Spotlight on

Language groups of the Fitzroy Valley

Eastern Australia: Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation registered in 2018 with members in all 5 eastern Australian states and territories. The corporation supports community leadership among all those seeking to revive cultural burning as part of their land management strategy.

Caption: a cool burn on Yuin country, National Indigenous Fire Workshop 2019. The flames never reach the canopy and the remains are charcoal, not a pale grey ash.

Maningrida, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory: On 4 March 2021 Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation celebrated its expansion to take over the government-run health service.

Maningrida is a large remote community near the mouth of the Liverpool River in northern Arnhem Land, about 500 kilometres east of Darwin. With 13 local languages, it’s one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world.

Adelaide, South Australia: Aṉangu are traditional owners of country in the Western Desert, in and around the APY Lands (lands of Aṉangu, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara). Some Aṉangu live in Adelaide due to kidney disease or other chronic issues of health and wellbeing; some move for educational and other opportunities. Recognising that many Aṉangu are isolated from their wellsprings of spiritual vitality, in 2018 a group of Aṉangu set up Iwiṟi Aboriginal Corporation to serve their Adelaide-based community.

Noongar country, Western Australia: You probably heard about the momentous High Court decision of 26 November 2020, which triggered the largest native title settlement in Australian history, affecting 200,000 square kilometres of the south west of Western Australia and tens of thousands of Noongar. This story is an explainer—featuring South West Aboriginal Land & Sea Council Aboriginal Corporation (SWALSC), the corporation that negotiated the settlement and weathered its storms.

Gippsland, Victoria: In late November 2020, the Victorian government returned 2 billion litres of water to traditional owners whose native title rights and interests are managed by Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (GLaWAC).

The Mitchell river, some of whose water will now be controlled by traditional owners

Heywood, south-west Victoria: Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is an ancient and still-functional aquaculture system for catching, storing and harvesting short-finned eels and other fish. In July 2019 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the first Australian landscape to be included for its cultural values. It was a thrilling watershed moment for Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (GMTOAC)—the culmination of 30 years’ work, and the beginning of a new era for the corporation.

Elder and child in a community near Tennant Creek. Photo by Patricia Nururla Frank.

Tennant Creek, Northern Territory: Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation has contributed to a study of a major factor underlying many of the health issues facing Aboriginal people in and around Tennant Creek: insufficient and poorly maintained public housing and lack of affordable alternatives.

Indulkana, APY Lands, South Australia: Iwantja Arts and Crafts Aboriginal Corporation is one of seven Aboriginal-owned art centres operating in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the north-west region of South Australia.

It goes without saying that Aṉangu are resilient. After the myriad deprivations of colonisation came the devastation of British nuclear tests at Maralinga. And still, traditional culture remains strong among Aṉangu.

Darwin, NT: Ironbark Aboriginal Corporation is a mature Top End corporation with clear vision, a sound governance framework and—after 20 years—plenty to celebrate.

Ironbark serves urban, regional and remote Aboriginal communities in the Darwin/Daly area through three main programs: