Gunawuna Jungai was established to represent the cultural authority of the Gangalidda and Waanyi peoples in Doomadgee, located in the Lower Gulf of Carpentaria in north-west Queensland. There has been a long-standing gap in service delivery approaches in Doomadgee – while more than 70 organisations are funded to deliver fly-in-fly-out services to the community of 1,400 people, outcomes in health, housing, education, and justice continue to fall short of community expectations.

Gunawuna Jungai is locally governed and community-owned and led, representing the family groups that call Doomadgee home, and is committed to reshaping service delivery models to address the compounding problems of entrenched disadvantage. The organisation exists to serve the Doomadgee community and strengthen families, communities, culture, and country by embedding community leadership at the heart of decision-making and development. The name Gunawuna means ‘child, every child, everyone’ in the Gangalidda language, and Jungai is a well-known word in the area for ‘authority’ or ‘boss’. Together, these words bring a sense of a collective, from the youngest to the oldest in the community. Gunawuna Jungai has a vision to create a thriving, independent, sustainable, and culturally strong community in Doomadgee for future generations.

In 2022, Doomadgee was the first Queensland site nominated by the Joint Council on Closing the Gap to implement a Place-Based Partnership – an approach designed to prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in shaping solutions that work. This invitation was accepted by the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor, and Gunawuna Jungai was nominated to represent the community in this national initiative, in one of only six locations across Australia selected for the program. The Place-Based Partnership aims to formalise collaboration between the Doomadgee community and both state and federal governments.

The Partnership has seen Gunawuna Jungai take an active role in policy conversations and service reform, meeting with senior officials across government while continuing to prioritise local engagement and capacity-building. Gunawuna Jungai is committed to walking slowly and purposefully with community, building a model of leadership that reflects the strengths of culture, kinship, and country. This slow and steady approach ensures relationships are built on trust and accountability, rather than fly-in-fly-out interventions. Gunawuna Jungai has been recognised at both state and national levels for its leadership and advocacy. In 2024, it was funded by Queensland Health to address five recommendations from the coroner’s inquest into rheumatic heart disease in Doomadgee. Staff have been employed to deliver outcomes in response to the recommendations, including enabling Doomadgee families to contribute to recommendations for change in local health services.

Gunawuna Jungai was also successful in securing a position as one of Australia’s Justice Reinvestment pilot sites, and a work plan has been developed in partnership with the Attorney-General’s Department to reduce youth interaction with the justice system through community-based prevention and early intervention strategies. In its first full year of operation, Gunawuna Jungai made significant progress on key aspects of its strategic plan, including supporting 29 local residents to register ABNs, growing the pool of sole traders in Doomadgee and increasing economic participation, and purchasing a bus and BBQ trailer to enable community engagement and support local events.

As it enters its next stage of growth, Gunawuna Jungai remains focused on reshaping service delivery in Doomadgee, deepening partnerships with government, and restoring local agency and authority in decision-making processes. Plans to expand its impact include exploring alternative housing models tailored to the needs of Doomadgee families, establishing sustainable business ventures to create income streams and local employment, reigniting community identity through the local rodeo, and futureproofing culture through the development of a youth-led Gunawuna Jungai initiative.

Originally published by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.