Social Justice Report 2006: Appendix 3: Shared Responsibility Agreements Survey form
Review the survey form used to assess Shared Responsibility Agreements between the federal government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in
Summary
This appendix contains the survey form that my Office compiled and sent to all Indigenous communities and organisations that had entered into a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA) with the federal government by 31 December 2005. By this date 108 SRAs had been finalised, and they involved 124 communities.
Social Justice Report 2006
Back to ContentsAppendix 3: Shared Responsibility Agreements Survey form
This appendix contains the survey form that my Office compiled and sent to all Indigenous communities and organisations that had entered into a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA) with the federal government by 31 December 2005. By this date 108 SRAs had been finalised, and they involved 124 communities.
The purpose of the survey was to gather and assess first-hand information about individual communities' experiences of negotiating and implementing SRAs. Respondents were asked to describe the content and purpose of their SRA, and to identify both the positive and negative aspects of their experience. The survey was completed on a voluntary basis. At the close of the survey, responses had been received in relation to 71 SRAs.
To increase accessibility for communities and organisations, the survey was posted on the HREOC website. Each community representative was able to complete and submit the entire survey online. I sent a letter to each community before the survey was posted, explaining why I was interested in conducting the survey and encouraging communities to participate. Paper copies were also available on request and my staff also assisted some respondents to complete the survey over the phone.
The results and analysis of the national SRA survey are contained in chapter 3 of this report.
Dear survey respondent:
INSTRUCTIONS:
This survey is for Indigenous communities and organisations that have entered into a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA) with the federal government. The Social Justice Commissioner wants to hear about your experiences in making an SRA. We want to hear your views about the process for making the SRA and what your agreement is about as well as what you think are the good and the bad things that you have encountered through the SRA.
Some communities have more than one SRA. If this is your situation, then it is your decision whether you complete a separate survey form for each SRA. The answers to the questions in the survey will be compiled and analysed in the Social Justice Report 2006. No material will be made public which identifies a community or organisation or individual.
Please complete this survey by 1 September 2006 and immediately return to us.
Completing the Survey:
- Please read the survey before you answer the questions to make sure you do not repeat your answers. There are 27 questions in total.
- If you do not think a question relates to your organisation, please tick the box ‘Don't Know' rather than leaving it blank. If you need more space than we have given you on the form, please attach separate pages. If you attach separate pages, please put the question number clearly at the top of the page.
PART ONE – CONTACT DETAILS
In this section of the survey, you need to provide information that will allow us to verify who is filling in the survey. We need your name and the organisation or community that you represent. This information is for our records only. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission respects your privacy and all information will be kept confidential.
1) Who is completing this form? Please provide us with details of the organisation you are representing.
| Your name: | |
| Position: | |
| Organisation: | |
| Address: | |
| Phone: | |
| fax number: | |
| Email: |
2) What is the name of your SRA?
3) Please describe your organisation type:
Note: If more than one of the options below relate to your organisation, please tick all boxes that are relevant.
| Please tick | |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service | |
| Parents and citizens group | |
| Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) | |
| Community Council | |
| Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Corporation | |
| Traditional owners group/Elders Council Other: Describe here |
4) The responses in this survey are authorised by the following:
Note: Please tick all the boxes that are relevant. More than one may apply.
| Please tick | |
| Community Elders | |
| Chief Executive Officer of Organisation or Council | |
| Chairperson of Organisation or Council | |
| Board Member/s | |
| An employee of the organisation | |
| Community member | |
| Other – Describe here: |
PART TWO – CONTENT OF THE SRA
In this section of the survey, please provide information about the actual Shared Responsibility Agreement that you have made with the government.
5) What is your SRA about?
| Please tick | |
| Capacity building e.g. financial mentoring; training; teleconference facilities and general resources | |
| Municipal services e.g. petrol bowser; local store; airstrip lighting | |
| Sport and recreation e.g. basketball court; pool; sporting activities | |
| Health and nutrition e.g. breakfast program; healthy kids program | |
| Community revitalisation e.g. community garden, cleaning up community | |
| Cultural activities e.g. dreaming trails; culture camps, tour guide | |
| Leadership activities e.g. mentoring programs, youth programs, women's leadership groups | |
| Housing e.g. repairs and maintenance; home ownership programs | |
| Economic development e.g. animal husbandry; farming; internet café; tourism; art projects | |
| Family Wellbeing e.g. family violence programs; men's programs; parenting programs | |
| Law and Order e.g. night patrol; blue light disco; prevention and diversion programs | |
| OTHER: Describe here: |
6) What are the obligations of the Commonwealth Government to your community, as set out in the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| To provide money e.g. $50,000 to build a sporting arena; $20,000 for salary for health worker | |
| To provide resources such as infrastructure, equipment, staff or consultants | |
| To increase CDEP places in the community e.g. to start a new CDEP program; to extend a CDEP program | |
| To provide training for community members e.g. to train community members to be facilitators at group meetings; to train community members to work in a mechanics shop | |
| To monitor and evaluate the program e.g. through regular visits to the community; through written reports based collection of information from the community | |
| To participate in steering or other committee | |
| To meet travel and accommodation costs of visiting professionals | |
| OTHER: Describe here: |
7) What are the obligations of the State Government to your community, as set out in the SRA?
Note: Many SRAs do not involve the state government. If this is the case, tick ‘No involvement of state government'
| OBLIGATION | Please tick |
| To provide money e.g. $20,000 to re-open the local store; $20,000 for the wages of a pool attendant/life saver; to meet the ongoing costs of the project | |
| To provide resources such as infrastructure, equipment, staff or consultants | |
| To provide training for community members e.g. to train community members to facilitate community meetings; to train community members at the local TAFE in Horticulture | |
| To monitor and evaluate the program e.g. through regular visits to the community; through written reports provided by the local school | |
| To participate in steering or other committee | |
| To meet travel and accommodation costs of visiting professionals | |
| No involvement of State Government | |
| Other: Describe here: |
8) What are the obligations of your community or organisation, as set out in the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| To provide labour e.g. to provide CDEP workers; to do voluntary work | |
| To provide resources e.g. to provide funds to the project; to provide a vehicle to the project; getting quotes for building activities; finding suitable premises | |
| To be active participants in the community e.g. attend board meetings; join the P & C; form part of a working group; scout program; mentor Indigenous youth | |
| To provide maintenance and security e.g. to maintain equipment or grounds; to ensure the security of the new building or sporting facility | |
| To provide financial or project management e.g. to develop community guidelines for access to activities and programs; have input into cultural activities; to manage funds; to develop and maintain records of the program | |
| To organise sporting or recreational activities e.g. to run regional sporting activities/competitions | |
| To undertake training e.g. TAFE training; training in violence issues; training in mentoring | |
| Other: Describe here |
9) Is your local CDEP Scheme involved in activities for the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| YES | |
| NO | |
| DON'T KNOW |
10) Please describe the processes in place to monitor the SRA?
PART THREE – THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS
In this section of the survey, please provide information about how you came to be negotiating an SRA and describe the key features of the negotiation process
11) What are the three main reasons you decided to negotiate with government for a SRA? Please rank the reasons below and provide your answers in order of importance. 1 is the most important.
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
12) Who suggested negotiating the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| The community saw a need for the project and approached the government | |
| The community observed an SRA working in another community and thought it was a good idea | |
| The government suggested the SRA process e.g. the local Indigenous Coordination Centre | |
| A corporate organisation suggested the SRA | |
| The local school or other community organisation saw a need for an SRA | |
| Other: Please describe: |
13) How did the community prepare to make the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| Community consultations were held: E. G: Community workshops were held to prepare the community negotiators for the SRA negotiation; Community members held meetings to talk about the content of the SRA and the obligations that would be placed on the community; Elders initiated community consultations | |
| Community planning was undertaken: E. G: The community conducted an audit of their strengths and the weaknesses, and what areas they might need assistance with to be able to participate in the SRA; The SRA is part of a larger community plan. | |
| A negotiator or advisor was engaged by the community: E. G: The community used a professional negotiation advisor to help negotiate the SRA: this might be a community member with previous experience in negotiating another SRA; The community employed an “agent” or a broker to act on their behalf in the negotiations | |
| Members of staff of your organisation negotiated on behalf of the community | |
| There was an existing project that needed funding, so community meetings were held to discuss the future of the project | |
| OTHER – Please describe any other process entered into here: |
14) What assistance was provided to negotiate the SRA?
| Please tick | Please comment | |
| A Solution Broker from your local Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) | ||
| A Specialist Consultant was provided by your local Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) | ||
| A staff member from your local Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) assisted in writing a community plan | ||
| Resources were provided to the community to develop the plan | ||
| No assistance was provided to the community | ||
| Other: Please describe |
15) How long did the negotiations for the SRA take?
| Please tick | |
| Less than one month | |
| 1 month – 3 months | |
| 3 months – 6 months | |
| 6 months – 12 months | |
| Other. Please describe: |
16) Was the time line appropriate for negotiating the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| The process went at the right pace | |
| The process was too fast: the government pressured the community to finalise and sign the agreement too quickly | |
| The process was too fast: The government set timeframes that did not allow enough time for the community to consider the implications of the proposed obligations in the agreement | |
| The process was too slow: The community was ready to finalise the agreement but had to wait for the government to approve the agreement | |
| The process was too slow: there were delays during the negotiation process which meant that the agreement took longer than it should have | |
| Other. Please describe: |
17) How much information did the community have about SRAs during the negotiating process?
| Please tick | |
| Not enough information was provided by the government | |
| Too much information was provided | |
| The right amount of information was provided | |
| Other. Please describe: |
18) When the SRA was finalised, how was it approved by the community or organisation?
| Please tick | Other comments | |
| Community meeting | ||
| Approved by Board/Council | ||
| Approved by CEO | ||
| Approved by Chairperson | ||
| No approval sought from the community | ||
| Other. Please describe |
19) What has been done to inform community members of their obligations in the SRA?
| Please tick | |
| A community meeting has been held | |
| A copy of the SRA has been given to members of the community | |
| A copy of the SRA is displayed in the community centre | |
| The progress of the SRA is discussed monthly at community meetings | |
| Information provided at a board / council meeting | |
| OTHER: Please describe: |
PART FOUR – YOUR COMMUNITY'S VIEWS ON THE SRA PROCESS
In this section of the survey, please indicate the views of the community about the SRA process. We want to understand whether the community viewed the SRA process as a positive experience and how it might be improved.
20) Are you satisfied with how the government has met it's obligations under the SRA?
| Please Tick | |
| Yes – the government has met its obligations and the community is satisfied with how they have done so | |
| No – the government has not met its obligations | |
| No – While the government has met its obligations, the community is not satisfied with how they have done so | |
| Other – Please explain: |
Please explain your answer:
21) Please list the 3 main positive impacts on your relationship with the federal government that have resulted from making an SRA, in order of importance. 1 is the most important.
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
22) Please list the 3 main negative impacts on your relationship with the federal government that have resulted from making an SRA, in order of importance. 1 is the most important
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
23) Please list the 3 main positive impacts on the community that have resulted from making an SRA, in order of importance. 1 is the most important.
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
24) Please list the 3 main negative impacts on the community that have resulted from making an SRA, in order of importance. 1 is the most important.
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
25) Please list the 3 main things that an Indigenous community, or organisation, would need to successfully negotiate an SRA? Please list these below in order of importance. 1 is the most important.
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
26) Based on your experience of negotiating an SRA with the government, would your community enter into other Shared Responsibility Agreements?
| Please tick | |
| YES | |
| NO | |
| NOT SURE |
27) Finally, do you have any other comments? If so, please write them here:
Thank you very much for your time. Your information will help to ensure that Indigenous people can gain the maximum benefits from the SRA process.
Please see the front of this survey for mailing options
Tom Calma Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner