Page 1088 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 April 1994
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History and heritage are vital concerns in the process of constructive reconciliation being undertaken by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. (Extension of time granted) History will judge how effective the process has been. In the interim the council has the challenge of building a more mature relationship between Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians. The fact that the Act ceases on 1 January 2001, the centenary of Federation, gives a symbolic focus to this challenge. We all hope, I am sure, that Australia enters the twenty-first century demonstrating the tangible results of a decade of action to address Aboriginal disadvantage and to achieve a lasting reconciliation. I, too, Madam Speaker, support this motion, and I urge all members of the Assembly to do the same.
MR STEVENSON (4.46): A united Australia, where justice and equity are provided for all, must surely be the goal of most people in Australia. There are, however, some concerns I have, and which many other people have, because many of the actions taken by governments in this area of the Aboriginal question, and also some Aboriginal groups, not necessarily controlled by Aboriginals, are not improving cooperation but are causing division. Some viewpoints are very readily disseminated in the public media and in parliament, while others are not. I think the views of Cedric Jacobs, an Aboriginal in Western Australia, would be an example. He wrote a book called Healing a Divided Nation, and in a chapter titled "Constructive Forms of Aboriginal Assistance" he said:
There are many existing programmes designed specifically to assist Aboriginal Australians simply because they are Aborigines. While I believe there is a great deal of sympathy among Australians for the disadvantaged state of any of their Aboriginal neighbours, there is little sympathy among either Aborigines or whites for the enormous waste of money and resources resulting from the bureaucratic attempts to redress these disadvantages.
For example, the Aboriginal Development Commission, which receives $66m a year from the Federal Government, has failed what could be described as a Parliamentary audit.
He went on to talk about the ADC. He said:
The ADC has assisted many Aborigines to set up their businesses, own their own homes, and reduce dependence upon welfare handouts. But a large proportion of the funds made available are clearly being skimmed off by career "administrators" and "advisers". The same holds true for other organisations upon which much public money is lavished, such as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
He continued:
My view is that the Department of Aboriginal Affairs should be completely dismantled, and the annual budget allocated to the States to supervise the allocation of finance by Shire and Town Councils.
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