Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan

History of the Plan
The development of a Northern Sydney Aboriginal
Social Plan was an initiative of the Northern Sydney
Planning Coordination Forum. The decision to
prepare a plan initially was taken in response to
the introduction of the Local Government (General)
Amendment (Community and Social Plans)
Regulation 1998 which required all local councils
to develop a social plan to ensure that government
services are more responsive to community need and
diversity. A number of mandatory target groups were
identifi ed, including Aboriginal people.
Diffi culties foreseen in developing the plan included
the small population which was widely dispersed
and to some degree unidentifi ed; the scarcity of local
Aboriginal service agencies; and the fact that the
Northern Sydney councils’ previous communication
with the Aboriginal people had largely been through
peak Aboriginal bodies such as Metropolitan Local
Aboriginal Land Councils rather than at grass roots
level. Given these issues, a working group was
formed in September 1998 to discuss the possibility
of developing a regional plan. This group included a
number of government agencies that were committed
to meeting the needs of Aboriginal people in Northern
Sydney. Local Reconciliation Groups in Northern
Sydney have also supported the Aboriginal Social
Plan and were part of the Working Group to develop
this Plan.
Members of the working party agreed that the
development of a credible Aboriginal Social Plan
depended on effective leadership of the process by
an Indigenous person. As a result of this decision,
funding for the position of Aboriginal Project Officer
was provided by the NSW Department of Community
Services, NSW Ageing and Disability Department,
the Northern Sydney Region of Councils (NSROC)
comprising Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane
Cove, North Sydney, Ryde and Willoughby councils,
and Manly, Pittwater and Warringah councils.
Mosman Council joined the project as a fi nancial
contributor at a later stage.
The Plan was published in September 2000 and
endorsed by the Local Metropolitan Aboriginal
Land Council, with particular encouragement being
provided by its Chairperson at the time, Ms Jenny
Munro.
Responsibility for writing and co-ordinating the
implementation of the fi rst Northern Sydney
Aboriginal Social Plan 2000 was carried out by
the Aboriginal Project Offi cer and Social Planners
employed by Northern Sydney councils. The role of
Project Offi cer has been held by Caroline Pattison
(1998+) and Phyllis Orcher (2001+). From 2003,
Susan Moylan-Coombs was employed to continue
coordination and implementation of the fi rst plan. An
outcomes report was published in May 2004. Writing
of the current Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan
2007-2011 commenced shortly after. Ms Moylan-
Coombs left the position early 2006.
page 10
Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan 2007-2011