The Government Business Manager greets me warmly at the small remote airport in the Northern Territory on Monday morning, and it is immediately obvious to me that this bustling hub also serves a second function as a place to carry out informal business. In the time it took for the Government Business Manager to greet me, grab my bags and load them into the 4x4, he had already talked business with a community aged care worker there who was taking the next flight out. I get the sense that you hit the ground running when you come to work in a remote community, so I kick my brain into gear and try to absorb as much as I can without my pen and notebook.
We take a brief tour of the town before making our first stop at the local supermarket, another social mecca, to pick up supplies for the visiting officers’ quarters. While filling the shopping trolley with the household essentials, he points out the availability of fresh and affordable produce in the fridges, which now comes by barge from the mainland weekly. Before we reach the car with our bags of groceries, he has received a phone call requesting he get his government vehicle in for a mandatory check – something to add to his long list of tasks. We drive by the coast and he tells me this is where he unwinds from his busy days, watching the sun set over the beautiful ocean view. I ask him what he does on his weekends here, and he says he usually has a good sleep each Saturday followed by preparations for the week and perhaps a spot of fishing on Sunday.
Back at the Government Business Manager’s quarters, we sit down in his office meeting room for a chat. His residence consists of two shipping containers, one fitted out as an office and the other his personal accommodation, both joined by an undercover veranda. It’s basic but comfortable living that is well adapted for the balmy climate. He explains to me that the role of the Government Business Manager during the Northern Territory Emergency Response was one of regulation, but that it has since changed to more of a community development role. His role is to resolve issues that arise in implementing the National Partnerships, but the new model of Remote Service Delivery means he also needs to know when to step back and let the Community Reference Groups find their own solutions. Sometimes his job requires probing into certain issues, and this means he is not always the most popular man in town. He says it is vital in these instances to balance his authority and accountability with diplomacy; maintaining the relationships he has built there.
The Government Business Manager is expecting staff from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs’ Footprints in Time team, who are conducting interviews with local children that are part of their longitudinal study of Indigenous children. They will be staying at the visiting officers’ quarters for about three weeks, and they arrive sometime after lunch. He gives the Footprints in Time team an orientation and their keys before heading back over to the office to catch-up with the Shire Services Manager for a meeting. Over a cuppa, the Government Business Manager briefs him on some current issues in the community and then the Services Manager gives an update on the work he is overseeing. After this the Government Business Manager needs to resolve an urgent matter in the community, so I retire to go and look through my notes and leave him to work in peace and quiet until the next morning.