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Shepparton Partnership

In 2002 eight communities were chosen to take part in a new whole-of-government and community partnership approach to improving outcomes for Indigenous communities. This new approach is part of the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) commitment to advancing reconciliation and addressing Indigenous disadvantage. The Shepparton community was chosen due to the outstanding leadership and innovation of local Aboriginal organisations and leaders.

The Shepparton Partnership between the Greater Shepparton Aboriginal community, and local, state and federal governments was fomalised in September 2003 with the partners signing ‘The Compact’ (PDF 101kb). The Compact has a vision for: ‘Strong social, economic and cultural sustainability and equity for the Aboriginal people of Greater Shepparton’.

The three objectives for the partnership are:

• Building on and promoting the strengths, assets and contributions of the Aboriginal community and its ability to shape the future and manage its own affairs;
• Developing strong and productive partnerships between all levels of government and the Aboriginal community;
• Changing the way government works so they can respond to and support community aspirations and approaches.

The Compact outlines twelve strategic priorities and the Shepparton Partnership Steering Group has agreed to focus on four of these.

• Governance – recognising that economic and social development is linked to communities with strong governance capability to support strategic planning and development for the community.
• Cultural enhancement – ensuring local Aboriginal culture, identity and heritage is understood, respected and celebrated by the mainstream community.
• Education – strong focus on early childhood, achievement at chool and transition from school to further education, training or employment.
• Employment – increasing employment of Indigenous people across the Shepparton workforce and developing initiatives that promote economic independence.

The community is currently represented by the interim Community Planning Council. The CPC meets monthly with lead responsibility for Governance, Community Engagement and Data Management. The CPC is the Local Indigenous Network for the region. Find our more about Local Indigenous Networks or see Indigenous Representative Structure for details on the new Indigenous Representative arrangements.

The Shepparton Partnership has resulted in many positive outcomes for the community. Learn about these achievements and the future for the Partnership.

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