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Since 2020, the building and centring of Aboriginal community capabilities and control in Yuwaya Ngarrali’s work has been a key enabler of all other areas as well as an area of significant achievement in itself. Important DEG-led efforts have resulted in 32 outcomes relating to ACCO capability and control, with a further 51 outcomes associated with community-led emergency response and community troubleshooting. Walgett Elders and community voices have been prominent in national media stories on topics as varied the government’s response to COVID, food and water security, floodplain harvesting and homelessness. DEG and YN’s agenda setting on food and water security in particular has led to Ministerial level visits to Walgett and commitments to long-term solutions to safe drinking water that is having systemic impact. Within our team we have embedded important learning about how to recruit, develop and retain Aboriginal staff members that provide a model that could be embedded elsewhere. And we are developing a new ACCO capability unit that could provide an innovative model enabling ACCOs to flourish and lead change in communities across NSW nationally that could enable significant progress in Closing the Gap targets and self-determination.

Ageing well in Walgett

Elders on Country knowledge-sharing
Elders on Country knowledge-sharing

At the core of our work is supporting Elders' wellbeing and their work for managing Walgett's Aboriginal cultural values, natural resources and community development. It's about "Ageing Well" and DEG believes its model for

delivering an Aboriginal Community-Controlled holistic social support and transport service is worth fighting for. The previous Commonwealth Government was intent on deleting the small, cost-efficient funds that provide the base for DEG's Elders Support program. DEG requested its Yuwaya Ngarrali partners to conduct a research project that describes Walgett Elders' priorities for ageing well, and the first report from this project has been published! So that this report will be seen by policy makers and governments, we were pleased to have an article published recently by The Conversation about our study. 

Building on this work, Yuwaya Ngarrali commissioned Dr Bob Davidson to work with DEG to understand the proposed changes to the CHSP program, and how they will impact Dharriwaa Elders Group's Elders Support service. The full report and summary report of "Caring for Elders, Community and Culture" were published in 2022. DEG sent them to ministers and public servants in the new Commonwealth Government who promised to pause the changes. But so far, the proposed changes are still being introduced - as far as we can see on the ground.

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