Media Release by The Hon Larry Anthony MP

Helping Indigenous communities solve problems

Federal Minister for Community Services Larry Anthony today launched a Family and Community Workshop program encouraging Indigenous communities to get together to discuss and solve their local problems.

The workshop program will receive around $200,000 in Federal Government funding over two years.

Mr Anthony said the workshops will give Indigenous families an opportunity to pass traditional knowledge and skills from older to younger people, and will be coordinated by NAPCAN, the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

“Participating families will help create a vision of where they would like their community to be in 100 years time as a way of helping people to discuss problems in their communities,” Mr Anthony said.

“Starting in Indigenous communities in New South Wales, the workshops will also take place in other communities in all States and Territories in Australia.

“The workshops will be run by Indigenous artist Tex Skuthorpe, who, along with Anne Morrill, will work with the families to help unite community spirit among Indigenous families.”

Mr Anthony said the Federal Government was also involved in a number of early intervention and prevention projects to help fight child abuse and neglect. These include:

  • Funding over 40 special early intervention parenting projects around Australia which will start soon;
  • Appointing a new Australian Council for Children and Parenting (ACCAP) to advise the Government on ways to tackle child abuse and how to build parenting skills;
  • Funding a range of parenting programs as a part of the $240 million Stronger Families and Communities Strategy;
  • Establishing the Child Protection Clearinghouse within the Australian Institute of Family Studies; and
  • Providing substantial funding for NAPCAN’s activities.

The Coalition Government is committed to supporting early intervention parenting projects through the allocation of $5.8 million to strengthen parenting roles and help the well-being of children, particularly in Indigenous communities around Australia.”