Support for the local community
is key to our business
About Us
The shared vision of Ingkerreke Services' Board and Management today is deep-rooted in the values held by the founding members when the corporation was established over 35 years ago. The founding members believed that homelands are intrinsic to maintaining the connection of Aboriginal people to their culture and customary responsibilities. Homelands are also outposts from which Aboriginal people can participate in and develop the remote economy through tourism, horticulture, land management and other enterprises.
OUR Mission
Ingkerreke Services' mission is to provide services that will enable Aboriginal people to continue to reside on their homelands.
Ingkerreke Services takes pride in overcoming the challenges of providing housing, municipal, infrastructure and other support services in remote locations through a combination of innovation and advocacy.
Ingkerreke is a Central Arrernte word pronounced "IN-gare-uh-kuh" and meaning "all together". As an Aboriginal Corporation, Ingkerreke Services embraces diversity and invests in training and developing local Aboriginal staff members. Our emphasis is on providing sustainable employment opportunities to Aboriginal people, including trade apprenticeships. Ingkerreke Services' corporate culture fosters teamwork, respect and social cohesion in our local community. This is reflected in our motto: "Together we are stronger".
INGKERREKE's History
In the early 20th century, stock routes were prevalent throughout Central Australia. In 1976, the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act was passed, which became the mechanism allowing Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to claim rights to unalienated Crown land based on traditional occupation and cultural connection.
On pastoral leases north of Alice Springs, the only Crown lands were the stock routes, so Aboriginal people with traditional connections to these lands placed land claims on the stock routes. From these land claims sprang outstations. Also known as homelands, outstations were set up to provide residential accommodation and essential services for the Traditional Owners to live on their country.
Ingkerreke Outstations Resource Services Aboriginal Corporation was developed and incorporated in 1985 by the Traditional Owners of the land to the north of Alice Springs to provide services to the new outstations in this area. For the first 20 years of its operations, Ingkerreke delivered fundamental support services to outstations. During this time, it also developed an excellent capacity for delivering quality building services, particularly in remote locations. As a result, in financial year 2004/5, the Directors of Ingkerreke Outstations Resource Services established a separate commercial operation, Ingkerreke Commercial, to capitalise on these skills and experience.
Over time, Ingkerreke Commercial became a leading wholly-commercial Aboriginal Construction and Metal Fabrication supplier in Central Australia. Then from 2015, Ingkerreke Commercial Pty Ltd traded as a stand-alone, Aboriginal-owned commercial business.
Unfortunately, due to a number of factors including quick business growth without concurrent growth in internal capacity, this separate business was deemed unsustainable in 2021, and Ingkerreke Commercial's Directors decided to enter voluntary administration, which led to liquidation. In the past, Ingkerreke Outstations Resource Services also coordinated land management services on Aboriginal Land Trusts within a 50-100km radius of Alice Springs, mainly focusing on the Iwupataka Land Trust west of Alice Springs. This area includes Standley Chasm and other deep gorges which provide habitat for many rare plant species, as well as vulnerable or threatened animal species, such as the Black Footed Rock Wallaby. The Ingkerreke Rangers were funded through the Working on Country program from 2007-2013 and employed local Aboriginal people to collect baseline data on land, flora and fauna to be used in fire, feral animal and weed management plans. As a result of this program, five local Aboriginal men obtained positions with NT Parks and Wildlife.
In late 2020, Ingkerreke Outstations Resource Services Aboriginal Corporation Members changed the Corporation name
to Ingkerreke Services Aboriginal Corporation. Ingkerreke Services continues to deliver services to more than 55 homelands, providing grants administration, project management, homelands services, and other fee-for-service works. In addition, where possible, Ingkerreke Services supports homelands residents to develop their own enterprises, through advocacy; innovation; grant application/ administration; or their own service delivery.
GOVERNANCE
Ingkerreke Services is incorporated under The Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC).
The Directors of the Corporation are committed to sound corporate governance and to ensuring that Ingkerreke Services remains in full compliance with the requirements of the CATSI ACT and other relevant laws and regulations.
Directors' meetings are held a minimum of 4 times per year, allowing the Directors to drive forward-thinking strategies and to delegate authority to the Chief Executive Officer, who is responsible for managing and directing daily operations.
Ingkerreke Services' Directors not only have extensive personal histories living on remote homelands in Central Australia, but they also have experience and expertise in diverse industries such as pastoralism, education & training, community services, Aboriginal art and maintaining Aboriginal languages.
Ingkerreke Services is categorised by ORIC as a large corporation and is therefore required to carry out an annual audit and submit its financial accounts to ORIC. Ingkerreke Services is diligent about actioning any requirements identified by audit as necessary to enhance its accounting practices and procedures.
Look us up on the ORIC website under Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN) 347.
