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Back to the future: the shift back to failed policies of 'mainstreaming' Indigenous affairs is irresponsible, argues Larissa Behrendt.

Publication: Arena Magazine
Publication Date: 01-FEB-05 		Format: Online
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: Back to the future: the shift back to failed policies of 'mainstreaming' Indigenous affairs is irresponsible, argues Larissa Behrendt.(Against the Current)(abolition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission)(establishment of the National Indigenous Council)

Article Excerpt
The resounding election victory of the Howard government will ensure that their current direction in Indigenous affairs will continue. No longer having to worry about checks in the Senate, they will be free to reintroduce legislation to abolish ATSIC. The last attempt to pass the Bill saw it being sent to a Senate Committee and while the Senate Select Committee on the Administration of Indigenous Affairs are still meeting, the government will be confident of clear sailing for the Bill when it next is sent to the Upper House.

The abolition of ATSIC is part of the continuing government trend that is motivated by a policy of mainstreaming. Programs formerly run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS) have already been moved back into the Department of Family and Community Services and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. ATSIS and ATSIC still exist until the Bill is passed and the Regional Councils are scheduled to remain in existence until mid-2005.

A National Indigenous Council (NIC) has already been established to advise the Federal Government on Indigenous issues. It consists of fourteen appointed members. While the Federal Government has claimed that this new body is not designed to replace ATSIC, it will now become the primary Indigenous advisory body to the Federal Government. Its creation raises several issues about the principles of representation. Appointed bodies are nothing new in the Indigenous arenas--most Indigenous bodies have them, including the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC), Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and Aboriginal Hostels. But the replacement of an elected arm who have a responsibility and accountability back to Aboriginal regions by a group of appointed individuals raises several issues.

Firstly, appointed representatives...

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