Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan

Foreword
It gives me great pleasure to present the Northern
Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan.
Hello, my name is Tom Calma and I am the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Commissioner.
My mob come from the top-end of the Northern
Territory – my father is Iwaidja, which is on Coburg
Peninsula, and my mother is Kungarakan and that’s
just a little southwest of Darwin.
I have been involved with Indigenous affairs at local,
community, state, national and international levels
and have worked in the public sector for over 30
years.
Part of my role as the Aboriginal & Torres Strait
Islander Social Justice Commissioner is to advocate
for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous
Australians and to promote understanding and
respect of these rights among the broader Australian
community and inform Indigenous people of their
rights. I see this Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social
Plan as a way of achieving these goals as well.
The Northern Sydney region, which is covered by 11
Local Government Areas, is the traditional homelands
of the Guringai, and in parts, the Darug peoples.
Awareness and understanding of the Aboriginal
communities who today reside in the region is
evolving and it is apparent that strategic planning for
social services is a priority. For meaningful outcomes
to occur for Indigenous people, active and meaningful
participation is required in every step of any process
to ensure decisions and solutions are understood
and owned by the community.
In the Social Justice Report 2005 I identifi ed four
elements to ensuring effective participation for
Indigenous communities:
•
Indigenous representation at all levels of
decision making
• Processes for government engagement with
Indigenous peoples
• Mechanisms for ensuring accountability and
transparency
• Indigenous participation through agreement
making and planning processes.
I commend the 11 Local Government Areas and
the Department of Community Services involved in
producing the Social Plan, for clearly demonstrating
their willingness to listen, learn and engage with
Indigenous peoples in the Area to ensure that the
outcomes have some chance of success.
On behalf of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee
I extend our appreciation for the continuing
cooperation, commitment and willingness to work
toward reconciliation and social justice for the
Aboriginal people, families and communities of the
Northern Sydney region. I look forward to seeing how
the Plan will positively infl uence planning processes
and increased outcomes for people of the 11 LGAs
in particular the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community of the Northern Sydney region.
Finally my thanks to all who have participated and
given generously of their time to engage in the
consultations that are so important to informing
the ongoing process, that is, the Northern Sydney
Aboriginal Social Plan.
Tom Calma
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice
Commissioner.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
page 1
Northern Sydney Aboriginal Social Plan 2007-2011