Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Armidale Regional Council prides itself on its strong, positive relationship with the local Aboriginal Community. 

Aboriginal Advisory Committee

The Armidale Regional Aboriginal Advisory Committee has been restructured to extend its community representation to the Guyra and Tingha districts.

Previously known as the Gayinyaga Aboriginal Community Consultative Committee, the restructured group comprises three subcommittees - one each for Armidale, Guyra and Tingha – to consider local issues and feed recommendations to a regional committee.

The regional body will comprise delegates from each subcommittee.

Each subcommittee will meet every second month, with the regional committee to convene in the months in between.

The first round of meetings for the subcommittees:
• Armidale  - Wednesday 30 January 2019, 12.30pm at Kent House (Activities Room 141, Faulkner Street)                   
• Tingha - Thursday 31 January 2019, 10am at Tingha Town Hall (23 Ruby Street)
• Guyra - Thursday 31 January 2019, 2pm at Council’s Guyra administration building (Bradley Street)

The revised advisory committee was formed following community engagement in 2018, to look at a restructure of the Gayinyaga committee to represent the whole Armidale region.

The advisory committee is the key forum to enable Aboriginal community members to liaise directly with Armidale Regional Council.

See this page for future meeting dates, agenda, minutes and other advisory group information.

The Gayinyaga committee has a long history with Council and is one of the longest-standing Aboriginal advisory committees for a council in NSW.

Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer Lisa Waters facilitates Council's Aboriginal Action Plan 2015-2019 (PDF 821.8KB), as well as coordinating the local Aboriginal Interagency meetings, annual NAIDOC Week activities and other Aboriginal community events.  Lisa can be contacted on (02) 6770 3936 or emailed at lwaters@armidale.nsw.gov.au

As part of the Aboriginal Action Plan a feasibility study was undertaken in 2013 to research the possibility of an Aboriginal Monument being created in Armidale. The Armidale Aboriginal Monument Feasibility Study  (PDF 3.1MB)can be read here.

NAIDOC Weeks Awards

The theme for NAIDOC Week in 2018 is Because of Her, We Can - recognising strong women who have enriched the lives and opened up opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

As part of the theme, Council held a morning tea in July and presented awards to 26 individuals and organisations achieving great things in the community.