Local Decision Making

Town Campers have ensured strong governance and community control since our incorporation in 1979. Our leadership has always maintained the significance of self-determination through re-empowerment and community control over their own affairs. In the last decade, we have actively decentralised services through increased numbers of Community Hubs and prioritised the development of innovative programs that have targeted specific issues that are of major concern to Town Campers.  

It is with this impetus that we executed an agreement with the Territory Government in 2019 to further support the local decision-making of Town Campers.

Led by our Board of Directors, we are working closely with Town Campers to determine the priorities for their families and Town Camp, starting with the local development of a Wellness Framework. The Framework concepts were workshopped with senior women and men from Town Camps, many of whom are recognised leaders, and some young people.  

We have utilised this framework to develop a robust survey tool to measure the wellness of residents in each Town Camp and from this, we will develop a Local Agenda to integrate an understanding of wellness of person and place, focussing on the seven dimensions within the framework identified by Town Campers as critical to their wellness – Keeping Country, Shelter, Identity, Camp/Community Leadership, Knowledge, Healing and Community.

Our first identified priority is the ability to obtain and to maintain housing as a major determinant of wellness. We know that a Community Housing Model for the Town Camps is essential, and are working with our corporate members and subsidiaries in partnership with the Executive Director of Township Leasing (Commonwealth); the NT Department of the Chief Minister (DCM) and the NT Department of Local Government, Housing and Community Development towards this. This means an equal collaboration with the Commonwealth, Territory and the National Affordable Housing Consortium (NAHC).