Our Culture and History

    Our Culture and History

    The Town Camp movement was catalysed by the displacement of people from their traditional lands and steadily built momentum from early 1974 with the incorporation of the first Town Camp Housing Associations. The Associations and Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation (TCAC) were formed by Town Campers to support their efforts to gain access to land, housing, water, electricity, municipal services, community services and to address the shared experience of disadvantage. TCAC was incorporated in 1979 as a service provider and umbrella organisation for the Town Camp Housing Associations, and these associations are the corporate members of the Council. Tangentyere is an Arrernte word meaning ‘Working Together’.

    40 years on and we are a strong Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) delivering human services and social enterprise activities for the benefit of Aboriginal people from Central Australia in the Northern Territory. We have 16 Town Camp corporate members and over 600 individual members. We offer service provision to more than 270 individual households in the Alice Springs Town Camps and in excess of 10,000 people from a region that covers approximately 873,894 square kilometres having strong cultural links into remote Central Australia.

    Our leadership has always maintained the significance of self-determination of Town Campers through re- empowerment and community control over their own affairs. In the last decade, we have actively decentralised services through increased numbers of Community Hubs and prioritised the development of innovative programs that have targeted specific issues that are of major concern to Town Campers. We have also incubated several small social enterprises, that exist on their own as stand alone operations focusing on Aboriginal leadership and progress in their varied activities. It is with this impetus that we executed an agreement with the Territory Government in 2019 to further support the local decision-making of Town Campers.

    This timeline highlights our history and the strength of Town Campers in an ongoing fight for Human Rights

    Alice Springs Telegraph Station established; Aboriginal dispossession begins; Pastoralists take land around permanent water supplies.

    Aboriginal people resist the invaders and police are sent from South Australia to pacify the uprisings; over 1000 Aboriginal people are killed by 1891. The Bungalow is established at the Telegraph Station as an institution for part-Aboriginal kids. Alice Springs becomes a prohibited area for Aboriginal people and policies are established to remove all Aboriginal fringe campers to three permanent reserves out of Alice Springs.

    There is a strong push to remove other Aboriginal campers from the town area, but they persist in staying in and around Alice Springs. The Bungalow is closed and the 360 Aboriginal residents are moved outside of Alice Springs. New Town Camps such as Ilyperenye and Inarlenge spring up south of Alice Springs. 

    A group called ‘Tunkatjira’ is formed to assist Town Camps to gain land, shelter, services, transport, firewood and garbage collection. The Aboriginal Land Rights Commissioner recommends leases for Town Camps on a needs basis. The Town Management Board identifies 16 Town Camps (Town Special Leases) but recommends leases and facilities for only five. Anthepe and Mt Nanacy granted special purpose leases by the NT Administration. After meeting with Town Camps the traditional owners approve, seeking 12 new leases. 

    Tunkatjira is officially recognised and the Tunkatjira resource centre is established. Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) grants monies to Tunkatjira for the first time. Seven community buildings are built using local labour.


    Certificate of Incorporation for Tunkatjira (sic) Council issued on 6 February, 1979. Tunkatjira spelling becomes Tangentyere and physically moves location to current site. 

    Tangentyere begins to supervise contracts for the Housing Associations. There are now 51 houses on ten leases. Tangentyere applies for additional leases, but only three leases are granted before the NT suspends the processing of applications.  Tangentyere uses its own building program to assist in the development of employment, training, housing support and community services.


    Water in Town Camps becomes an ongoing issue and the Ingkerreke Outstation Resource Centre is established to help Town Campers move back to their traditional lands where possible. By 1988 sixteen special purpose leases are granted. 


    Town Camp population is 1,100 but 138 people are still living without leases or running water.  66% of Town Campers are housed, 15.5% are employed and the average income is $100 per fortnight. The Congress health service states that Town Camp kids spend 26 times longer in hospital that non-Aboriginal kids.

    Tangentyere wins a 7 year rates battle with the full bench of the Supreme Court voting unanimously in favour of the Housing Associations being ‘Public Benevolent Institutions’.


    Tangentyere turns 15 and hosts a celebration. The General Manager, Geoff Shaw, is awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his years of service to Tangentyere Council and the community.  Traditional Senior Arrernte leader and Four Corners Council Member, Mr W. Rubuntja, is appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to Aboriginal people. 


    There are now 18 incorporated Housing Associations, 1,200 people live on the Town Camps in 173 houses.

    In 2000, The Yarrenty-Arltere Learning Centre opened its doors as an intergenerational resource and learning centre and the only dedicated inhalant substance misuse program in Alice Springs.  Later, in 2005, a second Community Centre opened in Hidden Valley Town Camp, providing a range of programs, facilitating access to mainstream services and providing early intervention for family and communtiy issues.


    Tangentyere initiates its own research hub, which is uniquely placed to undertake research from a Central Australian Aboriginal perspective.


    A Central Australia-wide strategy is developed to reduce the impact of substance misuse on young people - the Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service begins operation.


    In 2004 Tangentyere celebrates the 25th anniversary of incorporation. 

    The Federal Court finds that Native Title has survived in Alice Springs on a number of areas throughout the town and recognises the original Arrernte inhabitants of the Mpwarntwe, Antulye and Irlpme estates as the respective apmereke-artweye (owners) and Kwertengerle (managers) of those estates. This includes the area occupied by the Irrkerlantye Association at White Gate (affiliated with Tangentyere).


    After many years of litigation over rates payments, Tangentyere and Alice Springs Town Council execute a Memorandum of Understanding, commencing a new era of cooperation and partnership between the two Councils.


    Founding member and Senior Elder, Pastor Eli Rubuntja awarded Governor general’s Centenary Medal for his services to Aboriginal people.


    Non sniffable Opal fuel is rolled out to remote communities, following advocacy by CAYLUS combined with local leadership and youth programs, resulting in a large decline of sniffing on remote communities.


    Tangentyere Artists has its inaugural exhibition at Araluen, with two works purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

    An Emergency Responses in the Northern territory (NTER) is announced following the release of the NT Government’s Little Children are Sacred Report.


    TCAC and its Corporate Members negotiated assertively with successive Commonwealth Governments over the Alice Springs Living Area Subleasing Arrangements for more than two years and despite the threat of compulsory acquisition Tangentyere negotiated the investment of $100 million worth of Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program funding for improvements to infrastructure and housing on the Town Camps. This final offer of $100 million for a 40 Year Sublease was far better than the initial offer of $20 million for a 99 year sublease. In addition to securing this commitment of $100 million further commitments were received including $25 million for the improvement of Social Support Services, $11 million to expand Short Term Accommodation and $2 million for the expansion of Communities for Children. This additional $38 million was the basis for the Alice Springs Transformation Plan and despite being a by-product of the negotiations between Town Campers and the Commonwealth very little of this money was directed toward the Town Camps.


    Income management begins for Town Campers, quarantining 50% of Centrelink entitlements for use on essential goods and services at approved stores and supermarkets. 

    The third Community Centre opens in Karnte Camp, offering direct services to the Southern Town Camps.


    Tangentyere initiates a family violence prevention strategy across the Town Camps. This began with the establishment of the Tangetyere Women's Family Safety Group and since then, a variety of community safety programs have been developed.

    20 parks and playgrounds are installed in every Town Camp.


    Tangentyere successgully advocates for the installation of street lights in the majority of the Town Camps.


    Tangentyere responds to changes in governemnt funding models by radically decentralising services, and developing a strategy to increase community centres in Town Camps for service delivery, including youth programs.


    The Community Centre in Trucking Yards Town Camp opens as an intergenerational resource.


    In 2016, Tangentyere is a finalist in the Reconciliation Australia Indigenous Governance Awards.

    Three more Community Centres open in Charles Creek, Walpiri and Little Sisters Town Camps.  This allows many Tangentyere services, often in partnership with government and other non-government organisations, to be accessed and integrated by Town Campers.

    Tangentyere executes a commitment agreement with the NT Government on Local Decision-Making.


    In line with Tangentyere's decentralising of services, an eighth Community Centre is funded for refurbishment, in Aboott's Camp.


    Tangetyere develops the NT-wide comprehensive Family and Kin Care Model, ‘Children Safe, Family Together’, which is formally adopted by the Northern Territory Government, with a committment to full implementation over the next five years.  


    Tangentyere celebrates 40 years of incorporation.

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