Aboriginal Culture, Heritage
& Arts Association of NSW

The NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSW CAPO) has launched a statewide program of community engagement sessions aimed at empowering Aboriginal communities to directly shape how Closing the Gap reforms are implemented across New South Wales. This program is particularly significant to ACHAA as a CAPO member, as well as its member cultural centres, which are uniquely placed as community anchors and knowledge holders.

These engagement sessions will:

• Share information about how local Aboriginal communities including cultural centres and community organisations can make Closing the Gap work for them.
• Offer a chance for communities to provide feedback on how NSW is implementing the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

The sessions present an opportunity for cultural centres to contribute their cultural knowledge, ensure local priorities are heard, and support construction of solutions that reflect their unique community values and aspirations.
The program kicked off on 4 May with a session being held at ACHAA member Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre, with all who participated saying that it was a fruitful discussion, appreciated by the Armidale community and CAPO staff alike.

Signed by all Australian governments in 2020, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap marked a historic shift in government policy; from one that focused solely on outcomes and statistical targets, to one based on shared decision-making, partnership, and community control.

At the heart of the Agreement are four Priority Reforms, which NSW CAPO and partners are working to embed in practice:

• • Partnership and shared decision-making
  • Building the community-controlled sector
  • Transforming government systems
  • Data sharing and access

NSW has also committed to a fifth, locally driven priority: Employment and economic prosperity, reinforcing the importance of sustainable jobs and enterprise opportunities for Aboriginal people. It is this priority reform that drives much of ACHAA’s work with CAPO on CTG, though all the priority reforms are of significance to our member cultural centres.
ACHAA recognises that cultural centres are drivers of education, economic development, and community wellbeing. As a CAPO member, we support these engagement sessions that provide a critical pathway for communities to shape long-term reform and ensure their voices are front and centre in building a better future.

Two of these upcoming sessions are being held at ACHAA Member locations: at Maliyan Cultural Centre, Wellington, on Thursday 15 May and at the new home for the Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation at 4 Wenworth Street, Port Kemba, on Friday, 6 June. We encourage all our member centres to attend the sessions in their region and to actively participate in the discussions, particularly speaking up for the importance of culture and the arts. Find details of all the CAPO consultation sessions here.

For more information about the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, please visit NSWALC’s website here.