Daguragu Community Government Council has introduced a bold initiative to improve the quality of life of its residents. A three month trial has commenced whereby only workers or community members who are registered to work with CDEP are permitted to drink at the local Kalkaringi Social Club.
“We need our young men and women to work and to give something to our community,” said Acting President Michael Paddy. “Our CDEP numbers have been going down. We don’t want to be worrying about more social problems coming into our community in the future. Our young people need to learn to work.”
Council has received some criticism for this new policy but it is determined to improve opportunities for its young people and for a better quality of life for residents.
“We held a community meeting to explain the new policy,” said Councillor Richard Newry. “Some people didn’t like the idea but there is plenty of work available. Within a few days of starting the trial, we had 12 people adding their names to the list wanting to work.”
The Council reached the decision after consulting with nearby communities, such as Lajamanu, the local police and the Katherine West Health Board.
For the past three years, Council has banned parents from drinking at the Club if their children are not attending school on a regular basis. This has proved highly successful.
“We hope to see an increase in our local workforce which will bring greater funds from our funding bodies,” Michael Paddy added. “We want to use this funding to provide better work outcomes for our mob.
“We also want to continue to work closely with our health workers and local police. We are trying to make the local club a safer and happier place to visit. We don’t want to see our people driving long distances on roads to buy alcohol.”
For further information contact Council’s CEO,Sean Heffernan, on (08) 8975 0357 or email Sean.Heffernan@bigpond.com
