Emergency Assistance

    Tangentyere Council provide a range of services to address financial hardship and the difficulty in the procurement of identification documents experienced by both local and regional community members.


    This programs’ primary objective is to aid community members to obtain;

     

    • Return to Country Assistance
    • ID cards
    • Birth Certificates
    • Referrals to internal/external services

     

    ICMS works closely with the following organisations;

     

    • Births, Deaths & Marriages
    • Centrelink
    • External Emergency Relief providers
    • Internal programs

     

    The scope of these services is limited to funding constraints, however Tangentyere Council have identified and responded to the needs of Town Campers and community members in recognising this program as an essential service.


    Our emergency assistance services include:

     

     

    Tangentyere ID Card

    The Tangentyere ID Card is a photo identification document which is accepted by banks and service providers and can be purchased by community members. See example below:

    **This photo has been approved for use**
    To obtain a Tangentyere Card a client must be able to provide at least 1 document from column 1 and 1 document from column 2: 
    Column 1 Column 2
    Birth Certificate Health Care Card
    Birth Extract Medicare Card
    Keycard
    Pension Card
    Centrelink Income Statement
    Drivers License
    18+ Card
    Proof of Identity Reference
    What if a client cannot provide a birth certificate?

    Where a client cannot provide a ‘birth certificate’, ICMS can apply on behalf of the client to Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). ICMS cannot issue a Tangentyere ID Card without a ‘birth extract’ or ‘birth certificate’. See Birth Extracts/Certificates for more information.

    What is required to make an application for a Tangentyere Card?

    The minimum requirements are as follows: 
    • 2 forms of Identity Verification
    • Client Details
    • Fee payable
    Tangentyere Council use Centrelink Business Online Services to deduct payments from clients. Payments in cash can also be arranged.

    Call us on 8951 4222 Contact Us Online

    Birth Extracts and Certificates

    ICMS can apply on behalf of clients born outside the NT to Births, Deaths, and Marriages (BDM). Clients born in the NT can visit the local BDM office: Centrepoint Building, Corner of Gregory Terrace and Hartley Street, Alice Springs.  

    In the interest of efficiency, it is recommended that referring organisations aid clients to complete the relevant BDM application forms prior to attending ICMS.

    What is required to apply for a birth extract/certificate?
    • Client Identity database form 
    • Proof of Referral Authorisation form
    • Proof of Identity Reference form (only when client has no other ID)
    Call us on 8951 4222 Contact Us Online

    Return to Country

    Tangentyere Council are funded to provide community visitors to Alice Springs assistance to return to home community. This service receives funding from the Department of the Chief Minister & Cabinet as well as co-contributions from customers via Services Australia Centrepay deductions.

     

    Customers will need to provide relevant documents including proof of home community/address. This can include their most recent bank or Services Australia statement. In some cases, a copy of driver’s licence and registration will be required. Following an assessment made by the ICMS team, a repayment contract will be drawn between the customer and Tangentyere Council.

     

    Payments will remain in place until the balance owing has been repaid.

     

    This service is only available for community visitors who reside more than 80kms outside of Alice Springs.

     

    The Return to Country service is available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 9am-12pm & 2pm-4pm.

    Call us on 8951 4222 opt 2 Email us at rtc@tangentyere.org.au

    As of November 2025, Tangentyere Council is no longer funded to provide Emergency Relief

    Identity Verification
    Column 1
    Birth Certificate
    Birth Extract
    Column 2
    Health Care Card
    Medicare Card
    Keycard
    Pension Card
    Centrelink Income Statement
    Drivers License
    18+ Card
    Proof of Identity Reference

    Bank

    Tangentyere Council is working together with Westpac Banking Corporation to support our clients with all their basic banking needs through Tangentyere Westpac Instore Branch.

    We can assist with:
    Ordering a new card (if lost or damaged);
    Resetting internet and phone banking passwords; 
    General account maintenance such as updating personal information;
    Face to face assistance; and
    all cash related services (including deposits or withdrawals from any Westpac account).

    For anyone that has been remote and required banking assistance knows that normally a call centre help line is the only service provided. People can be in difficult situations where they are unable to access their money due to losing a card or not being able to access internet or phone banking. To minimise the stress of this situation, Tangentyere Westpac Instore Branch supports our local communities with the use of fax requests. This allows our clients to reset phone or internet banking passwords, order a new card, update their personal information and even complete transfer requests between Westpac bank accounts.

    Opening Hours: 

    Monday 8:30am – 3:00pm
    Tuesday 8:30am – 3:00pm 
    Wednesday 8:30am – 3:00pm 
    Thursday 8:30am – 3:00pm 
    Friday 8:30am – 3:00pm 

    Closed for lunch each day 12:00pm - 1:00pm
    Closed for Alice Springs / NT Public Holidays

    Call us on 8951 4222 Contact Us Online