The Barkly Regional Deal (the Deal) was announced in July 2018, when former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Tennant Creek at the invitation of former Barkly Regional Council Mayor Steve Edgington, with the Northern Territory Chief Minister, Michael Gunner and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator the Hon Nigel Scullion, agreeing the Barkly region would be a good place to deliver a place-based response to regional development, with the involvement of the Australian Government, NT Government and Barkly Regional Council.
The Northern Territory Government will build local capability by providing training and development opportunities in areas of high economic potential (mining, construction, essential services, tourism, road-building, housing-related services such as tenancy and property management, and health services).
The Australian Government will invest $7.6 million in youth-focused infrastructure in communities across the Barkly through the Building Better Regions Fund.
The Barkly Regional Deal Governance Table oversees the implementation of the Deal. It is a unique feature of the Deal and highlights the importance of local community engagement for the Deal’s long-term success. The Deal is piloting this type of governance model to support the local community to lead, drive and champion economic growth and improve social outcomes, with coordinated support from the three tiers of government.
The Barkly Regional Deal projects are developed in collaboration with the community through working groups.
A working group is a forum where community members and other stakeholders can come together to share feedback and recommendations on a particular initiative or project. Ideas and recommendations coming from the working groups are provided back to the Governance Table members, who then advocate on behalf of the community to the governing bodies implementing each of the initiatives.
The Backbone Team provides secretariat, advisory and support services to the Governance Table. It is a neutral convenor that facilitates the delivery of the deal by bringing together all stakeholders, coordinating their work on the delivery of the initiatives. One of its key functions is also to develop and deliver a tailored engagement strategy to ensure community members from across the Barkly region are able to participate in the development and implementation of the Deal.