Barkly Blueprint

The Tennant Creek Town Council and the Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation have received funding from the Department of Community Development Sport and Cultural Affairs (DCDSCA), Northern Territory Government, to identify opportunities for capacity building and the establishment of partnership agreements within the Barkly Region.

During 2001 the Tennant Creek Town Council had meetings with Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation to discuss the opportunities to improve service delivery, funding opportunities, maintenance of assets and sustainable, responsible and representative governance to the Barkly Region. The initial impetus for these meetings was the Barkly Blueprint under Goal 5 "Effectively coordinate the various community interests" and project 3 "Rationalisation and extension of areas serviced by organisations and local governing authorities".

Initial meetings between the Tennant Creek Town Council, the Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Yapakurlangu Regional Council were held to discuss these opportunities and other specific issues for the Barkly Region. This included potential areas for combining resources between the three organisations and the involvement of other local organisations and the Northern Territory Government Agencies under the auspices of the Barkly Blueprint.

The project was called "Building a Better Barkly". The project covers the area of the Northern Territory under the area of the ATSIC Yapakurlangu Regional Council.

The DCDSCA provided the capacity building funding to the Tennant Creek Town Council and the Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation to investigate the opportunities for alternative governance structures for the Barkly Regions.

The DCDSCA has an active role to participate in this project through the Northern Territory Government's "Stronger Regions Stronger Futures" strategy as a proponent of this consultancy, although it is not a signatory to the Memorandum of Agreement .

Under the Stronger Regions Stronger Futures strategy, a new Barkly Regional Development Board has been appointed by the government and it is anticipated that the members of this Board will have a desire to become involved with this project as a major strategy for the region.

In late 2006 the NT Government announced a major overhaul of the Local Government system which will result in a Shire being established over the Barkly, centred on Tennant Creek.

These reforms will effectively implement project 3 of goal 5 of the Barkly Blueprint.