Fostering Indigenous empowerment

On n’est bien servi que par soi-méme: if you want a thing done well, do it yourself.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s assertion still rings true. However, when it comes to Australia’s Indigenous programs, the policy stance seems to disregard empowerment.

This damaging approach often ignores the actual needs of a community, and the provision of services that are not needed — combined with the common overlaps between government and NGO programs — represent a clear lack of strategy and communication.

A solution under consideration is the Indigenous Grants Policy, currently in the consultation stage. The IGP’s objective is to streamline Indigenous program delivery through consultation and co-design, allowing Indigenous organisations to take over the mantle wherever possible.

If the government is insistent on this approach, what might the ideal Indigenous service provider look like?

It should be measured on three core pillars: community consultation, financial independence, and a longevity of outcomes.

Consultation and ongoing dialogue will enable Indigenous Australians to shape programs to specific community needs. Local organisations understand the situation on the ground and can account for contextual factors such as culture.

Organisations with a sustainable financial structure will reduce the overall reliance on government expenditure and counter the cash flow inconsistencies of grant funding. Such organisations should have independent sources of income, such as rent and retail streams.

But organisations must be able to provide multifaceted levels of support long after the grant money has ended. A recipient’s needs don’t vanish on the arbitrary date a program concludes.

The foundations for this new approach are already there. The top 500 Indigenous organisations possess $2.2 billion worth of assets, with the greatest source of revenue for the top 20 coming from self-generated income.

Instead of continuing down the current path of passive program dictation, we must harness the potential of these organisations who are capable of doing it themselves.