Tangentyere Constructions

Building a Better Future

Background

Tangentyere Constructions is an Aboriginal owned enterprise, set up by the Executive of Tangentyere Council to maintain a level of self determination in the provision of high quality, cost effective housing and maintenance needs for the Alice Springs Town Camps and other clients. Important factors in the decision to set up the business include that it is run as a commercially viable enterprise, and that it provides employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

The company is CAL accredited for both urban and remote area work and is well placed to service the construction needs of Central Australian Aboriginal communities.

Tangentyere Constructions has designed its own house model, which is appropriate to training requirements. This model has been accepted as one of the IHANT standard designs.

Tangentyere Constructions provided project management of the Central Region’s Training Program between 2003 and 2006 (see details below). This program provided a model for the employment and training of local Indigenous people in building and repairing their own community’s houses.

Services Provided

• General building
• Construction training and employment project management
• Aboriginal housing
• Specialist buildings such as schools, community stores and health centres
• Remote area construction services
• Renovations
• Management of community repairs and maintenance programs

Achievements

1. Building and Renovations and Upgrades

   Between 2000 and 2007, Tangentyere Constructions:

   • Built 27 new houses on Alice Springs town camps;
   • Undertook a number of renovations and upgrades of town camp houses;
   • Replaced 113 solar hot water systems on town camp houses;
   • Built a total of 25 houses and duplexes for the communities of Yuendumu, Santa Teresa, Hermannsburg, Kintore, Nyrripi and Ingerreke outstations;
   • Renovated the office of Employment Assistance Services;
   • Upgraded the Tangentyere Bank Agency and ablutions block;
   • Renovated the Laramba Women’s Centre;
   • Renovated a number of houses on remote communities.
2. IHANT Central Remote Regional Council Training Project 2003/2006

   The Central Remote Regional Council Training Project was project managed by Tangentyere Constructions and Tangentyere Job Shop and was designed to train and employ local Indigenous young people in the building of houses for their own community.

   The program operated on Papunya, Laramba, Willowra, Docker River, Ampilatwatja communities and was organized in the following manner:

   • The Indigenous Housing Authority of the Northern Territory (IHANT) contracted Tangentyere Constructions as project manager to oversee the construction of houses by the apprentices and builder trainer.
   • The participating communities employed up to four apprentices, signed up with the New Apprenticeships Centre under STEP.
   • Tangentyere Constructions employed builder trainers, who were people qualified and experienced in general building.
   • The builder trainers supervised the apprentices and together they constructed two homes per year, which became the property of the community.
   • In addition to the allowance paid under the Apprenticeship scheme the apprentices also received CDEP “top-up”, and therefore received a better wage each week than they would if they were simply on CDEP. This was an incentive to encourage the apprentices to stay at work.
   • Under the Apprenticeship scheme the participants enrolled in Certificate 3 in General Construction at the Charles Darwin University (CDU) Alice Springs Campus. The apprentices travelled to Alice Springs for “block training” at the CDU, and technical instructors from the CDU also travelled to the communities to undertake further instruction work with the apprentices.
   • Approximately 70% of the housing construction is undertaken by the apprentices, with the remainder being undertaken by various trades people.