The Northern Territory community of Wurrumiyanga is celebrating the completion of a brand-new $12.4 million child and family centre following years of planning and construction.
Locals came together in song and dance on Bathurst Island to see the opening of the Pumulayu Child and Family Centre, which is the first of its kind for the Tiwi Islands.
The facility offers a central space where young and vulnerable people can access help, including childhood development programs, youth support, family safety services and gambling harm reduction initiatives.
Hot desks and accommodation allow the set up to be interchangeable with temporary support providers.
Mantiyupwi Traditional Owner Wesley Kerinauia told NITV he was happy to see it come to life.
"Really proud to see a lot of people come in and a lot of students come in with their uniforms and seeing the centre,” he said.
Unlike other facilities, it’s managed by Traditional Owners who consider local governance crucial to support their own needs.
"Because people like the Traditional Owners know what's happening on the ground," Kerinauia said.
“I’m just feeling proud of this building, that's all.”
Kerinauia says times can sometimes be tough.
“Some issues before with the families and with these things and the staff that will be here for help and support.”
Mantiyupwi Family Trust Chairperson Jennifer Clancy was happy to see people celebrating together too.
“With everyone out here today, it was very happy. I can see everyone faces all smiling, all glowy. This is the first building for us in remote areas, very flash,” she told NITV.
“We manage it. We came a long way to do this with help from the NT government mob.”
The family centre has taken years to achieve, after Tiwi Elders identified a problem with safety and health in their community.
Elders travelled to similar Aboriginal run centres in Darwin and the remote community of Kalkarindji to see it could work for them.
"A problem or traumatised, anyone can come here," Clancy said.
“We just don't want anyone to go to Darwin. That's a place here for them. Even the children, we don't want children go away and leave away from home.”
Children Family Centres (CFC) aren't a new thing.
In 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) sought to establish a minimum of 35 CFCs in remote and regional areas as part of Closing the Gap targets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in early years of their development.
But in 2014, the Abbot Government threatened the rollout, pausing federal funding and leaving states and territories to go their own way.
Today, 11 of these centres now operate in the Northern Territory with two more funded for the communities of Borroloola and Arlparra.
The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care says CFC’s are key for participation in early-aged services.
The organisation estimates a 70 per cent increase in participation is needed to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are on par with their non-Indigenous peers.
Jennifer Clancy is hopeful this achievement will set the standard for others too.
“We did this and the others can do it as well … one community can do it, the other can do it,” she said.
Following the centre’s opening, Anthony Albanese made his first visit to the Tiwi Islands as Prime Minister on Sunday.
Albanese said he was “seeing positive change” in the NT, and the facility was “exactly the sort of investment in infrastructure that the Territory needs, and remote communities need”.
“There’s more to be done, and when you’re dealing with intergenerational issues, then a centre like this that can bring all the services together in one place is a significant investment.”
Mr Albanese’s visit to Tiwi comes after he confirmed he would not attend this year’s Garma Festival in East Arnhem Land, despite previously promising he would attend every year he was Prime Minister.
“I can’t do everything, but here I am here on the Tiwi Islands,” he said.
“One of the things that Indigenous people have said to me is they want me to visit different centres … I’ll continue to engage with the Northern Territory and the Foreign Minister [Penny Wong] will be attending the Gama Festival along with other members of my government.”
