Child recreation scheme for Central Desert communities

23/3/94

A year-round child and youth recreation program will be developed in Western Australia's Central Desert communities as a result of a creative application of a joint Federal-State child care program known as the After School Hours and Vacation Care Program.

The $91,000 program for ten WA communities which form part of the Ngaanyatjarra Council was jointly approved by the Federal Minister for Family Services, Senator Rosemary Crowley, and the WA Minister for Community Development, Roger Nicholls.

The Ministers said the Commonwealth would provide about $76,000 in operational costs this year and the State up to $15,000 in equipment and establishment costs.

The Central Desert communities involved were Tjirrkarli, Warburton, Jameson, Blackstone, Wingellina, Wanarn, Warrakurna, Tjukurla, Kiwirrkurra, and Patjar.

The program effectively provided 300 year-round places for child care outside school hours.

The Federal Minister for Family Services, Senator Crowley, said the communities sponsored by the Ngaanyatjarra Council had been identified as having a high need for additional child care.

"The new places will help meet the Federal Government's commitment to providing families in all regions with a range of quality, affordable child care," the Minister said.

The Ministers said the program would provide for the employment of Aboriginal youth workers to introduce a wide range of recreational and sporting activities for children of all ages within each community and encourage the development of inter-community activities on a regular basis.

Visiting youth workers would be brought in to introduce new activities and train local youth workers in coaching, umpiring, organisation and administration of sustained activities.

The program would make far better use of existing high quality recreation facilities.

Senator Crowley said she hoped this creative use of the after school hours program would provide a positive recreational experience for children who would otherwise be unoccupied and at risk of anti-social or self-risking behaviours.

Mr Nicholls, who flew to Warakurna last November to discuss youth and child care programs at a meeting of representatives from most of the Central Desert communities, said he was confident that the level of community involvement would ensure the success of the program.

"Community leaders at Warakurna and the other communities have very positive attitudes and have demonstrated that they can plan and execute long-term projects," he said.

"When I was there in November, they had almost completed construction of an indoor swimming pool for which they had been saving the profits of their store for nearly eight years.

"Community leaders are strongly committed to their young people and have done some excellent work in reducing the level of self-injuring and anti-social behaviour that previously plagued the Central Desert communities."

Media contact:  Hugh Ryan 221 5468