This clip shows scenes of Indigenous communities in or near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, including the Junjuwa Community Centre, men mowing grass and rubbish collection. Willigan, the local Aboriginal employment officer, describes the lack of employment opportunities, how the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) operates and the importance of maintaining Aboriginal cultures and languages. The clip ends with a night scene of men and boys dancing by the light of car headlights.

Educational value points

• The clip reveals some of the challenges faced by Indigenous people in the Fitzroy Crossing area, such as achieving individual paid employment while at the same time maintaining their cultural protocols, the integrity of language groups and their communal lifestyle. In 1990 the area’s main employers were cattle stations and zinc and lead mines, but local Indigenous people had relatively little access to jobs in those industries.
• Willigan provides a detailed description, supported by visuals, of the operation of CDEP, which was established in 1977 by the Australian Government to provide employment for Indigenous people in remote communities of WA, Queensland and Northern Territory where there are otherwise limited work opportunities. The scheme was created as an alternative to unemployment benefits, often called ‘sit-down money’ by Indigenous people.
• As explained in the clip, in 1990 CDEP provided funding to community organisations such as Junjuwa Community Inc with the aim of creating employment opportunities for Indigenous people, improving infrastructure and community self-management, and developing skills to help people find employment in the labour market.
• The CDEP scheme has attracted criticism from some Indigenous leaders, including Professor Marcia Langton who sees it as a ‘poverty trap’ for Aboriginal people that entrenches welfare dependency and does not lead to employment in the wider labour market. In 2004, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) found that only 5 per cent of CDEP participants had moved to employment outside the scheme.
• Because of its history as a place where many different language groups took refuge when they were forced from cattle stations in the late 1960s, there is significant linguistic and cultural diversity in Fitzroy Crossing. There are five major language groups in the town – Walmajarri, Wangkatjungka, Gooniyandi, Nyikina and Bunuba – and others such as Djaru and Mangala. Willigan points out the importance of maintaining these language groups.
• Willigan’s Fitzroy (2000) was produced by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), which was established in 1980 to promote Indigenous culture, language, dance and music and to provide training and employment opportunities for Indigenous people. CAAMA includes a film and television production company, radio network, recording studios and a record label, and is a major shareholder in the Alice Springs-based Imparja Television.

There seems to be an ongoing negotiation by the people of Fitzroy Crossing to seek a way to continue to earn a living in their own country from the limited resources available to them.

Willigan's Fitzroy Synopsis

A documentary about Fitzroy Crossing presented through the eyes of local characters.

Willigan’s Fitzroy is part of the Nganampa Anwernekenhe series produced by Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) Productions. Nganampa Anwernekenhe means 'ours’ in the Pitjantjatjara and Arrernte lanuages, and the series aims to contribute to the preservation of Indigenous languages and cultures.

Curator's Notes

In Willigan’s Fitzroy the landscape of Fitzroy Crossing is introduced to us through the eyes of local man Jo Ross, nicknamed Willigan. The introduction to the film at first is disarming, as we hear the director talking with Willigan as they drive through the country in a four-wheel drive vehicle. The sound bite is what is usually cut from the film, but in this instance it sets up a style the director Warwick Thornton uses throughout the film.

The local folk though have interesting things to say about Fitzroy Crossing and the debate about whether to produce the land in a European agricultural context, or preserve the land through ecotourism is one occurring throughout Australia today. Ecotourism, which means that Indigenous culture and its preservation become necessary to attract the tourists, is positive in that it will not harm the environment. On the other hand, while Western agricultural techniques will increase productivity, it will devastate the natural resources. The characters speak with familiarity of Fitzroy Crossing, as well as the rich cultural heritage of the place.

Notes by Romaine Moreton