A new ward structure for the Groote Archipelago Regional Council has been announced by the Northern Territory government.
It means the Council (GARC) will be expanded from one to three wards, representing the distinct areas on the remote archipelago: West Ward, Central Ward, and East Ward, and comes following calls for change by the community.
The introduction of additional wards means all communities in the Groote Archipelago Region (GAR) will be represented in local governance, including people in smaller communities, such as Milyakburra on Bickerton Island.
In October, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Community Development, Steve Edgington, said he postponed elections for the new GARC until March this year to allow for community consultations on the governance of the council, as well as its representative structure.
"We welcome the announcement of the Minister to establish a new ward structure for the Groote Archipelago Regional Council," GARC Constituting Member, Michael Malouf, said.
"This is on the basis that there was strong feedback from all communities on Groote for the new Council to be established in the right way from the beginning with the three wards."
Minister Edgington said the new Ward structure was an important step in ensuring "the establishment of the council is built on a strong foundation of fairness, inclusivity, and representation".
"In addition, it will create opportunities for local community members to have a more active role in community development and decision-making processes," he said.
He added that his government "worked with Aboriginal people to empower the community to have a greater say and provide a structure that reflects what the community wants".
The consultations - undertaken across the Archipelago - were supported by both the GARC and the Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC), to ensure the proposed ward boundaries aligned with the cultural considerations, along with the local community.
They were further enhanced through First Nations interpreters to ensure all community voices were heard.
ALC's first female chair, Cherelle Wurrawilya, said her people had "fought hard for many years to see the return of Local Government to Anindilyakwa communities".
"...we welcome this decision to empower Anindilyakwa voices by establishing a new ward structure, to ensure that the new council is established the right way from the beginning," Ms Wurrawilya said.
The new three-ward structure for GARC will comprise of two elected representatives from the East Ward and West Ward, and three from the Central Ward.
Minister Edgington said it was the turn of community members from across the archipelago to "put their hands up by becoming candidates and running for council".
"I encourage all residents of Groote Archipelago Region to make sure they are registered to vote and that their details are up to date," he said.
Nominations will open on 31 January for the 15 March election.
For more information, visit the NTEC website.
