What is Local Decision Making?
Local Decision Making is aimed at self-determination and empowerment for Aboriginal peoples.
It ensures that Aboriginal communities help shape the services that are delivered in their communities.
NSW government agencies collaborate with Aboriginal Regional Alliances to help this work.
Local Decision Making is an OCHRE initiative supported by Aboriginal Affairs NSW
Self-determination
Local Decision Making changes the relationship between government and Aboriginal communities by upholding self-determination.
It puts Aboriginal people at the centre of service design, planning, and delivery.
It enables the gradual transfer of decision-making and accountability from government to Aboriginal communities at the local-regional level.
To learn more about Local Decision Making and OCHRE, see useful resources below.
Aboriginal Regional Alliances
Aboriginal Regional Alliances are regional Aboriginal governance bodies with their own structures and priorities. They promote community aspirations through Local Decision Making.
Aboriginal Regional Alliances negotiate on behalf of their local Aboriginal communities with the NSW Government.
They negotiate about which services are delivered in their communities and how services are designed and implemented.
Who are the Aboriginal Regional Alliances in NSW?
There are nine Aboriginal Regional Alliances in NSW.
These include:
- Barang Regional Alliance (Central Coast)
- Illawarra Wingecarribee Aboriginal Alliance Corporation (Illawarra/Wingecarribee)
- La Perouse Aboriginal Community Alliance (La Perouse)
- Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly (Far Western NSW)
- Regional Aboriginal Development Alliance (North Coast)
- Riverina-Murray Regional Alliance (Riverina Murray)
- Three Rivers Regional Assembly (Central West)
- Western Sydney Aboriginal Regional Alliance (Western Sydney)
Each Aboriginal Regional Alliance serves specific communities within its boundary.
Aboriginal Regional Alliances can be made up of a range of local-regional Aboriginal organisations working together for their communities.
How do Alliances and governments work together
These are some of the ways they work together:
- Aboriginal Regional Alliances have direct communication with government leaders through Local Decision Making. They negotiate based on community priorities.
- Staged Delegation: This is where Aboriginal Regional Alliances gradually gain greater powers and budgetary control. There are three stages: advisory, planning, and implementation. With each stage comes a greater level of decision-making as both the government learns to let go and the Aboriginal Regional Alliance learns to lead.
- Accords: Outlined below - where the NSW Government and Aboriginal Regional Alliances make agreements.
Accords (agreements)
The NSW Government and Aboriginal Regional Alliances can make agreements called Accords. These Accords are like promises to work on important issues together. This can help lead to better outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities.
What do Accords include?
The Accords cover things like:
- what the parties want to accomplish (goals)
- how long it will take (timeframe)
- who will do what (roles) and
- how they'll know they're on the right track (success measures).
What are the processes involved?
Accords are all about working together. Both sides have discussions, solve problems together, and find ways to agree. This means a lot of talking, listening, and compromise.
Briefly the processes involved in an Accord include:
- Getting Ready: Both the Aboriginal communities and the government need to be prepared to enter into an agreement. This involves things like having clear governance structures and priorities for the communities.
- Pre-negotiation: Once both sides are ready, they will discuss things like who will be involved in the negotiations, how long it will take, and what the ground rules will be.
- Negotiation: This is where both sides discuss the specific details of the agreement, such as what actions will be taken, what resources will be provided, and how progress will be measured.
- Signing the Accord: Once everything is agreed to, a formal document is signed by both parties.
- Implementation: The agreed upon actions are carried out and progress is monitored.
How can I learn more about Accords?
To learn more about Accords see:
NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Regional Alliances (NCARA)
The NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Regional Alliances (NCARA) is made up of representatives from each Aboriginal Regional Alliance.
What does NCARA do?
NCARA works with the Australian, NSW and local governments on matters affecting Aboriginal communities across the state. It is a principal advocacy body for Aboriginal communities.
NCARA has a whole-of-community focus, not divided into separate policy or service areas.
Working together, NCARA helps shift decision-making about services from central and top-down approaches to the grassroots where people live.
How does NCARA work?
NCARA's key activities include:
- Advocating on issues related to policy, program delivery, and funding for Aboriginal people’s basic and essential services
- Fostering discussion and collaboration on shared issues faced by Aboriginal communities across NSW
- Identifying opportunities and potential risks concerning Aboriginal communities
- Strategic planning for the future needs of Aboriginal communities in NSW
- Supporting and collaborating with Aboriginal Regional Alliances, both established and emerging
NCARA meets four times a year, with additional meetings possible upon member agreement. Outcomes of NCARA meetings are published after each session. NCARA adheres to specific criteria for membership.
OCHRE Evaluation, review and strategic mapping of Local Decision Making
To see how well OCHRE initiatives, including Local Decision Making (LDM), are meeting their goals, the NSW Government is funding an independent ten-year OCHRE Evaluation, co-designed with participating Aboriginal communities.
The OCHRE Evaluation shows that LDM is:
- helping community voices to reach government and
- achieving creative solutions to problems.
Government can do more to properly harness the full potential of LDM and support community-led solutions.
The latest report can be found at Preliminary Findings (ANU)
See OCHRE Evaluation Stages 1 & 2 for more resources.
Aboriginal Affairs NSW has also commissioned a Review and Strategic Mapping of Local Decision Making to other policy areas.