nyangga mana (Give and Take) -
Local Decision Making

nyangga mana, Local Decision Making (LDM) is underpinned by the principle of self-determination and aims to ensure that Aboriginal communities have a genuine voice in determining what and how services are delivered to their communities.

nyangga mana translates to give and take in Darkinyung language.

Placing Aboriginal People at the Centre of Service Design and Delivery

Local Decision Making (LDM) was created in response to Aboriginal community calls for greater recognition and support for Aboriginal leadership, and aims to forge a new relationship between Aboriginal communities and government. 

LDM builds on the strengths of existing Aboriginal community governance bodies like Barang to enable our community to better influence the design and delivery of services in our region.

What Does This Mean For Our Community?

Local decision making means:

  • The ability to hold the government to account for where money is being spent and on what
  • More control of services at the local and regional level
  • Government investment in Aboriginal community organisations, linked to the goals of our Regional Development Agenda
  • Sharing of responsibility between communities and government
  • Observing what is happening in the community and making changes along the way.


Key achievements to date include securing additional funding for Bara Barang Corporation to provide youth employment services and for the Central Coast Community Legal Centre to support Aboriginal Youth and Community Navigators.

A person stands at a podium, speaking into a microphone outdoors next to a banner for Barang Regional Alliance, celebrating the Connected Beginnings Program Launch. The banner highlights their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on Darkinjung Country in the Central Coast of NSW. Trees are in the background.
A group of 12 people, a mix of men and women, standing together and smiling for a photo in an indoor setting. There is a table with a white tablecloth and some items on it in the background. They appear to be at a casual or semi-formal gathering focused on local decision-making in Aboriginal communities of the Central Coast.

Working Differently With The NSW Government

Since 2016, Barang has been working in partnership with NSW Government Agencies across our region through LDM to achieve agreements on service design and delivery. A finalised agreement with NSW Governments, signed by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, is called an Accord. To this day, Barang continues this work on behalf of our community.

Acknowledgement

Barang Regional Alliance acknowledges the Darkinjung People as the traditional owners, caretakers and custodians of the lands, seas and waterways of the Central Coast – the land in which we live, work and operate.

Barang Regional Alliance also acknowledges Traditional Owners, Caretakers and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the significance of continued and ongoing connection to lands, sea, water and culture. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to our Elders, both past and present. 

Please note that this website may contain images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples that are deceased and acknowledge that this may cause distress for some people. Barang has been granted full permission to utilise all images contained within and we respectfully request that no image, text or information is replicated or used from this website, or any documents contained within, without first seeking full permission from Barang Regional Alliance in writing. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions in relation to this.