Yesterday Elders and community members met with the Community Justice Centre (CJC) to discuss establishing community-led mediation and peacekeeping across the Barkly.
Participants discussed the history of peacemaking in the Barkly, and discussed other community mediation activities underway across the Northern Territory including from the ARDS Aboriginal Corporation in East Arnhem Land, who provided an overview of their established community mediation services.
Participants discussed the importance of the inclusive model, building on previous experience, providing training and empowering local community members to resolve conflict peacefully to strengthen community safety and relationships, stop conflicts from escalating and divert community members from the criminal justice system.
In early 2024, stakeholders will reconvene to co-design the model to be implemented through the Barkly Regional Deal Community Mediation Initiative.
These initiatives will support work already underway through the Barkly Regional Deal to establish a Law and Justice Group and re-establish a Community Court and Elders at Court in the Barkly.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 15 December 2023.
