‘Two-way governance’ approach at Ali Curung

It is important that groups consider ‘two-way’ governance when peacemaking. The aim of two-way governance is to develop governance arrangements that achieve a workable balance between cultural legitimacy and maximising self-determination with following any rules and regulations of wider society.

Women from Ali Curung in the Northern Territory developed a series of paintings which they used to explain to other communities how family violence and community law and justice issues are dealt with at Ali-Curung. One painting was called Two Ways: Yapa and Kardiya Ways. It depicts the Aboriginal dispute-resolution process at Ali Curung in the Northern Territory.

The Kurduju Committee explain:

“The left side of the painting represents the Yapa [Aboriginal] dispute resolution process. Community organisations are represented by three circles arching over the one larger centre circle, representing a community meeting. The two bottom circles represent Elders and Traditional Owners. These two groups act as adjudicators and provide legitimacy to the decision-making processes. The right side of the painting describes the Kardia [non-Aboriginal] criminal justice process. The painting depicts a Judge, the Secretary, Jury, Prosecutor, Defence Lawyer, the troublemaker and members of the public.”
-Kurduju Committee, 2001.²Toni Bauman, Juanita Pope, David Allen, Margaret O’Donnell and Rhiân Williams, Federal Court of Australia’s Indigenous Dispute Resolution & Conflict Management Case Study Project, Solid work you mob are doing: Case studies in Indigenous dispute resolution & conflict management in Australia, report to the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council (Barton, ACT: National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council, 2009), 85.