27 August 2009
New Indigenous Representative Body - A Step Forward
Reconciliation Australia Co-Chairs Professor Mick Dodson and Mark Leibler welcomed today’s announcement of proposed model for a new national Indigenous representative body. Both Professor Dodson and Mr Leibler say the model, outlined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma at the National Press Club this afternoon, is a significant development.
“This proposed model and the considered process through which it was developed mark a major step forward in providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander citizens with a legitimate national voice. This will benefit all Australians.
“At a time when Australians have become increasingly focussed on closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives need to be able to contribute to the policies that affect their lives and help shape a better informed public debate,” Professor Dodson said.
Professor Dodson and Mr Leibler said that the proposed model is an innovative one. It draws on lessons from the past and ensures a breadth of representation. “This model enables representation by Indigenous land councils, peak bodies and other Indigenous organisations, as well as a place for leaders operating at all levels. Its 50/50 gender rule for representatives and the overseeing role of an ethics committee are positive features of the model,” Mark Leibler said.
The Co-Chairs urged the federal government to support the proposed model as an appropriate mechanism to achieve an effective and sustainable Indigenous voice at national level.
Attached to this release is a Q & A about the National Indigenous Representative Body. For more about Reconciliation Australia please see www.reconciliation.org.au
Media contact: Jessica Jeeves 0427 686 798
