Voices from Northern Territory on national security

As part of the Community Consultations initiative, the NSC team travelled to the Northern Territory (NT) in late July, holding important conversations with local communities and organisations in Darwin, Alice Springs and Yuendumu. These engagements form a core part of the national initiative aimed at understanding Australian perceptions on national security.

In Darwin, the NSC team met with the NT Chief Minister’s Office, Charles Darwin University as well as peak business groups, which underlined NT’s strategic importance to Australia. Further south in Alice Springs and Yuendumu, the team heard from the Central Land Council and community leaders.

A highlight of the Northern Territory consultations was the feature of the initiative in Gumatj language on Yolŋu Radio – one of the key community media sources for Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land and the only service available in some remote communities. This milestone was made possible by the support of Yolŋu Radio and Mayalil Marika, along with NSC PhD candidate Pascale Taplin. It helped ensure the message of Community Consultations reaches an estimated 15,000 people across the Territory.

Back in Canberra, the team also engaged with federal voices like Luke Gosling OAM MP, Special Envoy to Defence and Northern Australia – who is a great advocate for the region – to discuss northern Australia’s role in the nation’s security and resilience.

We’d like to thank everyone who contributed in making this visit a success. From the halls of the NT Parliament House, to conversations in the Red Centre and on Arnhem Land radio waves, the visit showed the value of hearing diverse voices across the country. NSC will continue to engage with remote Indigenous communities throughout 2025 to strengthen the national conversation on security.

To contribute to this national study, share what security means to you as part of our Community Consultations initiative – every submission, big or small, will help shape our understanding of Australian attitudes to security, risk and resilience.