ATSIC must be replaced by a new body without 'flexible integrity'

I do not condone violent protests of any description and I can assure those who are planning to partake in that course of action, there will be no shelling out of funds ($85,000) of the type recently approved by ATSIC Commissioners for their besieged and suspended Chairman if they happen to find themselves before an unsympathetic magistrate.

What is required by our more enlightened and progressive thinking leaders is to take time out to read the fine print of the new proposal and to strategise on how best to turn a negative into a positive. I believe we should embrace the concept of mainstreaming Indigenous affairs (a re-direction of the $1.4 billion annual budget of ATSIC) by exerting pressure on the bureaucrats charged with administering the new windfall to deliver to and for our people.

What have we got to lose, as they couldn’t possibly be any worse than ATSIC in delivering services to Indigenous Australians?

Mark Philips quoted John Howard’s views on the mainstreaming of Indigenous programmes: “I think it can be better achieved treating everybody equally and where there are areas of disadvantage, having special assistance and special programs … is the best way of helping Indigenous people.”

Once again I agree with Howard when he says we should all be treated equally. I can assure readers from my personal experience, as a former ATSIC Regional Councillor that within the highly volatile council meetings, the 12 elected black officials did not assess Indigenous submissions for grant funding on a needs basis. Unfortunately I concur with an opinion thrown around loosely by a silent majority within our community of “tax payers’ money going to the greedy not the needy” as being right on the money (pardon the pun).

Tony Koch (Courier Mail, April 16) correctly points out:

It (ATSIC) was established to deliver to the most needy Australians, to lift them from disadvantage to at least equal status with the rest of the population. But despite all those best intentions, the indefatigable efforts of many good people, and the investment of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds, it achieved virtually nothing.

Craig Johnstone (Courier Mail, April 16) observed: "Only 30 per cent of Indigenous people actually voted in ATSIC elections, which made it more vulnerable to political manipulation and favouritism.”

Some of our leaders certainly had fun with taxpayers’ money (including Indigenous tax payers) and over time mastered the art of political manipulation and nepotism at the expense of the more destitute within their respective communities.

We, the Indigenous population, can cry, “poor bugger me” and “racist politicians” at the inevitable legislative abolition of ATSIC, or we can engage in open and frank dialogue with the government and bureaucrats in charge of administrating “ATSIC monies” on our behalf.

I would also call on those qualified Indigenous professionals, who escaped the precariousness of black politics, to come out of their self-imposed exile. They should now join with the hard working and committed leaders still present in our communities to ensure accountability, transparency, respect and pride is returned to our people.

There is a large pool of experienced Indigenous workers within incorporated Indigenous organisations who would be more than happy to continue in their jobs. Perhaps the government should give consideration to securing their futures by locking them into the public service employment career path.