Social and Community

The MG Community Foundation Trust (CFT) is a charitable trust established to provide assistance to MG people for education, community development, promotion of art, law and culture, the relief of poverty, disadvantage, sickness or affliction and for the protection of the natural environment. Under the OFA, the CFT received funding from the State Government up until June 2015.

The CFT operates under strict rules and guidelines that were agreed between the State Government and MG people under the OFA. Within these strict rules and guidelines, CFT directors are responsible for managing funds for current and future generations of MG people, including with respect to deciding whether to distribute funds annually to the 16 Dawang groups.

In addition to distributions to Dawang groups for charitable objectives, the CFT supports the practice of law and culture by MG people by providing contributions towards the practice of men’s, women’s and whaling activities. Over the life of the trust, significant contributions have been provided in support of the practice of MG law and culture.

The CFT has also provided support to the GY Women’s Refuge (Gawooleng Yawoodeng Aboriginal Corporation) by providing funding to support its activities with respect to the rehabilitation of victims of family violence.

Consistent with the MG Group’s strategic focus on economic development, CFT directors are currently considering ways in which to prudently invest income from the CFT to generate a sustainable source of income for current and future generations of MG people.

In recognition of the importance of tertiary education, MG Corporation established the Tertiary Scholarships Program as part of the Goomig ADP negotiated between the State Government and MG Corporation. Under the Goomig ADP Tertiary Scholarships Program, MG Corporation provided financial assistance to MG people completing tertiary education qualifications. Recent recipients of the Goomig ADP Tertiary Scholarships include Kirsty McLean and Jayla Shae Newry.

Kirsty graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Science double majoring in Anatomy and Human Biology and Psychological Science. Kirsty is passionate about medical science and plans to continue her tertiary education by pursuing post-graduate medical studies.

Jayla graduated from the International Screen Academy in Sydney with an Advanced Diploma of Acting for Contemporary Screen Media. As part of her studies, Jayla was involved in the production of a short film, in which she starred and took on the roles of Script Supervisor and Editor.

Previous Goomig Tertiary Scholars have included Courtney Topliss who studied a Bachelor of Education through Curtin University and Scott Wilson who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia.

As part of an integrated community development approach, MG Corporation engages with other Aboriginal organisations and key stakeholders for the benefit of MG people and the East Kimberley community more broadly.

MG Corporation is represented at various regional levels, including with respect to the Takeaway Alcohol Management System (TAMS) and the State Government’s District Leadership Group.

MG Corporation is also one of the founding members of the East Kimberley Empowered Communities reform initiative (Binarri-binya Yarrawoo Aboriginal Corporation – BBY). Empowered Communities is a set of transformational national reforms for an Indigenous Empowerment agenda, which involves a fundamental shift away from the traditional social policy framework within which Indigenous affairs has been conducted. At its heart is the principle of subsidiarity – that authority to decide and act should rest at the closest level possible to the people or organisations the decision or action is designed to serve. MG Corporation supports the Empowered Communities reform initiative and, in particular, its empowerment agenda with respect to economic development in the East Kimberley region.