Groote Archipelago Update from the CEO

October 21, 2024

The election of the Groote Archipelago Regional Council (GARC) has been postponed from 26 October 2024 to 15 March 2025.

The new Minister for Local Government has decided to postpone the election in light of concerns of community members that there were no electoral wards for the election of the 7 GARC Councillors. East Arnhem Regional Council understands and has raised this concern itself in previous months.

On behalf of EARC I would like to assure all the people of the Groote Archipelago that we will continue to deliver all current and planned projects, initiatives and services to each of the three Groote communities. EARC will continue to meet with the three Local Authorities, to continue to listen and be guided by the voices of the people in the three communities of Milyakburra, Umbakumba and Angurugu and their related homelands.

I would like to thank all our EARC workers in the three Groote Archipelago communities who continue to deliver the wide range of quality services to the Groote communities, with the support of our Regional based managers and staff in Nhulunbuy and Darwin. This is happening based on agreement to a request by the GARC Constituting Member for EARC to continue to deliver services to the GARC area from when it was officially declared on 1 September 2024 until the election of a new Groote Council.

EARC will then continue to deliver services under an Agreement for Services from the election of a Groote Council now scheduled to be declared in April 2025, for all Local Government and Support Services and other Community Services through existing contracts with EARC. As the Agreement for Services is due to start 5 months later from April 2025, the nominated end date of 30 June 2025 (or a later agreed date), may well have to be considerably later.

EARC will also continue to discuss closely with the new NT Government what funding is actually needed to ensure the maintenance of service delivery levels across the whole East Arnhem region, at whatever point in the future the Groote Archipelago Regional Council is due to actually deliver services itself.

EARC can confirm that when employees are finally due to move from working for EARC to GARC, that the standard of their current salary and conditions will not be reduced, in line with National Employment Standards to protect workers through transfer of business.

Dale Keehne
Chief Executive Officer
East Arnhem Regional Council

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