Kaytetye man and elder Noel Hayes is used to seeing the Barkly being passed over — this time on a slice of $250 million allocated to Central Australia to tackle social disadvantage and alcohol-related harm.
"I think they are just bypassing the Barkly, the Tennant Creek area, and all our people in the Barkly," Mr Hayes said.
"We're still suffering with alcohol too."
The former member of the Barkly Regional Council resides in Ali Curung, an Indigenous community located on Kaytetye land between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.
In 2021, the community of 400 people had an unemployment rate of 55 per cent amongst the Indigenous population.
The combination of alcohol, unemployment, and the loss of hope has left Mr Hayes dismayed that the Barkly will not have access to any of the millions allocated to the Northern Territory Government by the federal government.
"It's just drinking and domestic violence. And people spending their money on grog," he said.
"At the end of the day they got nothing in the house to eat. It's just a problem [that's] been around for many, many years."
Call for help
Valda Napurrula Shannon is a Warumungu/Walpiri woman who lives in Tennant Creek.
The 62-year-old is a nationally-accredited interpreter who has worked on high profile cases such as the Kumanjayi Walker inquest.
Although she has always been in the workforce, Ms Shannon lives with her family in run-down and neglected accommodation in one of the town's Community Living Areas.
Having lived in the same house for the past 24 years she has had to navigate significant overcrowding as her family expanded.
"It affects us … mentally, we have a lot of trauma," she said.
"And then there's issues of people taking other people's stuff. Food … where do we put the food?"
Over her 30 years in Tennant Creek, Ms Shannon has seen firsthand the impact of only 40 per cent of the town's Aboriginal population being in the workforce.
"They just wallow away in sadness, grief, you know, go down there to the pubs and hang out with friends and have a drink too many," she said.
"The young ones aren't keen on finding jobs or moving out somewhere. They keep coming back.
"They're just out for the day and they come back at night. That's the daily routine. And they've got children of their own … my grandchildren."
Flow-on effects
Without the same spotlight and attention as Alice Springs, the town of Tennant Creek and regional hub for the Barkly region has experienced significant alcohol-related damage.
For the 12 months prior to December 2022, Tennant Creek recorded a higher number of alcohol-related assaults than Alice Springs on a population basis.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed to ABC Alice Springs that the $250 million in new funding to tackle alcohol-related harm and social disadvantage would only be available to Alice Springs and surrounding communities.
"We absolutely fund the territory across the whole, but we acknowledge those community-led solutions and perhaps different geographical areas have different challenges," she said.
"Significant investment and program service delivery work … is ongoing for that Barkly region."
Taking local action
CEO of the Papulu Apparr-Kari Aboriginal Corporation, Karan Hayward, believes that it is more than money that is needed to raise hopes and improve livelihoods in Tennant Creek.
"I don't believe the injection of money is going to help us. We have to change attitudes, we have to change massive attitudes, and that's the key," Ms Hayward said.
The long-term resident is also sceptical about whether new money would reach the people who need it the most after seeing implementation challenges attached to the ten-year $84.7 million Barkly Regional Deal.
"We want to know what funding is coming into our town so that we can make people accountable," she said.
"We need people to be up talking at meetings, all of us come together and work as a big team. And it's not happening at the moment."
Against the backdrop of considerable frustration, Ms Hayward is pushing ahead to establish more local solutions to tackle alcohol and create new employment opportunities for younger generations, including through a new community bakery in Tennant Creek.
Her organisation has already purchased the building which she hopes will employ 17 community members and provide an alternative in Tennant Creek.
"Our idea is healthy food, late at night. There's nowhere safe unless you go to the pubs," she said.
"We're trying to get away from alcohol. We want a family friendly environment, like the old days … where kids, family, and mothers can go and actually sit down and have a meal.
"Everything closes by two o'clock here … unless you want to pay big money. And our mob don't have a lot of money."
