Lajamanu News

At the end of October 2021, the Commercial Services team from Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) converged in Alice Springs for in-house training.

In one of the sessions of the training the team reviewed the upcoming changes to employment services in regional and remote Australia; particularly, Government’s decision to change the Community Development Program (CDP) to a new remote jobs program in 2023. There was also a representative from the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) Central Australia office Engagement Team who attended a session to talk about the provider performance review process.

The Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) 2020-21 annual report has been sent to the Minister for Local Government, Chansey Paech MLA, and is now up on the CDRC website. The annual report shows the progress CDRC has made against the Strategic Plan throughout the financial year and the CDRC annual financial statements. It also includes achievements and stories of the CDRC communities.

You can read the annual report here: 2020-2021 Annual Report

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) has been recognised as a Winner for Employer of Choice in The Australian Business Awards 2021. The Australian Business Awards for Employer of Choice recognises organisations that develop leading workplaces that maximise the full potential of their workforce through established policies and practices that demonstrate effective employee recruitment, engagement and retention.

CDRC is a Local Government entity that operates in the Northern Territory, to the north of Alice Springs, with boundaries that go from the Queensland Border to the WA border covering a land area of 282,064km2. The municipal area is home to approximately 4,200 people and spread over eleven Indigenous communities and one town. Council’s workforce of around 240 staff, over 69% of whom are Indigenous, is spread over those twelve locations and also in the Alice Springs based headquarters. The area is home to the most disadvantaged people in the Northern Territory, and CDRC’s core mission is to build sustainable communities through service delivery, advocacy, and community engagement.

The Work Health and Safety (WHS) October Safe Work Month film competition was hotly contested this year, with the dominant themes around vehicles and personal protective equipment (PPE).

At the September Council meeting the Councillors watched all the movies and deliberated over the outcome and there was a dead heat between two movies. Luckily, the Hon. Chansey Paech was in attendance for the swearing in of the new Councillors and was asked to choose the winner.

The winner as chosen by the Council and the Minister were the Community Development Program (CDP) team for their film, ‘Think Safe and Drive Safe’. Congratulations to the CDP team.

Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) welcomes the newly elected Councillors to the fourth CDRC Council, who were sworn in on 30 September in Alice Springs, with Chansey Paech MLA in attendance.

Cr Adrian Dixon was elected President once again by the Council, with Cr Warren Williams returning to the role of Deputy President.

Adrian Dixon, Warren Williams, James Glenn, William Liddle, April Martin, Jacob Spencer and Freddy Williams all return to the Council, with Adrian Dixon and James Glenn having served on Council since its beginning in 2008.

The 2021 Local Government Elections for the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) were held in August and the results are now out.

Northern Tanami

There were only two nominations for two positions, so no election necessary. These were Andrew Johnson and Cyril Tasman.

Southern Tanami

There were four nominations for four positions, all by returning councillors. These are Warren Williams, April Martin, Fred Williams and Jacob Spencer.

Anmatjere

It's not too late. There is still time to complete your Census.

Visit www.census.abs.gov.au for more information.

In the last week of July, the Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Community Safety Patrol (CSP) teams in Lajamanu had three days of training in Introductory Mediation and Peacemaking.  The program was delivered by Troy Degenhardt and Matthew Panayi of Northern Territory Alternate Dispute Resolution. This was the same as the rest of the CSP teams had in Alice Springs in June, when the Lajamanu teams were unable to make it.

Over the three days, the group discussed traditional processes of dispute resolution and peacemaking as well as western formal mediation processes.

The August 2021 edition of the Central Desert News is out now! You can view it by opening the attachment below.

In this edition:

- CDRC Win Management Challenge

- Local Government Elections

- Community Safety Started in Nyirripi

- Opening of MacDonnell Building

A snake was removed from the veranda of a house in Lajamanu at the end of July. This is a warning that when the weather is warm snakes can be active, no matter the season.

The snake was a Black Headed Python, about 2 metres long. It was found and reported by Jane Armstrong, Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) Manager Community Safety. It was then caught by Ranger Jonathan Gnanapragasam and relocated about 5 km out of Lajamanu.

It is never safe to handle a snake yourself, and never try to kill a snake. You can report a spotting of a snake to the NT Government by ringing 1800 453 210.