Page 2130 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2016
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DR BOURKE: I am pleased to present to the Assembly the independent review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body Act and the government response to the review.
In 2008, the Assembly unanimously supported the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body. We have seen three terms for the elected body following elections in June 2008 and May 2011, followed by the last election in NAIDOC Week 2014.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body have undertaken three elections and six hearings with senior officials of ACT government directorates and produced four reports containing recommendations to the ACT government to improve life outcomes for members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. They have been instrumental in the development of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice partnership and have proposed a range of programs and services, including the ACT crime prevention strategy and the launch of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community bus.
During the second term of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body, both the elected body and the ACT government considered it appropriate to review the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body Act 2008. Ms Terri Janke was engaged as the independent reviewer in early 2015. The final report was presented to the ACT government in December 2015.
The review found that on the whole the elected body performs a valuable role and should be maintained, and that the functions of the elected body under the act should be clarified to allow for more comprehensive community and stakeholder consultation and to formally establish the elected body hearing process within the legislation.
The reviewers sought feedback from the public and received 57 submissions to a survey on whether the functions of the act were effective in meeting the objectives of the act. Meetings were held with the elected body and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander subcommittee of the ACT public service strategic board and identified community stakeholders, including traditional custodian groups. In total, 140 meetings were held across the ACT.
The review has made a number of agreed recommendations that will assist the elected body to more effectively advocate for and represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the ACT, in line with the principles of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement for 2015-18 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The review also examined the effectiveness of supporting administrative and government arrangements in giving intent to the objectives and functions of the act. The recommendations seek to clarify and improve the legal parameters under which the elected body operates so that their work can better align with the objects of the act.
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