Reconciliation Australia : A Proposed National Indigenous Representative Body

This Q & A factsheet is part of a series Reconciliation Australia is producing aimed at informing the community and stimulating conversations about the issues that affect us all.

A Proposed National Indigenous Representative Body

The announcement of a proposed national Indigenous representative body follows a long process involving Indigenous Australians from all around the country. Following are answers to questions you might have about a national Indigenous representative body.

1. What is a national Indigenous representative body?
A national Indigenous representative body is an organisation that would represent Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, giving them a say in decisions about their lives and future. Since 2004 there has been no national “voice” for Indigenous Australians. This has made it difficult for government, business, industry, media, or anyone else to be able to speak with an authoritative and representative voice of indigenous Australia.

Previous governments have created various Indigenous representative organisations, including the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). But Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have never had the opportunity to shape a national representative organisation of their own until now.

2. What would the new national Indigenous representative body do?
The new national Indigenous representative body will;
· advocate on behalf of Indigenous peoples and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspirations at a national level;
· monitor and evaluate government performance;
· develop and influence policy;
· advise government, the business and community sector on issues relating to Indigenous peoples;
· contribute to legal reform and
· provide functions for research and innovation in Indigenous affairs.
The new body would not be responsible for delivering services to Indigenous communities.

3. How would it help to close the gap in Indigenous life expectancy?
Australia has the biggest life-expectancy gap of comparable countries with Indigenous populations. Unlike the US, Canada and New Zealand where Indigenous life expectancy rates are better, Australia has no formal treaty or representative body to ensure the effective participation by representatives of
Indigenous peoples on major issues relating to them.
Indigenous disadvantage, poverty and closing the current 11 year life expectancy gap are issues which require effective Indigenous involvement in policy development if they are to be successful. There is clear international evidence that Indigenous involvement in decision-making and the design of solutions are essential for success in overcoming disadvantage.

4. Will it be genuinely representative of all Indigenous Australians?
The proposed model, designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all around the country, is structured to include equal numbers of men and women at all levels, representation from all age groups, the involvement of other Indigenous peak bodies, health services, native title bodies, land councils and advocacy groups. To read more about the structure of the proposed Representative Body, go to www.heroc.gov.au

5. How are Indigenous people represented in other countries?
Many other countries have Indigenous representative bodies. The Aboriginal peoples of Canada are represented by the Assembly of First Nations and in the United States the largest national Indian political organisation is the National Congress of American Indians. In Sweden, the Sami people are represented by the Swedish Sami Parliament. The Mäori Representation Act in New Zealand ensures that there are a minimum of 4 Mäori seats in New Zealand’s parliament and today 17 of the 122 members of New Zealand’s parliament are Mäori. The proposed model in Australia is most similar to what is now in place in Canada and the United States.

For more information:
The Australian Human Rights Commission www.heroc.gov.