A Ngukurr Sketch
Ngukurr is a remote Aboriginal township on the northern bank
of the Roper River some 100 km inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria,
The town is 310 kilometres by road from Katherine, the nearest
regional centre which has Government offices, banking, hospital
and supermarket facilities. Ngukurr’s remoteness is increased
by poor road access. This is cut off entirely during the wet season
which stretches from November/December to April./May.
Ngukurr’s present population is about 900 Aboriginal people
and about 60 non-Aboriginal people (Taylor, Bern &Senior,
2000: 18). The population consists of an indigenous community
who, as a sedentary population, have been associated with each
other and with Ngukurr for up to 90 years, and a service population
of managers, specialists (police, teachers, nurses and pilots)
and others in positions of authority for whom Ngukurr is a place
of work and temporary residence. This social division has existed
in one form or other since the establishment of the Roper River
Mission (Ngukurr) in 1908. It is a continuing fact of life for
the indigenous population.
The people share a common history and traditions. Their common
culture expounds the relationship between the people and their
environment and provides the principal framework for social relations.
The particular expression of their traditions is found in the
major religious complexes they share. The most important of these
are the Yabudurruwa and the Gunabibi ceremonies. While the early
settlement of Ngukurr is a consequence of people’s dependence
on the Mission for protection and subsistence, the people’s
kinship and common traditions is the basis of their integration.
The structure of local administration and representation in
place at Ngukurr today has the following characteristics. The
administrative control is in the hands of a Council employed professional:
the Town Clerk. While this person is dependent on Council for
their position, Council is often heavily dependent on the Clerk
for expertise and afford the Clerk a large measure of independent
control of local government policy, administration, budget and
priorities.
Ngukurr, has matured into a small but growing town with service
functions providing for a sizeable hinterland, but they continue
to exist on a narrow economic base sustained primarily by public
expenditure. There are very few opportunities for mainstream employment.
Most local Aboriginal people work for the Community Development
Employment Project (CDEP) scheme, administered through the Aboriginal
and Torres Straight Islander Commission (ATSIC). It is a national
program of employment support and development for Aboriginal people
based on pooling the unemployment entitlements. The payments available
to participants are approximately that which would be available
through Government unemployment benefits.
Fundamental uncertainties remain about the future pattern and
direction of social and economic development in South East Arnhem
Land. In the event of future resource development in the region,
a range of issues arise out of the socio-economic profile in the
context of social impact planning.
