• More support services for First Australians in Kuranda, Kowrowa, Mantaka and Koah
• Coalition Government investing $472,687 in Ngoonbi Cooperative Society
• Investment is part of the Coalition Government’s $5 billion Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS)
Ngoonbi Cooperative Society will be able to provide additional case management services in Kuranda and the nearby Indigenous communities of Kowrowa, Mantaka and Koah, thanks to a $472,687 investment by the Federal Government.
Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, said that Ngoonbi Cooperative Society would receive funding to expand existing services to provide case management and life skills to youth aged 12 to 25 years old who are at risk of homelessness, low school attendance, substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health, as well as young people with disabilities, through to 30 June 2019.
“Improving the safety of Indigenous families and communities is one of the highest priorities for the Federal Government – and this investment will enable the Ngoonbi Cooperative Society to provide additional support to people who need it the most,” Minister Scullion said.
Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, said through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS), the Government was providing targeted investment to those working on the ground to make a difference in the lives of First Australians.
“This project is a great example of the Coalition working with local Indigenous people to improve outcomes for First Australians living in Kuranda and the nearby Indigenous communities of Kowrowa, Mantaka and Koah,” Mr Entsch said.
Ngoonbi Cooperative Society CEO, Lionel Quartermaine, said: “l would like thank the minister for his ongoing support.”
The Ngoonbi Cooperative Society project is one of 43 recently funded under the IAS. Services have been funded to provide intensive support to Indigenous people most affected in the following areas: alcohol and drugs, domestic violence, mental health and wellbeing, and youth offending.
Existing service providers will share $18,019,301 in Federal funding through until 30 June 2019 to transition from the Indigenous Community Links programme to new place-based, intensive support services that address specific safety and wellbeing needs. A further $4,239,664 will be provided until 30 June 2019 for new services in areas where a safety and wellbeing service gap has been identified.
The final year of funding is dependent on the projects providing strong outcomes for their clients.
Service providers will be asked to collect service data to assess the impact of the service, to better understand what works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage and contribute to the evidence base.