Exhibit 05
NGUKURR LOCAL DECISION MAKING Q&A
| Q: Have you found that there has been any improvement in government constellations given this model can be shared? |
| As we presented in the last slide, we are about to put the Clan Based Management Model into practice for our community values. This governance structure model gives our leadership groups with Strong Authority and Ownership.This model will invite the government to join us, rather we join the government, so that it will be always driven by our community, but also we are working together. |
| Q: Do you have a concept like “delegated decision-making”? What sorts of decisions can be “delegated” within the Ngukurr community? |
| Ngukurr delegation is the provision/share of quality life and source. Shown in the cultural board structure in our presentation, Ngukurr delegation consists of 7 clan groups, 4 semi moieties, 2 moieties as a whole collectivity; like the way in which our ceremony is conducted under the supervision of cultural positions – Mingirringal, Djungayi and Dalyan. Everyone must be a decision maker. This cultural governance structure is not new; it has been in our society from the beginning to now |
| Q: Thank you both so much for sharing this with us. What does the word ‘governance’ mean to you? Does it cover all the kinds of things you have told us about? And where does the power for the Community Governing Board come from to do their job? |
| To me (Ian Gumbula), ‘governance’ is the way how things come out, work, straighten and through which our body becomes alive and works well. With that, our ways of living and valuing emerge from our foundation. With that, we are feeling comfortable. The power for our community and people comes from our land where our sovereignty, diplomacy and reconciliation is. The land of sovereignty, diplomacy and reconciliation is a living document for our people; it remains the same and won’t change for our emerging generations. Our cultural authoritative structure won’t change either. Our generations have grown into this sovereignty and diplomacy spaces where cultural reconciliation are seen by all tribes in Ngukurr. It is there all the time; we call it ‘nininyŋu’ in my language. |
| Q: Do all the tribes take the matriarchal lineage? |
| Yes, we are all conneted through the matriarchal lineage, such as with father’s mother, mother’s mother, mother’s mother’s mother and mother’s mother’s mother’s mother. |
| Q: That is amazing and thorough work. Is it published? |
| We are practicing and discussing the Ngukurr clan based management model in order to make sure everyone is satisfied. It will be in future published in a community report. |
| Q: When a research student comes, how can they find out who is the right one to talk to? |
| When the Ngukurr’s future governance map is in practice, there will be a group that all university students or researchers need to visit first. That group represents the whole authority of the community and people (men, women and youth). They will guide you who to see, consult and work with. |
| Q: Thanks for the excellent presentation – I am wondering how many people will be on the Board and how often will they meet as they may have a lot of people coming to them? Q: How do you make sure everything comes through the local board first? |
| Every month 14 members representing 7 clan groups and 4 sub-moieties gather and discuss community matters. A proxy must be from the same clan group in order to strictly follow the Cultural Board Structure. The Board will talk and decide when to have this monthly meeting and other meetings with (non)government service providers and fit with many other cultural commitment and ceremonial business. Therefore the community needs to know well in advance your visit so that we make sure to have the board in a meeting. In doing this, we can make sure things come through our Ngukurr cultural governance model. Good Cultural Governance. Good Cultural Guidance. Good Cultural Practices. Good Cultural Actions |
| Q: I like the comparison of the current and future governance map. I want to make sure I understand – under the future governance, do all queries go to the Local Community Board? |
| Yes, that is what the Local Community Board is established for. All decisions around social and economic services will be advised and handled by local people, led and managed by local people and also suggested by local people. |
| Q: How does this relate to changes in decisions over time, when does there need to be a re-discussion? |
| In the previous management model, each person/group/institution/department comes to Ngukurr with their own agenda and plan and come to tell the community to work along the plan. On the contrary, this Clan Based Management Model asks the previous model to stop and go along with what the community requires for their own, how the community satisfies their decision, and how the community operates, practices and values. We are working together in that way. |
| Q: What is the way we need to work to give young people and adults the knowledge to do the jobs to look after the old people and people with disability who can have the care they need and what they have been funded to receive? |
| We are the one in the community who know the old people and people with disability and always live with them and look after them. A difficulty is that we are the ones being interviewed, judged and evaluated. I am asking for a better mutual agreement and collaboration for us to clearly see how the funding and the community services delivery goes, and who are involved. We are here in the community to support our family life. |
| Q: How is the Ngukurr community making the change to the future governance map (from the August 2019 model) and is there a role for outsiders in supporting this? |
| Thank you. Yes, a role would be to have the understanding of this Clan Based Management Model and leave us to decide our need. Decision making should be left to Ngukurr community members. We carefully discuss community matters in that model and make decisions, then we may seek a funding for services or infrastructure etc. We do the right decision making for our community and people and commit ourselves seriously. We make these decisions to help build and support our lives, then get organisations strong. People first, then community will support our organisation. |