Anangu have strong cultural, language and family connections throughout the NPY Lands and travel extensively to meet kinship and cultural obligations.
This creates immense challenges when families come to the attention of child protection agencies when travelling across the region. Each of the child protection jurisdictions have their own legislation, policies and practices, which can differ vastly.
This complexity has left many Anangu confused, overwhelmed and disempowered in their interactions with the tristate child protection agencies.
They’ve (the tristate child protection services) all got different stories; they should get together and have one story. It would be so much easier for people….We have to talk to NT, SA and WA and we do this 12-15 times, but they just say they’ll see what they can do, and then don’t talk to us or each other…
Anangu Elder, APY Lands
Issues around tri-state child protection practice are not limited to a small number of children and families, or indeed one particular phase of child protection involvement. Instead through NPYWC’s long term advocacy on this issue we have shown that these concerns are present throughout the breadth of child protection involvement, through every phase from notification all the way through to case planning and reunification. Additionally, these issues significantly impact a large section of the community, this impact is not limited to the children involved, but includes parents, siblings, grandparents, aunties and uncles and carers, who are all forced to navigate up to three sets of complex policies, practices and legislation in order to engage with the child protection system.
NPYWC have been trying to make these laws easier. There should be just one law. These borders are a big boundary for us – Anangu we don’t worry about the border
Margaret Smith, NPYWC Chairperson
In response to the voices of our Directors and members, NPY Women’s Council (NPYWC) has been advocating for a more collaborative approach to child protection in the cross-border region for more than two decades. During this time NPYWC has progressed this work through research reports, submissions to various commissions and inquiries and facilitating and attending meetings. In 2025 we are hoping to launch a Tristate Hub in Alice Springs that will bring us one step closer to the Anangu vision of “One phone, one story”.
I could pick up a phone and know exactly who I am talking to instead of everyone looking for a case worker. It would make things easier for health departments. At the moment NPYWC is acting like the tri-state officer.
Tanya Lucky, Kinship Carer
We should have one voice, umbrella to look after us in the states. 3 states, we can’t walk in 3 states. We want to stand in one place, and do it the Anangu way. Right now, 3 different welfare laws for Anangu. Hop, skip, jump back, backwards and forward, should be one law for 3 states. Come together as one, to make one law. From welfare, and everything too. Instead of taking kids, they should make one law for all 3 states. All the small circles represent mothers, grandmothers and children. Looking to the future, in their thinking, thinking how, when, where, to follow our future.
Rene Kulitja, NPYWC Director 20222