Macklin's Ministry: taking the blinkers off

There was a swift response from an Aboriginal leader in the Kimberley. Joe Ross from Fitzroy Crossing argued that the whole of the Coroners Report into 22 deaths in the Kimberley should be implemented not just welfare payment management. Ross said:

Before she starts putting her highfalutin ideas, overlaying them onto us, she needs to come to the Kimberley and meet with the Indigenous leadership group and that's what we are calling for.

It's misdirected (funding) and unco-ordinated and that's what the coroner highlighted - the lack of leadership and accountability and transparency of government service delivery in the Kimberley.

Macklin needs to visit Kimberley first, says leader (National Indigenous Times February 27, 2008).

Tony Abbott, the opposition shadow minister, didn’t help the push for a bipartisan approach with an attack on Macklin. He apparently described the latest actions taken in the Kimberley as “disgusting” because they are too slow in coming. There is no sense of irony in The Age story.

The 2020 Summit might be short on female leadership but Macklin showed that the Cabinet is neither short on female numbers or talent.

It was an informative, if not entertaining, presentation. It was a refreshing change to watch Tom Calma, from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, nodding in apparent approval. He subsequently described the proposed changes to the Land Rights Act as a good move, suggesting that Aboriginal entities should also be able to control the head leases, not just the Federal government.

We can only hope that Jenny Macklin will be remembered as one of the best ministers in the Rudd government. The stakes are too high for anything else. She seems to have made a flying start and to share Kevin's impressive work ethic.