News

New MDAS committees for community input

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 06:51:00

The Mallee’s peak organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services is moving to increase community involvement and input in determining its future direction and services.

New advisory bodies are being established by Mallee District Aboriginal Services in Mildura and Swan Hill/Kerang to improve and enhance the delivery of its services.
MDAS Chief Executive Officer Rudolph Kirby said the new advisory committees were in response to a commitment to more community input on the delivery of MDAS programs and services.
“We provide a really comprehensive range of health, family and community services to our Mallee communities, but we aim to continuously improve what we are doing,” Mr Kirby said.
“These new committees feed directly into MDAS’s vision – that is to be working towards generations of vibrant, healthy and strong Aboriginal communities,” he said.
“It will give communities input on decisions about the sorts of services and how we deliver them to lead to healthier and more prosperous Koori communities in all our towns.”
MDAS Community Engagement Facilitator Indi Clarke said the committees would be successful only if they were a true partnership between MDAS and the Aboriginal community.
“They are a partnership to be built on goodwill, equality, honesty, transparency and respect – to work, they must have active participation and commitment from all members,” Mr Clarke said.
“The role of the Committee is to provide support, guidance, recommendations and advice to MDAS on the services and programs we deliver,” he said.
“The role of MDAS is to fairly consider those recommendations and advice from the Committee in good faith.”
Each of the two committees will be made up of:
• Four community members
• Two Elders
• One youth representative
• Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (LAECG) representative
• Local Aboriginal Justice Action Committee (LAJAC) representative
• Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group (IFVRAG) representative
• Local Indigenous Network (LIN) representative
• MDAS CEO and/or delegate
Mr Clarke said the committees would be the core groups, but there would be opportunity to bring others to the meetings in the capacity of specialists or expertise.
Community representation opportunities on the groups will be advertised in June.  Further information and a full terms of reference are available by contacting MDAS.