families and communities.
The NRAA was developed through the Local Decision Making Initiative under OCHRE and covers parts of the Upper Hunter, encompassing 14 local Aboriginal Land Councils and their attached local government areas (LGAs).
Over the past 18 months, an interim committee has established the governing structure for NRAA and gathered community priorities through a number of surveys and consultations.
Consultations will continue in early 2016 with community meetings to be held across the region.
“This is the first time Aboriginal people been given a seat at the decision maker’s table,” chairperson Aunty Jean Hands said.
“Aboriginal people now have a voice at the table with government to talk about the issues and aspirations we all share in our region, something we haven’t seen in Australia before.”
NRAA is one of six trial sites in the state for the Local Decision Making Initiative.
The alliance will begin talks with the NSW Government in 2016 to discuss how they will work together to address the issues identified in community.
Community members are encouraged to like their Facebook page – Northern Region Aboriginal Alliance – and visit the website www.aboriginalalliance.org.au to have their say in the consultation process.