Indigenous leaders say Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have lost
their voice with the formal scrapping of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).
Legislation to wind up the peak body was endorsed by Federal Parliament
last night.
ATSIC will be abolished once the bill is given royal assent, although
the regional councils will not be dissolved until the end of June.
Labor had earlier argued for the regional councils to be given another
six months to operate, but dropped the demand so that the bill could
pass through Parliament.
ATSIC commissioner Robbie Williams says it is now up to Indigenous
communities to be more pro-active.
"Because there won't be those national or state bodies available to be
able to be a representative voice for people," he said.
Mr Williams says it is the end of an era.
"It'll be a sad day but hopefully it'll be a better tomorrow," he said.
"Hopefully the responsibility lies in the lap of the Government and they
need to stand and be accounted for that now."
Mr Williams says Indigenous people will be looking to the Government for
results in areas like health and education.
ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark was more forthright, accusing the Government
of pandering to the interests of big business.
Mr Clark says big business, pastoralists and the mining sector have the
most to gain from the commission's demise.
"They're the major contributors to the major political parties, the
political parties have now repaid the favour," he said.
Mr Clark says Indigenous people can never be properly represented by
white politicians.
However, federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone says she is
confident the changes will improve services for Indigenous people.
"Obviously I'm very pleased that the bill has passed," Senator Vanstone
said.
"I'm pleased this sorry saga has come to an end. I'm pleased that it
means the Government can get on working positively, directly with
communities, giving individual communities a real voice about their future."
Senator Vanstone says the ATSIC commissioners will receive four months'
redundancy pay. |
