Federal government pledges $12.2m for three NT Men’s Wellness Centres
The Commonwealth will fund three new programs providing support for Indigenous men and boys to recognise signs of healthy relationships. Here’s where the money’s going.
The federal government will fund three new community-led Men’s Wellness Centres in the Top End to provide support for Indigenous men and boys to recognise signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth was in the Northern Territory on Tuesday to make the $12.2m announcement, establishing programs in two communities southeast of Katherine, six communities on the NT-Western Australia border, and Wadeye.
Three Aboriginal community-controlled organisations will develop and deliver the tailored programs promising to be culturally-informed and specific to community.
Bagala Aboriginal Corporation will receive $4.4m to establish holistic support services for men in Barunga and Wuggular, helping inform and educate Aboriginal men and boys on respectful relationships, healthy parenting, and the impacts of coercive control.
The project will engage with professional service providers to address domestic violence, alcohol and substance abuse, and support the men to build and maintain healthy relationships.
In Wadeye, Thamarrurr Development Corporation will receive $3.8m to work with male Elders from the four main ceremonial groups, and potentially each of the 21 clans, to provide options for men and boys aged 10 and over to participate in culturally-focused activities to reduce the likelihood of fighting, substance misuse and other harmful behaviours.
Four million dollars will go to Ngaanyatjarra Health Service for an on-country men’s wellbeing program run in the six main Ngaanyatjarra communities.
It promises to provide multi-layered, integrated culturally safe and responsive services to assist Ngaanyatjarra men address health issues, and loss of identity, agency and purpose.
Ten other Men’s Wellness Centres will also be established in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and WA.
Minister Rishworth said the three NT centres were designed to focus Indigenous cultural knowledge, frameworks, and responses to align with the unique histories and needs of each community.
“Ultimately, to achieve our goal of ending gender-based violence in one generation, we need to provide genuine support for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and boys now and this funding continues our strong record of investment in the Northern Territory,” she said.
Nationally, Indigenous women and children are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to violence than non-Indigenous women, and six times more likely to die as a result of family violence.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said working with men and boys was crucial to ending gender-based violence in First Nations communities.
“First Nations-led solutions deliver better outcomes for First Nations people,” she said.
Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour welcomed the funding injection into her electorate.
She said Aboriginal controlled-community organisations were well-placed to deliver effective services.
“I look forward to the success of these programs in giving men the support, frameworks, knowledge and insights to maintain healthy relationships and say ‘no’ to violence against women and children,” Ms Scrymgour said.
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Originally published as Federal government pledges $12.2m for three NT Men’s Wellness Centres
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