Non-Government Organisations Roundtable Report: Ngarala Duba*
The Roundtable was held on 16 August 2022 as part of a series of events delivered by Aboriginal Affairs NSW to interrogate Closing the Gap priorities in NSW and develop recommendations for change for government and partners.
With a growing awareness of the importance of self-determination leading to better outcomes for Aboriginal communities, the NSW Government is a signatory to the National Agreement and is committed to “new ways of doing business with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW, with shared decision making at its core.”
With a vital role in employment and providing services for Aboriginal communities the social service sector is key to creating progress across a number of Closing the Gap priorities including Priority Three – Transformation – transforming services and agencies to enable better outcomes for Aboriginal people and reducing their experience of racism. This Roundtable brought those key elements together with a focus on Aboriginal employment in the social service sector. As the peak body for the sector, NCOSS was engaged by Aboriginal Affairs NSW to partner with it and the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations in delivering the Roundtable.
NCOSS welcomes the opportunity to provide the report from the Roundtable and promote it across the sector. It gives some brief background to the development of the Roundtable and Roundtable partners, and sets out the headline issues raised by speakers and panellists; and key themes arising in discussion with participants.
The report identifies recommendations for action by government, sector peaks and social service organisations informed by the knowledge and experiences shared, issues raised, and robust discussion.
*Ngarala Duba is a Gadigal phrase for thinking about or listening to the ground or country – we use it in reference to the key characteristic of successful change making for First Nations communities – from the ground up.