Barkly Regional Deal Working Group Approach

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.

Each working group has a community chair and a lead government resource.

The working groups meet at different stages of the projects with members coming into the Barkly Backbone office (or wherever the meeting is being held), or joining meetings virtually.

Landscape of Epenarra: Artist Susie Peterson, Epenarra 2018

"This image embodies traditional ritual knowledge of the Wutunugurra community. It was created with the consent of the custodians of the community. Dealing with any part of the image of any purpose that has not been authorised by the cutodians is a serious breach of the customary laws of the Wutunugurra community."

The current working group framework is as follows

  1. Youth Infrastructure and Services Working Group

  2. Regional Workforce Strategy Working Group

  3. Economic Growth and Support Working Group

  4. Youth Justice Facility Working Group

  5. Tennant Creek Visitor Park Working Group

Anyone can join these working groups. Contact the Backbone Team for more information. 

The working groups adopt a ‘learn as you go’ approach. This enables the groups to evolve and adapt to new situations and to achieve the end outcome. The Barkly Regional Deal will test whether working groups are an effective mechanism to elevate community voices and to ensure community input into the initiatives. The working group approach will be critiqued to ensure it is achieving its purpose.