Day One Agenda
Tuesday 29th November, 2011

8:00
Registration, coffee & networking
8:30
Welcome to Country
Traditional Owner, Wurundjeri People
8:35
Welcoming remarks from the Chair
Lenore Dembski
Paperbark Woman
The urban landscape & intercultural relations
8:45
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Forgotten people: Rationing resources amongst rural, remote & urban Indigenous communities

  • Prioritising education and employment for urban Indigenous communities
  • Creating education and employment opportunities within the mainstream economy
Warren Mundine
CEO
NTSCORP
9:20
Closing the Gap Clearinghouse: What works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage

  • Providing evidence on what works in a format that is concise and understandable
  • Ensuring the quality of evidence is assessed and synthesised
  • Outlining evidence and gaps in the evidence across the building blocks
Fadwa Al-Yaman
Senior Executive, Social and Indigenous Group
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
9:55
The importance of Constitutional Recognition of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

  • Its importance to all Australians - improving the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians
  • How it will contribute to Closing the Gap
  • The Work of Panel and next steps
Jody Broun, Co-Chair
National Congress of Australia's First Peoples & Member
of the Panel for Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Australians
10:30
Morning tea & networking
11:00
Obstacles to & benefits from intercultural initiatives: Assimilation or integration

  • Promoting intercultural relationships
  • Appreciating benefits of respectful co-existence, reliable prosperity and empowering 'people in place'
  • Avoiding ineffective intercultural initiatives
Peter Seidel
Partner, Public Interest Law
Arnold Bloch Leibler &
Adjunct Professor of Law
La Trobe University, VIC
11:35
Utilising mainstream services

  • An overview of case studies in the Victorian sector
  • Developing a combination of effective and targeted services
  • How do we know if we are making a difference?
Jennifer Samms
Executive Director, Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs
Department of Planning and Community Development, VIC
Funding & identifying partners
12:10
Utilising networks to improve outcomes for urban Indigenous communities

  • Strengthening partnerships for holistic service delivery
  • Breaking the cycle of poverty by integrating services
  • Changing public sector culture and ways of doing business
  • Achieving a fairer distribution of funding
Dr Alfred Bamblett, CEO
Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association
Limited (VACSAL)
12:45
Networking lunch
1:45
Knowing when to partner & when to be self-sustainable

  • Building organisational capacity for self-sustainability
  • Developing strong relationships across sectors
  • Influencing community development
Colleen Marion, Founder/CEO
Gathering Place Health Service Ltd, VIC
2:20
Effective partnerships between the local Aboriginal community & eight Local Government councils

  • Enhancing reconciliation, equity health and wellbeing
  • Linking Aboriginal communities to the broader community
  • Identifying service gaps and where cooperation can improve between communities and government
  • Involving Aboriginal people in decision making
Vicki Nicholson Brown, Chair &
Angela Long, Co-Chair
The Inter Council Aboriginal Consultative Committee, VIC
2:55
Roundtable discussions
3:30
Afternoon tea & networking
Community development
4:00
Coordinating service delivery for improved community outcomes

  • Gathering representatives from multiple service areas to convey the overall impacts of initiatives on communities
  • Increasing transparency of roles and responsibilities
  • Strengthening relationships via networking forums
  • Grouping service clusters for community service provision
Errolyn Strang, Aboriginal Coordinator
TAFE NSW
4:35
Improving socio-economic circumstances through community development

  • Adopting a 'grow your own' philosophy with Indigenous employment and community respect
  • Healing and community morale programs
  • Strengthening family relations for community order
  • Increasing uptake and effectiveness of services
Florence Davidson
General Manager, Client Services
Mallee Family Care Incorporated, VIC
5:10
Chair's closing remarks & close of day one
5:30
Complimentary networking dinner

View agenda day two