The Independents and Aboriginal Australians: Some Optimistic First Thoughts

Above all the independents will understand that Aboriginal affairs can not be run by super administrators overseeing a series of super departments in Canberra. They will understand there has to be more white and black skin on the table at local levels and that it has to matter to local communities whether public and private investments fail or succeed. They will understand that the Federal government has to stop underwriting Qantas shares by facilitating hundreds of fly in and fly out experts and start to invest in the development of local Aboriginal expertise in remote and regional communities. They will understand that COAG level “closing the gap” performance indicators cannot be an end in themselves. They will also understand that giant corporations in Australia must move beyond their public relations, symbolic campaigns and put some skin on the table in local Aboriginal communities.T