Smith, Kieran, Onnis, Leigh-ann, and Walden, Barry (2025) Engaging cultural authority towards achieving sustainable operational outcomes: The Gunawuna Jungai story. In: [Developing Northern Australia Conference]. From: Developing Northern Australia Conference 2025, 22-24 Jul 2025, Cairns, Australia.

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Abstract

Almost twenty years on from the establishment of Australia’s Closing the Gap strategy, there has been limited progress in meeting the agreed targets. Aiming to escalate progress, one discrete Aboriginal community in remote northwestern Queensland, Doomadgee, volunteered to become one of six place-based partnership sites in Australia under the National Closing the Gap Agreement. These place-based partnerships provide a focus for the Priority Reforms underpinning the Closing the Gap targets to change the way that governments are working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with the objective being to strengthen and establish formal partnerships with governments and shared decision-making. The Doomadgee community nominated Gunawuna Jungai Ltd as its community-controlled, community-owned company built to represent the whole of the Doomadgee community. Governance is one of the main objectives of Gunawuna Jungai. As such, the Gunawuna Jungai’s Governance Structure (colloquially referred to as the dartboard model) reflects the structure of the Doomadgee community and exemplifies their commitment to governance that is based on cultural authority. A qualitative research design comprising a documentary analysis and key informant interviews was used to co-create the story of Gunawuna Jungai to identify learning points throughout their journey from idea to incorporation and operation. The visionary leaders of Gunawuna Jungai built culture into every element of the organisation starting with the dartboard model of governance which captures what already happens in the Doomadgee community and a constitution which is aligned to how families work. Hence, structuring by cultural systems not western systems, gives Gunawuna Jungai an opportunity to govern differently for different results than those experienced in the past. Gunawuna Jungai’s story has relevance for other communities in Northern Australia.

Learnings 1.How to identify cultural authority with community 2.How to develop a governance model based on cultural authority 3.How a cultural governance model can achieve sustainable operational outcomes

Item ID:	86378
Item Type:	Conference Item (Poster)
Keywords:	governance, cultural authority, Indigenous community controlled organisations
Copyright Information:	© 2025 The Developing Northern Australia Conference.
Funders:	Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
Projects and Grants:	Working together: A collective impact approach to achieve the priority reforms underpinning the Closing the Gap targets (ID 2031751).
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2025 02:12
FoR Codes:	45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4505 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, society and community > 450506 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance and decision making @ 100%
SEO Codes:	21 INDIGENOUS > 2101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community services > 210102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development and wellbeing @ 100%
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