CLOSING THE GAP

2
Community construction
rebuilds Galiwin'ku
houses 2
In 2015, Galiwin'ku, a community
on Elcho Island in the Northern
Territory, was left devastated by
Cyclone Lam and Cyclone Nathan
in consecutive months. Homes
were destroyed and roads and
infrastructure were washed away,
and as a result many people were
forced to live in tents and other
temporary accommodation.
The local community has been
heavily involved in the rebuild of
Galiwin'ku, providing residents
with the opportunity to take up
real jobs and training as well as
business enterprise opportunities.
During the construction phase
Indigenous employment
participation was estimated to
be as high as 50 per cent.
Funding was provided to rebuild
47 public houses that were
destroyed. As of October 2016,
40 houses had been built and
a further 4 houses were under
construction. During the rebuild,
Arnhem Land Progress Association
(ALPA) established a concrete
batching business in Galiwin’ku
and Gumatj Corporation set
up a concrete block business
and a truss assembly facility in
Nhulunbuy. These enterprises
provided much needed employment
and training opportunities for
the local Yolngu people.
Sunrise Health helping
families in NSW
One of Sunrise Health Service’s
Intensive Family Support Service
success stories is a young mother
who was referred to the service
due to concerns of child neglect.
The support team discovered that
she was struggling financially,
she seldom left the house, her
children rarely attended school
and her rent was in arrears.
The team also realised the mother
had been overcharged child care
fees for a prolonged period of
time. With the help of the support
team, the child care provider was
advised of the overpayment and
the money refunded to the mother.
The mother, who had previously
walked around the community with
her head down avoiding contact
with people, is now more confident
and engaged and her children
have since returned to school.
CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
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