‘Anangu serving Anangu – Plenty Ninti!’ The PY Ku Network on the APY Lands
‘Anangu serving Anangu – Plenty Ninti!’ The PY Ku Network on the APY Lands Report
DKCRC Research Report
- Author(s): Tedmanson, D, Muirhead, M, Fisher, S
- Published: 2011
- Publisher: Ninti One Limited
- Volume: 68
Abstract: The PY Ku network is a centrally managed network of community centres combining service delivery with technology, providing opportunities for training and employment, incorporating shared counter facilities for service delivery, and electronically linked multi-purpose meeting facilities. PY Ku: Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjaraku – for the people! The network consists of one-stop shop remote area transaction centres located in the communities of Amata, Mimili, Fregon (Kaltjiti), Indulkana (Iwantji), Pipalyatjara and Watarru on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of South Australia. Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara leaders conceived of PY Ku as a key pillar in their long-term vision for better service delivery options for Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (Anangu) communities. A key element of the vision for PY Ku is to sustainably involve Anangu more actively and directly in the service delivery system, by providing training and support to help them gain employment, and making sure that Anangu maintain a strong voice in the design, delivery and management of all services on their Lands In 2003, PY Ku was endorsed as one of two Council of Australian Governments ‘whole of government’ initiatives on the APY Lands for service delivery to remote Aboriginal communities – in this case, to provide a single local point in each community where a range of Commonwealth and state services could be accessed. From inception to operation, this innovative approach to integrated service delivery on the APY Lands posed many challenges for all people involved, especially: • the coordination across levels of government, and with and between Anangu communities • the costs involved in rolling out major new building and IT infrastructure across APY Lands • the human resource issues involved in recruiting and training new Anangu staff for PY Ku • finding a sustainable approach to develop and maintain both the PY Ku centres and the integrated services model. This document reports on the findings of an evaluation of PY Ku that is a part of a larger research project of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (called ‘Desert Services that Work: Demand-responsive Services to Desert Settlements’, Fisher et al. 2011). Desert Services that Work aimed to develop a sophisticated picture of the supply of services to desert settlements and explored how demand for services is expressed and responded to in remote community contexts. The research questions of the Desert Services that Work project guided our approach to this research. The research method we used combined a comprehensive review of documentation of PY Ku from inception to implementation. We identified and assessed the impact of key levers, success factors and critical points of change on remote service delivery to the target settlements. Our methodology used an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, drawn from collating respondents’ overall feedback to narrative open-ended questions. We held extended narrative interviews and discussions with key Anangu leaders, and Anangu and non-Anangu key players who were involved at all levels of the PY Ku program. This gave us a rich overview of the dynamics involved in the implementation of what is a complex and multi-faceted initiative. From interviews and discussions with people involved in using or developing PY Ku centres, we collected perspectives on the PY Ku program and its services. But ongoing concerns from the implementing agency (PY Media) about the possibility that government support for the program would not be renewed after the first term led us to become involved in meetings about the sustainability of the services. This provided insight on the challenges for government and service providers in achieving a sustainable service model. Establishing PY Ku has been a complex undertaking involving purpose-built facilities, new technology, training and employment of new Anangu staff, and multiple levels of contracting with different agencies for the delivery of specific services through PY Ku as a local agent. For the Anangu-controlled regional organisation PY Media – which acted as project manager for the planning, rollout and implementation of the program – the challenges often proved almost insurmountable. However, the successful introduction of PY Ku has demonstrated the tenacity and good faith of the many key Anangu and non-Anangu people involved. Sustainable development of remote service delivery requires a high level of consistent, ongoing investment by governments. If systemic change is to be achieved, investments should be viewed over a ten-year, rather than three-year, horizon. The report highlights that while investing in a regional Anangu service provider to deliver PY Ku is good practice, local organisations would need to be adequately compensated for the burden this places on them. The strength of resilience, reciprocity, capability and goodwill between Anangu and non-Anangu individuals has led to remarkable growth in the capacities of Anangu to engage in the service system. Achieving an operational PY Ku network under Anangu leadership now places the network in a pivotal position to engage more with local people, achieve strategic community development and empower the Anangu people to get maximum long-term value from these services to their communities.
- Urls: http://www.nintione.com.au/resource/NintiOneResearchReport_68_AnanguServingAnanguPlentyNintiPYKuEvaluation.pdf
- Publisher Location: Alice Springs