Learning Circles of the Lockhart River

Hagan DA¹*

1. Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

The Learning Circles of Lockhart River represent an innovative whole of government and community collaboration in a remote aboriginal community, producing significant community development initiatives over the last three years. This integrated engagement strategy utilizing multimodal learning has resulted in beneficial economic, environmental, social and spiritual outcomes.

Lockhart River is located in the extreme north of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. Here an isolated population of Indigenous people experience significant economic and social disadvantage, with diminished life expectancy of some 20 years less than white Australia.

Learning Circles provide an open forum for the engagement of community and government resulting in the establishment of social capital infrastructure, new strategies for the future and true partnerships between stakeholders providing a mutually rich exchange where all are both teachers and learners and capability is built in both community, government and agency staff locally, regionally, state wide and nationally.

The work has resulted in significant achievements including an integrated policy and service delivery; increased community capability to collectively influence difficult policy, governance and service delivery issues; participation in planning and decision making; increased community leadership development and the renewal of economic and social ventures, which previously floundered.

Recognition of this bold and different approach and the outcomes achieved in Lockhart River has come from Australian and State Governments, the Aboriginal Council and the greater community.

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