PAMA FUTURES Indigenous designed and led
Our purpose
Pama Futures was born from an overwhelming sense of powerlessness felt across Cape York peninsula, communities being locked out of all the decisions affecting them. The overwhelming message that has come through countless summits and meetings time and time again is that pama want a say in who delivers the services and how they are delivered. The grassroots understand first-hand the problems and issues facing their communities and why things aren’t working. Pama are simply asking for a seat at the table that hasn’t denied to them until now. Pama Futures provides a point of entry for community to lead these critical discussions affecting their future.
Transition to Pama Futures
We have been talking about self-determination and empowerment for decades but no one until now has come up with the how. Cape York are known for their pioneering work, and once again we are doing things differently. Other empowered community regions across the country are developing regional decision-making structures. In Cape York, at our summits, people said they wanted to start at the local level. So we are starting at the local level and once local communities have their structures in place we will work together on a regional partnership structure.
It all comes together
Pama Futures support communities in the planning and decision-making for their own priorities. The minimum requirement from the Australian Government is that it must be broad-based and inclusive. We need to solve the problem of community decisions being made by only a few. Local communities design the rules for their governance process and are supported to come to the table for shared and/or joint decision making with the Federal Government. They come together to create a community development plan outlining their ‘theory of change’ and priorities for investment.