OCHRE Local Decision Making Accords: Three Rivers Regional Assembly

Abstract

NSW Aboriginal Affairs commissioned the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), UNSW Sydney, to evaluate the Three Rivers Regional Assembly (TRRA) Accord negotiation operating as part of OCHRE – Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment – the community-focussed plan for Aboriginal Peoples in NSW. The key aim of the TRRA Local Decision Making evaluation was to assess whether the Accords negotiations were implemented as intended and what can be done to improve outcomes from similar negotiations in the future. The evaluation of the TRRA Accords negotiation was designed to answer eight questions. The methods selected to address them were qualitative interviews and focus groups with nine stakeholders involved in the Accords negotiations and qualitative document analysis (minutes, letters, email correspondence, statement of claim, protocols). Summary findings are presented below under each of the key evaluation questions.