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I recently recieved an electronic version of the National Indigenous Council's Terms of References.

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS COUNCIL - TERMS OF REFERENCE

The National Indigenous Council will:

1. Provide expert advice to the Australian Government on how to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians in the development and implementation of policy affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;

2. Provide expert advice to Government on how to improve programme and service delivery outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including maximising the effective interaction of mainstream and Indigenous-specific programmes and services;

3. Provide advice on Indigenous Australians’ views on the acceptance and effectiveness of Australian Government and State and Territory Government programmes;

4. Provide advice on the appropriateness of policy and programme options being considered to address identified needs;

5. Provide advice to government on national funding priorities;

6. Alert government to current and emerging policy, programme and service delivery issues;

7. Promote constructive dialogue and engagement between government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations;

8. Provide advice on specific matters referred to it by the Minister; and

9. Report to the Minister as appropriate on the NIC’s activities and achievements.

It is also expected that the NIC will use its contacts and networks to assist consultation.

Advice will not be sought from the NIC on specific funding proposals or specific planning or programme matters related to individual communities or regions.

More information can be found in a badly written press release here.

What I don't understand is how the council, appointed by non-Indigenous members of the Federal Government, can be a part of the revised governance arrangements for Indigenous Affairs. The word governance is totally incorrect, as that gives the impression that we actually made a choice. These are non-Indigenous Australians, appointing Indigenous Australians, to fulfill an advisory role in regards to national Indigenous services. Don't you think INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS could choose their own National Indigenous Council? I would certainly think so! But this is yet another instance where the Federal Government takes that option out of black hands, further enforcing the belief that blackfullas can't handle their own issues.

Let's not forget the fact that ATSIC previously filled this role, not only providing a diverse mix of age, gender, skills and experience, but also providing region/language group/tribe specific advice in the form of Regional Councils, something the NIC sorely lacks. But ATSIC has been tarred by the fact that greedy people are in every culture, black or white and can really truly stuff things up for everyone else. Unity is no guarantee in Aboriginal culture, when you have hundreds of different cultures all chucked in the same big melting pot. Another thing I can't understand is the total destruction of ATSIC, as opposed to restructure, or re-workings, keeping the foundations of our first and only self governing body and rebuilding it is surely more logical than demolishing the whole thing?

Anyway, there's naught we can do about that now, so back to the NIC. The Council will only meet four times a year. That's one meeting every three months, to some how keep up to date with and advise on all Indigenous issues. But of course they will not be providing specific advise on funding proposals, or specific planning or programme matters, unless those matters are referred to the Council by the Minister. So you've got a group of people, not representing any particular area, maybe not even representative of an entire state (I see no Tasmanian members, but then again there probably aren't enough remaining Tasmanian Aboriginals to warrant representation), with specific skills and experience, unable to give advise to specific things. But they are able to advise the Federal Government on all Indigenous Australians’ views on the acceptance and effectiveness of Australian Government and State and Territory Government programmes! Even though the Council doesn't represent all the cultures that make up Indigenous Australia! Yeah, that makes sense! It makes sense like tits on a bull, or an ashtray on a motorbike.

This is yet another token effort by the Federal Government to solve the 'Aboriginal problem'. What they've concocted is a council that will sit around and not be able to do anything, advising only a non-Indigenous Minister for Indigenous Affairs and hoping that that Minister will take any suggestions made on board. As a colleague of mine said, what a toothless tiger.

What I'm really hoping is that the rumoured rival Indigenous Council gets up and running, and soon.