This web page is in development. For comment, or to contact the Council, please contact John McGlynn on 08 89514215.
It was established to assist Aboriginal people, who had been living for a great many years in areas on the outskirts of Alice Springs, to gain some form of legal ownership in order that they could obtain services in the form of water, electricity and housing on the parcels of land. The Northern Territory Government has always had a policy whereby it will not provide services where there is no permanent tenure of land. This policy is still current.
Tangentyere Council negotiated with Government on behalf of the residents of the parcels of land and eventually was able to obtain legal status of eighteen parcels of land in the form of Special Purpose Leases. These have since been converted to Leases in Perpetuity in favour of the owners of the land.
Each lease has an Incorporated Association, consisting of the residents of the Lease, and each Association is completely autonomous, having its own Constitution and Rules.
The eighteen Housing Associations are the Members of Tangentyere Council Inc., which in turn has its own Constitution and elected Executive Council.
The Executive Members of Tangentyere Council are elected from the Office Bearers of the Member Associations.
Although each Association has its own Constitution the main objects are common to all, as they are also to Tangentyere Council. The main aims are to "relieve the poverty, sickness, destitution, distress, suffering, misfortune or helplessness of Aboriginal People in Central Australia."
Tangentyere Council has largely addressed the problem of basic services and great strides have been made in the provision of housing, though there is still some way to go and regular maintenance to the housing stock needs to be addressed.
Tangentyere receives funding from a variety of agencies, both Commonwealth and Territory, to assist in the performance of its duties towards its client group, the Town Camp residents. The types of program being funded include health, education, local government, housing and administration. The main funding body is ATSIC, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.
· Night Patrol Service that liaises with NT Police and other Agencies,
such as DASA, Alice Springs Hospital and Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol
Programs Unit (CAAAPU), including RANP, the remote area Night Patrol support
project, which assists remote communities set up Night Patrols. Click
here for information about RANP.
· Wardens and Return to Country Program. This is designed to assist people
from remote communities who become stranded in Alice Springs to get back to
their communities. The program works in partnership with the Alice Springs Town
Council.
· Housing Programs. These include building programs and repairs &
maintenance programs.
· Tangentyere Bank Agency (Westpac) enables Town Camp residents to have
their Centrelink benefits credited to their accounts or cheques mailed for credit
to their accounts. The Bank Agency now has an ATM. Customers can also have part
of their income provided by way of Food Voucher and have their rent deducted
from the income.
· CDEP - Community Development Employment Program. This program is designed
to enable participants to gain work skills. It is similar to "work for
the dole".
· Homemakers/Old Peoples' Service. This service provides meals on wheels,
personal care, shopping, laundry, banking and assists people to get to hospital/doctors
for appointments. The staff also ensure that clients take medicines/pills as
required.
· Youth Activities and after school care.
· Landcare & Horticulture. This service provides advice to remote
communities on planning landscapes, planting trees and an education service
that assists communities to do these things for themselves. The Landcare service
grows trees and shrubs from seed and collects seeds from communities for this
purpose. Click here for information about Tangentyere Landcare.
· Tangentyere Job Shop. This is an independent employment service run
on the premises at Elder Street and assists Aboriginal people to find employment.
It also arranges for clients to attend interviews and prepares resumes for people
who do not have the skills themselves.
· Centrelink Office. Centrelink have opened an office on the premises
at Elder Street to assist Town Camp residents with all Centrelink payments and
queries relating to these. There is also a Family Assistance Office, which is
part of Centrelink.
· Financial Counselling Service. This service is provided for all Aboriginal
People in Central Australia and not only Town Camp residents. The service provides
assistance with deceased estate administration, taxation problems (but not the
completion of Returns), consumer affairs issues and a wide range of other para
legal matters.