Outstation (Aboriginal community)

An outstation is a very small, often remote, permanent community of Aboriginal Australian people. These communities are connected by kinship and are usually located on land that has social, cultural, or economic importance to them as traditional land.

The outstation movement began when Aboriginal people chose to move away from towns to these special places. This movement happened mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a way for Indigenous people to resist assimilation and gain more autonomy. Many of these moves were supported by the government, and people who relocated often saw improvements in their wellbeing.

What started as just a few small groups grew into larger, thriving communities. Today, many outstations are successful because traditional owners have taken back responsibility for the land, and cultural connections have become stronger. These places are also called homelands.

Outstation movement

In the 1970s and 1980s, many Aboriginal people moved from towns to very small, remote settlements called outstations. This movement was a way for them to regain their independence and take care of themselves. They chose to live in these places to stay connected to their ancestral lands and sacred sites, or to live off the land and avoid problems found in larger towns.

Governments supported these moves at first, seeing benefits for health, culture, and preserving the strong connection Aboriginal people have to their land. Over time, these small communities grew, with some having only a few families and others more than 100 people. Some outstations have local economies based on art, nature work, and harvesting, while others rely on support from the government.

Terminology

Words used to describe these small Aboriginal communities have changed over time and can differ depending on where you are in Australia. In 2009, the government of the Northern Territory said that “homelands” is the preferred name in some areas, but not all. They suggested using “outstations” or “homelands” to generally describe these places, using whichever word fits best for each location. The Northern Territory still uses the term “Homeland Learning Centres” for special schools that help people living in these small communities learn and grow.

1987 report

In 1987, a group of leaders studied the lives of Aboriginal people living in small, remote communities called homelands or outstations. They wanted to understand how to better support these communities in the future.

On May 14, 1987, they shared their findings in a report called Return to country: the Aboriginal homelands movement in Australia. They described homelands as small groups of family and friends who moved back to land that was important to them for their culture and history. The report highlighted the value of these homelands and made 58 suggestions to help improve life for people living there. It recognized that moving to these places helped improve the well-being and hopes of the residents.

1990s–2000s

Funding for outstations was very costly, and as government ideas changed, they were seen as using too many resources. By the 1990s, it became hard to provide services to these tiny, faraway communities. From 1990, outstations were mostly funded by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.

In 2005, major policy changes happened. Responsibility for outstations was given back to the Northern Territory. By 2009, there were 560 small communities with fewer than 100 people each, mostly on Aboriginal-owned land. The Northern Territory Government said it valued these communities but required residents to work toward being more self-sufficient. It would still support existing outstations with fresh water and schools, but new communities needed to fund themselves.

2010s

In 2013, a leader in the Northern Territory shared that around 10,000 people lived in small, remote communities called homelands. These places were important for the health and happiness of Indigenous people, and the government promised to support them fairly.

Later, in 2014, the government in Western Australia decided to stop funding some remote communities because they didn’t have enough money. By 2018, there were about 1,200 of these small communities across Australia, helping to keep traditions, languages, and connections strong for many people.

Present and future

Small communities of Aboriginal Australian people continue to exist today. These places are often called settlements rather than outstations. They rely on special grants, private money from residents, or payments from companies that explore minerals on their land.

As of September 2020, there were about 500 such homelands in the Northern Territory with around 10,000 people living there. The Northern Territory Government helps these communities by paying for services like housing repairs and basic needs. However, some schools and services still did not have enough money. In 2015, the government promised to fully support these homelands. By October 2021, the government asked for faster help with building better homes because some places were in very bad condition.

Examples

Outstations are small, remote communities where Aboriginal Australian people live. Many of these communities are located in the Northern Territory, such as Kaltukatjara, Ntaria, Maningrida, and Utopia (Urapuntja and Amengernterneah).

Other outstations can be found in Queensland near Aurukun, Weipa, Doomadgee, and on Mornington Island. In South Australia, examples include Pipalyatjara, Mimili, Kaltjiti, and Pukatja. Western Australia has outstations such as the Warmun Community, Balgo, Halls Creek, Warakurna, and Wanarn.