Blaming blackfellas for their lot

It could certainly make use of the taxpayer funded reports it recently commissioned: one which its own select parliamentary committee inquiry made into Palm Island; and the other from lawyer Scott MacDougal. Both reports identified gaps in how government does not communicate with communities with any real purpose, be it Palm Island or other communities in Queensland.

Central to developing better relations will be how government recognises and reforms its own understanding of its obligations, to both Aboriginal citizenship and participation in democracy in Queensland, as a matter of urgency.

The police culture referred to previously will not change over night. This will require longitudinal structural reform processes that can only be bought about by strong and informed outsiders to the force being given the mandate to create much needed change.

Building good institutions that support civil society principles is key to developing a just society.

Bearing this in mind, some Queensland Indigenous leaders condemn the recent abolishment and mainstreaming of the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Islander Policy by the Beattie Government; others see the need to create a more dynamic and representative political interface between the grassroots and government. This would ensure policy can become informed as well as accountable.

In any case, the Beattie Government can take this opportunity to bring about real reforms to how it engages with Indigenous people and community leadership.

If Indigenous Queenslanders enjoy the same citizenship rights as other Queenslanders, they too as a group of citizens should expect that government will see the need to re-establish communications between government and community. Leadership needs to have a level field for both camps to meet and negotiate. Government advisory committees and councils have had their day.

Rushing in and waving a five-point, ten-point, or 100-point plan in the air is not a response to those 339 Royal Commission recommendations that came from inside of the bowels of governments and Australian law 15 years ago.

The interface between government and Aborigines needs to be reformed with clear thinking, strategic planning and mutual understanding of leadership.

The Beattie Government is presented with a real opportunity to break the mould of administrative orthodoxy that has failed to deliver results for government and Aboriginal people alike for over two centuries.

The usual policy and legislative responses to Aboriginal issues by leaders on both sides will not in itself solve anything. But invariably the buck stops with Premier Beattie. He can show the kind of visionary leadership that would move Indigenous affairs from the bottom of the pile to a higher level of priority and action or he could simply let it slip deeper into the abyss of despair and apathy. But for upward movement he will need support from Aboriginal leaders across the state of Queensland.

Governments cannot provide strong leadership in our communities; this is the responsibility and mandate of community people and aspiring leaders themselves.

It’s time to rise to the occasion, talk together and then work out the best model of representation that can communicate with government. Peter Beattie should, in my view, be enthusiastically supporting the development of grassroots leadership models. The most vulnerable in our communities rightfully demand this happens sooner rather than later.