ABSTRACT
The Yuelamu Community and the Arrange Corporation are located in a remote area of central Australia, approximately 280 km North West of Alice Springs and 30 km north east of the Tanami Highway. Lack of local commitment to the process was a major constraint. Limited commitment to the process also results from the fact that, quite appropriately, local priorities generally assumed more importance to local people than did participation in the planning process. The whole concept of community development planning based on participatory methodologies presupposes there is a commonality of interest within the target communities. The post-modern view of empowerment 'emphasises people's subjective understandings and the construction of their world view'. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission was formed in Australia in 1990 as an agency to develop and administer policies in relation to the affairs of indigenous Australians. Official attempts to involve remote Aboriginal communities in planning exercises are well-intentioned.
