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Indigenous Community Volunteer in Aurukun
Aboriginal Authority Brings Justice and Welfare Reform: Introducing Community Justice Agreements
It's hard to imagine what would motivate a top level executive – an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Defence to leave their post for 10 months. When asked, Maurice Hermann said that he welcomed the opportunity to work in a remote Aboriginal community because he was appalled by many of the things that he read, almost weekly, about the health, education and housing problems of Australia's Indigenous people.
He thought that if he could learn about the issues first hand and use his knowledge and skills to assist an issue that is of national concern, then he would be more than pleased to do so.
Maurice Hermann left his job in early March this year to take up a secondment with the Aurukun Aboriginal community on the Cape York Peninsula working under an agreement between and the Department of Defence and Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV).
ICV is a national, not-for-profit organisation providing Indigenous communities with opportunities to grow their business and employment potential through the assistance of skilled volunteers. Volunteers offer their skills to Indigenous communities either as individuals or through partnerships such as the one existing between the ICV and the Department of Defence.
Maurice has been based in Cairns but spending about a week per month in Aurukun, on the western shore of Cape York Peninsula. Aurukun has a population of around 1300, of which about 1250 are Aboriginal.
Maurice's task is to work with the Aurukun Community Justice Group, Aurukun Council and Cape York Partnerships in the development and negotiation of a Community Justice Agreement. In layman's terms… a Community Justice Agreement relates to the role and operation of a community's Justice Group – in this case, the Aurukun Community Justice Group.
A 'Justice Group' is composed of Aboriginal elders and leaders representing the clan groups of the region. Their general role is to be a point of contact for advice on matters relevant to justice, welfare and the general wellbeing of their communities. The courts for example, often consult and value the advice of Justice Groups, as it can be at times, difficult to understand cultural issues that may lead to a particular action or how to manage a situation with cultural sensitivity.
The Community Justice Agreement will reinforce the traditional and cultural Aboriginal authority inherent in the Justice Group and specify in more detail their role when dealing with issues such as alcohol abuse, domestic violence and income management.
The Agreement will also cover the role of the Justice Group, the Aurukun Shire Council and State and Commonwealth government departments in areas broadly covering education, health, housing and welfare reform. Maurice is working closely with the Justice Group and mentoring them through the process of scoping what should go in such an agreement.
Maurice's work however has not stopped at the Community Justice Agreement. "It soon became clear to me, backed up by comments from virtually everyone that I met (including Magistrates and Judges), that justice can only be addressed properly when looked at in a holistic manner – considering the whole spectrum of people's rights and responsibilities as well as the cultural, social and physical environment in which they live" said Maurice.
It is in the broader area of welfare reform that Maurice is breaking new ground in trying to reduce passive welfare dependency in Aurukun through getting the Justice Group involved in setting mutual obligations for Government Welfare recipients, especially in dealing with the "big four" issues affecting the wellbeing of people: education, health, housing and income management.
What are the effects of having a well functioning welfare system and Community Justice Agreement?
- more responsible use of alcohol
- reduction of alcohol related incidences such as violence
- increased rates of school attendance
- a stronger collaboration between the Justice Group and Commonwealth government through consultation and introduction of new welfare reform initiatives in a way that brings greatest benefit to the community
- a model that can be used for the development of Community Justice Agreements in other Cape York Indigenous Communities.
On the personal side, Maurice has thoroughly enjoyed the first months of his secondment, although being separated from his wife and sons in Canberra has been hard.
Highlights to date have been learning first hand about the traditional culture of the Aboriginal people of Aurukun and volunteering to help the locals net fish in the river.
Above all however, Maurice said that he has learnt that as with most things in life, "the only way to learn about what is going on in the world is to experience it yourself".
He encourages others to take action, "there are people outside of the big cities in Australia that are really suffering, over many, many years… people like me have the skills to help and we should be doing it... to help Australia".
If you are interested in supporting skills growth and community development in a voluntary capacity, contact:
- Name:
- ICV's National Volunteer Manager
- Telephone:
- 1800 819 542 (toll-free within Australia)†
- Website:
- www.icv.com.au
- † Calls from mobile phones are charged at applicable rates.
