The article: THE shocking plight of Aboriginal women and children, both boys and girls, caught in a ceaseless cycle of domestic violence and rape fuelled by alcohol and other substance abuse, has finally hit the headlines.
The front page story in The Australian this morning picks out overcrowding as a factor in endemic violence. It outlines some recommendations following a review of Aboriginal public housing by his department ordered by Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough, such as funding housing through state and territory governments rather than Aboriginal community organisations, and to require the latter to undergo training on governance.
In May last year the Centre for Independent Studies published an article by John Cleary, who was CEO of Tiwi Islands Local Government from 2002-2005: “Lessons from the Tiwi Islands: The need for radical improvement in remote Aboriginal communities.”
Cleary was a Liberal member of the Tasmanian Parliament from 1979-1986 and from 1988-1998. He was variously Minister for Health, Aboriginal Affairs, Local Government and other portfolios. The article followed a letter to Prime Minister John Howard on the subject, while the departmental recommendations could have been taken from his paper.
Cleary writes: “The governance structures created during the last 30 years for remote Aboriginal communities are so dysfunctional that the many millions of dollars that have been channelled into various programmes for Indigenous people have failed to deliver any real outcomes for them.
Instead the benefits have flowed almost exclusively to ‘big men’ and their non-Indigenous administrators.”
While his paper is not about violence, it underpins his 16 recommendations for radical change, and he says many traditional leaders are “lost in the mire of alcohol, drugs and self-interest.”
Among his recommendations, Cleary advocates:
• A single, simple, local governance structure.
• The Land Rights Act be amended to provide more flexible ownership to encourage initiative and responsibility.
• All operations of Land Councils and Land Trusts to be open and accountable.
• Child welfare payments to be tied to school attendance.
Responsibility for funding and delivery of health services should be moved to local and state governments.
Cleary’s paper is unequivocal about what is needed, and reveals some shameful behaviour by the “big men” who pocket community funds for their own gain. He also says: “The personal disposable income in communities is high. Although most are dependent on welfare payments, the high number of individuals per household delivers a higher level of disposable income per household than many other Australians experience.
Unfortunately the majority of this money is often spent on gambling, alcohol and drugs … ”
