‘Hard Yakka’: Living With a Disability in the West Kimberley

This report investigates the lived experiences of Aboriginal people with disabilities living in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia, covered by the local government shires of Broome and Derby–West Kimberley. The major population centres in the West Kimberley are the towns of Broome, Derby and Fitzroy Crossing. Both local government areas have low populations scattered across vast areas with poor infrastructure and under-developed built environments, which make travel and daily living especially challenging. The town of Broome is located 2,230 kilometres north of Perth; Derby is 2,383 kilometres and Fitzroy Crossing more than 2,500 kilometres to the north-east (Shire of Broome, 2014; Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, 2014). Broome Shire has a resident population of 15,857 people living in an area covering 56,000 square kilometres (Shire of Broome, 2014). Derby–West Kimberley has 8,941 inhabitants living in an area of 118,560 square kilometres (Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, 2014). The region has a large Aboriginal population. Between one-third and one-half of the population is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin (Shire of Broome, 2014; Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, 2014). There are over 100 Aboriginal communities of various population sizes throughout the region and nearly 100 properties servicing the pastoral industry. The West Kimberley has a diverse economy, with mining, tourism, agriculture and pearling, all of which are major contributors to the economic output of the area. Geographically, the region has very diverse terrain and geographical features from arid desert areas, gorges and river valleys to long pristine coastlines, highly developed coastal resorts and beaches, in addition to extensive rainforest areas and cave systems (Shire of Broome, 2014; Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, 2014). Both Shires have significant transportation challenges during the cyclone season, between November and April each year. The ‘great wet’ leads to road closures with the majority of roads being unsealed, gravel or unformed (Shire of Broome, 2014; Shire of Derby–West Kimberley, 2014). This makes travel impossible without access to off-road or four-wheel drive vehicles, further isolating remote communities and restricting access to health, education and other services, including disability support services