Ngaanyatjarra Council has serviced and represented Aboriginal communities in central West Australia since 1981. In 2005 it signed a Regional Partnership Agreement with three tiers of government under the reforms to Commonwealth Indigenous affairs introduced in 2004. DKCRC research with the Council showed the outcomes were disappointing. Long chains of command from Canberra to the remote desert were one factor in this. There is potential for local government to more effectively service remote communities. Ngaanyatjarra Council is realigning its responsibilities with the Aboriginal-controlled Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku. There are parallels with new local government arrangements in the Northern Territory.