A rejuvenated Tangentyere Men’s 4 Corners Council is working to progress positive change on Alice Springs Town Camps.
The Men’s 4 Corners Council has existed as part of Tangentyere for the past 30 years, ensuring traditional Aboriginal law and cultural practices inform the organisation’s service delivery and operations.
Recent funding support from the Department of Prime Minister has enabled the group to expand and refocus its activities.
This recent work includes promoting community safety and strong leadership, including the refresh of a strategy laying out preferred lifestyle and behaviour rules for visitors to Town Camps.
The Going Town Rules are a set of social behaviour guidelines for bush visitors coming to Alice Springs Town Camps.
4 Corners Council Senior Worker Chris Forbes said the rules were first negotiated with Elders from the communities around Alice Springs in the 1990s.
“We’ve reprinted the rules and put them on posters, which we want to get out to communities, so people know they have to behave and have respect when they visit Alice Springs and stay on Town Camps.
“Town Campers want safe and positive places to live and raise their families.
“We are keen to get the message out to visitors that they have to follow the rules when they come to town and stay in our Town Camps.”
The rules cover how visitors are expected to behave, how long they should stay, and respect should be shown to Arrernte traditional owners, their country and sacred sites.
“We’ve started taking the rules around to communities again and we’ve had positive feedback about them,” Mr Forbes said.
“We are just asking visitors to show respect and behave when they come to Town Camps. We would do the same when we visit their homes.”