Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

$500,000 for Thamarrurr Development Corporation

A new enterprise to support Indigenous employment and boost local services in Wadeye will benefit from Australian Government funding through the Aboriginals Benefit Account.

The Thamarrurr Development Corporation will receive $500,000 as an establishment grant to deliver a range of business services to Wadeye and the Thamarrurr region.

Services will include a mechanical workshop, housing and construction, land and sea management and job network services for the local population of around 2,500 people.

Already around 20 local people have been employed in jobs with the Thamarrurr Development Corporation that include work in local construction, delivering fuel supplies and postal services.

Sustainable jobs and improved local services are essential to closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage. They are also vital to change dysfunctional behaviour and strengthen communities.

Building the capacity of Indigenous organisations helps foster the community and economic relationships and activities that are essential for Indigenous Australians to move forward.

The Aboriginals Benefit Account receives money from the Commonwealth that is equivalent to royalties paid by mining interests on Aboriginal land in the NT. This is then used to fund projects that directly benefit Indigenous people in the NT.