Nicola Berkovic; 23/11/09
Almost five years after the abolition of ATSIC, the Rudd government has announced details of a new national indigenous representative body, which will receive $30 million in funding. Members of the new National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples will be subject to unprecedented probity checks to avoid the corruption problems that besieged ATSIC, and will be made up equally of men and women.Announcing that the government had accepted a blueprint for the body handed to it in August, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said yesterday the government was committed to “resetting” its relationship with indigenous people and creating a new partnership based on trust, goodwill and mutual respect. “Indigenous Australians must have a voice if we are to achieve change,” she said. “We look forward to working with the new body to close the gap in indigenous life outcomes and opportunities.”
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Finance