- 205 -I would like to put Tjurma's situation in the context of self determination. Tjurma is a small, remote homelands community in the Musgrave Ranges, 500 kilometres south-east of Alice Springs. The community members want to keep a traditional homelands lifestyle. Most of our people are artists, and they also have other skills, which they put to full use. We have 45 people on our CDEP program. Prior to my arrival there had been about six or seven CDEP managers who came and went because of the uncertain situation and the local politics of the time. We have built up our CDEP from nothing, and hopefully the next move is to build up the homelands, which have been eroded.

To be viable, the homelands lifestyle requires a communications system, which means telephones at all the homelands. It requires access to transport, and it requires commitment by those who administer the funds, and also by people like myself, who are on the ground, working. It requires a commitment to teach the people any skills that we have as workers in the field so that they can take over on their own behalf. Putting this into practice, teaching the communications skills—and also to learning them—this is what self determination involves.

Self determination means, in part, 'giving the people a chance to give'. It is not just taking, but acknowledging and appreciating those gifts given in sharing their culture, knowledge and wisdom. That means we have to listen, it means we have to hone our communication skills, to sit down and take the time to understand what people who are from a different culture are saying.

People in Tjurma Homelands have to be empowered with resources, management skills, and money management skills. They face all the problems that prevail on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands—substance abuse problems, and all sorts of other social issues, such as parenting, income levels, lack of opportunity for higher income levels and skills enhancement. These are all big problems, and perhaps bigger because of the remoteness of the community.

Tjurma Homelands is Honey Ant Dreaming. We operate from Amata. The Tjurma people are the people who have come from the Anangu Pitjantjatara Lands, and they are the traditional owners. There has been talk of merging with Amata, starting with our art centre. The Tjurma people do not want to merge with Amata, which is a larger community with a lot of problems. They want to keep their homelands lifestyle.

We have turned our art centre back into a community centre where everyone is welcome, not just artists. We are going to put back the kitchen for the aged, so people can work with other people coming and going, in the way that they are used to. Most of our people, and most of our councillors, are artists, for example Vera Bryan is a painter and Muna Kulyuru, is a batik artist. They are incredibly gifted in so many ways, and art is one of these. It is impressive that these talented artists are also active in community affairs.