Local government Aboriginal cultural capability toolkit

The toolkit will help strengthen culturally appropriate engagement with Aboriginal communities and organisations.

Ngutungka Toolkit website

About the Ngutungka Toolkit

The name Ngutungka pronounced (noo-tung-ka) comes from the language of the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of the Adelaide plains. It means ‘place of knowledge’.

The Ngutungka Toolkit shares stories of excellence and partnerships from across our 68 South Australian councils. It's designed to build awareness, confidence, and the cultural capabilities of our council leaders, councillors and employees.

The toolkit's design has been categorised to cater to the work of Local Councils' cultural capabilities, which recognise the importance of:

• awareness that the public sector employees affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• the need to build cultural capability through self-directed learning, partnerships with Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACVFCO) and through On-Country place based experiences
• cultural safety as an organisational value.

What the toolkit provides

The Ngutungka Toolkit provides case studies and best practice examples, links to numerous online resources across a variety of topics for:

• easy access to SA culturally appropriate information
• provision of tools and resources that will support Local Council elected leaders
• support in encouraging education and truth-telling about SA Aboriginal history and sovereignty, thus supporting Reconciliation Action Plans
• promoting Indigenous governance and self-determination.
• the identification of the ACCO Network with links to the relevant websites of recognised organisations will be very relevant in establishing appropriate representation on projects, especially in policy development work.