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Indigenous Governance Toolkit

An online resource to help Indigenous organisations, communities, nations and individuals build, strengthen and evaluate their governance.

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Professional development

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Tailored professional development

Customised professional development and training to help you design a governance framework for your specific purpose, environment and resources.

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Our advisory service combines our extensive experience and expertise to review your organisation's cultural and corporate governance.

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Explore our professional development events to find the governance training and support you need – including informative masterclasses, webinars and conferences.

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Indigenous Governance Awards

The Indigenous Governance Awards identify, celebrate and promote outstanding governance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, projects and initiatives across the nation.

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Emerging Directors Program

The Emerging Directors Program is shaping the future of governance by empowering the next generation of First Nations leaders.

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About us

Who we are

AIGI is a national not-for-profit organisation that delivers training and resources to meet the self-determined governance needs of Indigenous Australians.

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We connect Indigenous Australians to world-class governance practices to support self-determined governance.

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Our development as a national institute delivering training and resources to meet the self-determined governance needs of Indigenous Australians.

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Indigenous Governance Toolkit Indigenous Governance Toolkit
AIGI Honoured at 2025 Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards
May 09 2025
AIGI Honoured at 2025 Australian Not-for-Profit Technology Awards

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Your people
Community inclusion in the board room
Mar 25 2025
Your people
Community inclusion in the board room

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa’s (KJ) governance structure is unique, reflecting its commitment to shared leadership and community-driven decision-making KJ’s board of directors ensure equitable representation from...

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Your people
ALPA’s board
Mar 21 2025
Your people
ALPA’s board

ALPA is led by an all-Yolŋu board of directors from each of ALPA’s five communities: Galiwin’ku, Gapuwiyak, Milingimbi, Minjilang and Ramingining Two directors are nominated from each community – one a trad...

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Your people
Yappera’s board
Mar 21 2025
Your people
Yappera’s board

Yappera Children’s Service Co-Operative is governed by a board of seven Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander directors These directors are elected by Yappera’s membership during the Annual General Meeting...

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Your people
Supporting women’s financial independence
Mar 21 2025
Your people
Supporting women’s financial independence

NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) began as an advocacy organisation for women in the NPY region Today, it is also the major provider of human services to women and their families NPYWC is governed and directed by Abor...

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Your culture
Aboriginal community governance in the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires
Mar 07 2025
Your culture
Aboriginal community governance in the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires

The bushfire season of 2019-20, commonly referred to as the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, stands as a significant natural disaster in Australian history Its scale and intensity had far-reaching consequence...

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Leadership
Knowledge Transfer Tool
Feb 28 2025
Leadership
Knowledge Transfer Tool

This tool will help you develop an internal process to plan for the future transition of board directors or members of your group Different exercises in this tool will prompt you to consider differently types of k...

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Your people
Board Skills Matrix
Feb 21 2025
Your people
Board Skills Matrix

This resource offers a comprehensive skills matrix designed to assess the key competencies and capabilities of your board Review the skills outlined in the matrix and evaluate each one based on your board members&...

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Systems and Plans Your culture
Culture at KJ
Jan 20 2025
Systems and Plans Your culture
Culture at KJ

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) was born from the vision of Martu Elders, who sought to preserve their culture, strengthen connections to Country, and ensure a sustainable future for their people This vision was brought...

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Self-determination
Cultural Data Management at KJ
Jan 20 2025
Self-determination
Cultural Data Management at KJ

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) is committed to safeguarding the authority and control for Martu people over their rich cultural heritage; as well as ensuring their accessibility for current and future generations Throu...

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AIGI / Resource Hub / ASHBURTON ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this website contains the photographs, voices, names and stories of deceased persons.

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ASHBURTON ABORIGINAL CORPORATION
  • Home triangle
    • Home
    • About the Toolkit
    • How to use this Toolkit
    • Toolkit sections overview
  • Understand Indigenous governance triangle
    • Overview
    • Defining governance
    • Indigenous governance
    • Governance lingo
    • Self-determination and governance
    • Effective Indigenous governance
  • Your culture triangle
    • Overview
    • Centre your culture
    • Culture-smart governance
  • Assess your governance triangle
    • Overview
    • When to assess your governance
    • Know your people
    • Learn from history
    • Assess your purpose and vision
    • Recognise your internal culture
    • Map your assets
    • Monitor your wider environment
    • Plan for the future
  • Build your governance triangle
    • Overview
    • How to get started
    • Choose your governance model
    • Decide whether to incorporate
    • Develop your rules or constitution
  • Your people triangle
    • Overview
    • Your key players
    • Members
    • Board of directors
    • CEO and managers
    • Staff
    • Relationships
    • Diversity, equity and inclusion
    • First Nations women in governance
  • Leadership triangle
    • Overview
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership
    • Leadership styles
    • Challenges of leadership
    • Develop your leadership
    • Succession planning
    • Evaluate your leadership
  • Systems and plans triangle
    • Overview
    • Policies and procedures
    • Communication
    • Meetings
    • Decision-making
    • Financial management
    • Strategic planning
    • Risk management
  • Conflict resolution and peacemaking triangle
    • Overview
    • Understand conflicts, disputes and complaints
    • Understand peacemaking
    • Implement peacemaking processes
  • Self-determination triangle
    • Overview
    • Self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
    • Nation building, treaty and development
    • Nation building in practice
  • Governance Stories
  • Glossary
  • Other Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Factsheets
  • Acknowledgements

ASHBURTON ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

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ASHBURTON ABORIGINAL CORPORATION

Dreaming big and the importance of planning

Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation (AAC) benefits Aboriginal people in the Pilbara through increasing employment and enterprise opportunities, and by providing education and training services.

AAC wanted to do something to help the local youth. The organisation had been discussing different ideas about what to do for over two years but nothing seemed to stick, until someone suggested sub-leasing a section of a local station named Peedamulla to run a youth training facility.

The initial dream was to run a section of Peedamulla as a training facility in the areas of station work, station management and hospitality and in addition, create a viable commercial business for the benefit of Ashburton Shire Aboriginal communities.

The Board of Directors and the CEO agreed that it would be a great opportunity for the youth of the Ashburton region, but despite the initial excitement over the proposal everyone was well aware that dreaming big was just the beginning.

There were a lot of factors that the Board of Directors needed to take into consideration to make sure their dream for Peedamulla station would become a reality. Things such as, negotiating with the Peedamulla station managers for a sublease, structuring the training program, updating existing infrastructure, organising contractors, finding staff for the facility as well as hiring a station manager. However, first they needed to consider whether the dream for Peedamulla was one that was practically viable.  Through careful planning and consideration, the Board of Directors and the CEO identified other practical issues which needed to be taken into account before the youth training facility could be up and running. These issues involved answering questions about whether the land at the station needed to be regenerated. How many head of cattle could the land sustainably maintain? Was there water access on the property?  And what were the costs involved in getting things up and running?

After these and many other issues were identified, the Board and the CEO painstakingly worked through them one by one to make sure their dream of a youth training facility would not fall by the wayside due to bad planning and rash decision making.

Everyone involved in the initial planning stages knew that in order to make their dream into a reality they would have to work through every issue they could think of, right down to the smallest detail.  This was not a quick process and doing it right took a couple of months.

Janet Brown, CEO of ACC, talks of the careful planning process undertaken by Board;

“A risk analysis was undertaken as a part of the whole consultation process (but we don’t give it that name). We came out knowing about the land needing regeneration, the risks of putting too many cattle on the land at first – and things like that. But the bottom line was that we decided to go ahead. At the first meeting we talked about how much it was going to cost, what the potential issues might be with accessing Peedamulla’s water. At the second meeting everything was on the table and the Directors looked at everything they could. We do this as a matter of course. We look at proposals over time. At the first meeting we float the idea. At the next meeting we might bring up someone to present and make sure the full range of information is on the table and then we have a robust discussion. By the third meeting we may be ready to reach consensus, but only after everyone has had a chance to think things through”

The Board was determined to see the dream for their youth training facility come alive and through extensive planning and careful consideration they were able to make this happen.

Today, the training facility is known as Ashmulla and is run on over 1 million hectares. At present the Board, CEO and station manager are all working towards getting Ashmulla stocked up and running at a profit to benefit the Ashburton Shire Aboriginal communities.

The process of taking a dream from the boardroom table through to an operational enterprise was a long one, but well worth it. With careful planning and good decision making, Ashmulla looks to be successful well into the future.

Doreen James, chairperson of AAC, is excited by the possibilities for not only for the youth in her own community but also for Aboriginal youth from other communities stating that  “Doing work on the station will help build resilience and give young ones more purpose and new set of skills”.

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