Finding a voice in the quiet revolution

"This is the core of the matter for me: in the new arrangements Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are beholden to government, who determine whether we can control our own affairs. This determination is dependent on society's views of our competence: and this competence is measured only in terms that describe our contributions to the market economy."

On the way through Arabena argues the "new" arrangements are not new. Black Jack McEwen set the precedent for the "new" arrangements with his "New Deal" for Aboriginal People as Minister for the Interior in 1939.She draws interesting parallels between statements at the time from one of the architects of the New Deal, Adolphus Peter Elkin, those from Commonwealth public service head Peter Shergold announcing the "new" arrangements and from Vanstone's speeches.

The paper contains some telling observations on the Howard Government's use of "brand" Pearson, and notes there has been no evaluation of the success of the work developed in Cape York or of whether these approaches can be translated outside of that specific context.

She asks the reason the Government and its bureaucrats have "never adequately explained" why the reform agenda has retained active, representative and executive structures for the Torres Strait and abolished them on the mainland. She notes the new arrangements have provided a public platform to leaders "... who have never been given legitimacy from their community to speak about issues" but are "... legitimised as spokespersons on Indigenous affairs, primarily because their sentiments are consistent with those of government".

Ms Arabena questions how the Council Of Australian Governments trials can be considered a "success" without evidence.

In all she provides an interesting insight into how and why the government has engineered a national debate in the absence of a national Indigenous representative voice, laced with the human dimension of one person struggling to do a "sad job".

She met a lot of Indigenous people around the country "... struggling with the new arrangements and a new disillusionment as people watched 'governments taking over their lives again'". Her paper details the "threat" to the Commonwealth's initial commitment to Indigenous representation from senior officials in OIPC and why she was "... not allowed to use the language of new structures or councils or authorities". The words implied "... a security of representation and legitimacy that was not part of the Government's agenda".

The Regional Governance Unit was eventually disbanded "removing any of the corporate expertise that could have assisted the transition from the Regional Councils to the new regional arrangements".

Ms Arabena clearly left OIPC because of job satisfaction, not job security. One hopes she is happier now. She ought to be. Her paper provides an important Indigenous voice in Vanstone's "quiet revolution".

The full version of Ms Arabena's paper is available for download here.