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2009-08-20

Where is accountability for Indigenous affairs by government?

Comments on Natasha Robinson “Slice of pie for building is shrinking by the day”, 20/08/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25954870-5017272,00.html

It is appalling that when there is such an urgent need for Indigenous housing and the federal government has promised 750 houses would be built under the $672 million Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program, not a single house has been built so far yet after so long. There should be reasonable accountability at both the federal and the Northern Territory governmental levels, some heads of responsible politicians and top bureaucrats should and must roll for such incompetency and negligence of duty.

This is likely to be one of the reasons why the state of our Indigenous people’s welfare has been in so poor for so long – governments and bureaucrats may have been seldom truly accountable for their policies and actions regarding Indigenous welfare. Some people say that our Indigenous people live like third world citizen in wealthy Australia. We need to change that intolerable situation now and act urgently.

Australia needs a much stronger voice from our Indigenous people. There should be an effective national Indigenous body to represent them and to have dialogue with our politicians and top bureaucrats on how to improve the situation of our Indigenous people. Their voice must be heard and their views listened to.

The failure of the $672 million Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program thus far should serve as a warning for action, for the governments, the ministers for Indigenous Affairs, the relevant agencies involved in Indigenous affairs. They need to get their act together, now and quickly. Any further delay is absolutely unacceptable by any standard.

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