Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd has been operating in the Lightning Ridge community since 1978. The organisation operates under Memorandum of Association & Articles of Association that are largely unchanged since the organisation’s original establishment, though they are being thoroughly reviewed in 2019.
Despite the many challenges it has faced as a Company and a rapidly changing operating environment, Barriekneal has a committed board and staff members, and has sound financial, reporting, tenancy and asset compliance. They have developed a culture of understanding among their tenants and community and achieve recognition from regulatory bodies as a company achieving excellence in their field.
In 2007, a Business Plan was developed for Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd by Richard O’Neill BE FAIM, Managing Director Excelink Pacific. This document provided a framework to develop opportunities and restructure after the separation (and income loss) from managing the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP), and major funding changes from Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The plan was ultimately seeking to support the Company to transition from a social service provider to a profitable business.
Our Vision
In the 2014 Strategic Plan the vision for the Company was identified as ‘a thriving community organisation committed to healthy family and quality of life.’
The Board undertook a deeper analysis of their vision and at a workshop in September 2019, they spent considerable time reconnecting to the SOURCE VISION of the original people who started the Company - exploring what their intention was and whether anything had changed.
After great discussion about the practical desire to simply provide housing for Aboriginal people in the Lightning Ridge area, an awareness emerged that there were certain desires that Housing represented that was at the core of the Company's mission and these included:
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Safety
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Security
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Connection to the land
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Ownership
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Belonging
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Not suffering
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Family
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Easier life
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Togetherness
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Trust
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Comfort
It was agreed that the original source vision and desires were still very much at the forefront of the Company’s work and vision in 2019 - however they wanted to see three more inclusions for the future vision:
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Responsibility
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Empowerment
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Confidence
It was felt that a culture of entitlement may have inadvertently been fostered in the community and that self-responsibility was important to be included in the new vision.
In 2019 the Board updated its vision to be more encompassing of the programs, activities, objectives and dreams for the Company.
We are gayaa (proud/happy) to provide gundhi (house) for our Yuwaalaraay dhiyaan (family)
A proud, thriving community organisation delivering excellence in service.
Our Objectives
The Objectives of Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd are to:
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Provide social and other housing to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
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Establish and operate economically and socially successful commercial enterprises that result in additional projects and employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including, but not limited to, property development and tourism activities.
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Maximise the potential of the Company’s commercial and property assets to provide further development opportunity to achieve the company’s objectives.
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Deliver training and capacity building opportunities to employees, board, members and the community.
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Provide and promote youth support and sporting activities to empower the next generation.
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Provide opportunities and activities to preserve, maintain and share traditional Aboriginal culture, conservation land management practices and language.
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Partner strategically with government, community services, schools, employment and training organisations, local clubs and other organisations towards meeting the identified needs of our members and community.
Our Values
The Values of Barriekneal Housing & Community Ltd are:
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Respect - we respect each other
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Transparency - we conduct all business with honesty because we have nothing to hide
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Integrity - we act in the best interest of the company
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Trust - we trust the person first and then we trust the process
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Commitment - we are committed to our roles to achieve the goals we set
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Responsibility -we take ownership of our actions and behavior
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Fairness - we treat everyone with fairness
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Reliability - we do what we say we are going to do
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Quality - we deliver a quality of service by being helpful, knowledgeable, approachable and supportive
It is intended that these Values will be made available and visible in Barriekneal premises, at meetings and in community engagement and communication with Members, partners and stakeholders.
