Positive Partnerships with Modern Medium – “A Community Story by Community People”

Kneebone R¹*

1. Department of Local Government, Planning Sport and Recreation, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Partner representatives:

1. The Umagico Shire Council.
2. Bush TV Community Relations, Indigenous Media and Communication Consultants
3. Department of Local Government Planning Sport and Recreation

Project

The Community Governance Improvement Strategy (CGIS) is a major initiative of the Queensland Government’s Meeting Challenges Making Choices, to build capacity and strengthen the standard of corporate governance of Aboriginal Shire Councils and Island Councils. The CGIS is being delivered through the Community Governance Division (CGD) of the Department of Local Government, Planning Sport and Recreation.

Engaging and building partnerships

Aboriginal Shire Councils are embarking upon a transitional path, previously operating as Community Councils to Aboriginal Shire Council status. Both Aboriginal Shires and Islander Councils have an exciting and challenging path with great responsibility in planning the future direction of their communities.

Bush TV is a Queensland based Indigenous multi media production company with a mobile digital media production unit that visits remote communities in Australia. Bush TV gives people access to the latest technology and teaching basic skills in media production, media representation; it provides training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth to undertake a Certificate III in Broadcasting and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessing. The partnership formed with CGD, Aboriginal Shire Councils, Island Councils and Bush TV promotes the delivery of the CGIS message effectively and in a culturally appropriate way, identifies good news stories about Indigenous local government and communities to the wider community and directly supports the employment and training of eight (8) Indigenous youth.

Telling the Stories

A flurry of networking occurs between CGD staff, Bush TV and the Communities, agreement it reached and a community relations audit takes place. We achieve this by sitting down, sharing and being with community members. From those audits and discussions, council members, elders and Bush TV identify and produce the chosen stories to showcase positive images about the community.

The Murri Minute is centrepiece of the television programs, which is seen throughout regional Queensland on Imparja and WIN TV, potentially able to reach 700,000 viewers weekly.

Community Feedback

This new and exciting partnership with CGD and the CGIS and Bush TV creates Community Awareness through a modern medium that re-invigorate pride and strength of Indigenous communities. It shares a positive touch of Indigenous life with the broader Australian community. Murri Minutes are Indigenous stories lived by Indigenous people, told by Indigenous people and filmed by Indigenous people. Storytelling will include speakers from the Councils, digital interviews on Umagico Shire Council produced by Bush TV and Departmental officers forming a panel for discussion on the partnership and beneficial outcomes from the partnership.

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