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Mundine: Indigenous funds squandered by bureaucratic ‘misery industry’ Mundine: Indigenous funds squandered by bureaucratic ‘misery industry’
(about 20 hours later)
Tony Abbott’s key adviser on Indigenous affairs has strongly criticised the “misery industry” of city-based bureaucracy for squandering billions of dollars that should be going to struggling Indigenous communities.Tony Abbott’s key adviser on Indigenous affairs has strongly criticised the “misery industry” of city-based bureaucracy for squandering billions of dollars that should be going to struggling Indigenous communities.
Warren Mundine, chairman of the Indigenous Advisory Council, said it was a “myth” that Indigenous people had an unfair financial advantage over other groups.Warren Mundine, chairman of the Indigenous Advisory Council, said it was a “myth” that Indigenous people had an unfair financial advantage over other groups.
“People just make up things,” he said. The real issue was not unfair levels of funding, but “the way that funds are allocated and dealt with, and the massive bureaucracies that work in this area … people living off us, on our misery”.“People just make up things,” he said. The real issue was not unfair levels of funding, but “the way that funds are allocated and dealt with, and the massive bureaucracies that work in this area … people living off us, on our misery”.
Speaking at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land on Monday, Mundine said $50bn had been spent in 11 years of Indigenous government funding, with little obvious result.Speaking at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land on Monday, Mundine said $50bn had been spent in 11 years of Indigenous government funding, with little obvious result.
“We need an audit of how Indigenous funding is done,” he said. “Most of our money isn’t getting out of Canberra or Perth or Brisbane … very little gets out to a local level. We need massive reform in this area.”“We need an audit of how Indigenous funding is done,” he said. “Most of our money isn’t getting out of Canberra or Perth or Brisbane … very little gets out to a local level. We need massive reform in this area.”
But Mundine warned that simply cutting bureaucracy ran the risk that the money would end up flowing somewhere else, rather than down to Indigenous communities. “We want that money to be reinvested … for example into the education system.”But Mundine warned that simply cutting bureaucracy ran the risk that the money would end up flowing somewhere else, rather than down to Indigenous communities. “We want that money to be reinvested … for example into the education system.”
To applause from some in the audience, Mundine said he believed Indigenous children needed to be taught in their first language.To applause from some in the audience, Mundine said he believed Indigenous children needed to be taught in their first language.
“That means a lot of resources,” he said.“That means a lot of resources,” he said.
It was “not like being taught French … language defines who you are and people don’t quite get that”.It was “not like being taught French … language defines who you are and people don’t quite get that”.
He said a lot of good work was being done in remote schools, but overall the statistics showed that education wasn’t working for Indigenous children or their parents.He said a lot of good work was being done in remote schools, but overall the statistics showed that education wasn’t working for Indigenous children or their parents.
“People forget that the first teachers are the parents,” he said. Indigenous communities deserved the kind of local school that was right for them, but he did not believe in punitive measures when things didn’t go to plan. “If you have punitive measures, you’re not going to win.”“People forget that the first teachers are the parents,” he said. Indigenous communities deserved the kind of local school that was right for them, but he did not believe in punitive measures when things didn’t go to plan. “If you have punitive measures, you’re not going to win.”
In response to questions from the audience, Mundine described remote work programs as “a disaster” and denied there was any possibility of the government “trucking” people out of “failing” remote communities.
Questioned by the academic Marcia Langton, he agreed that remote working programs were in “a parlous state”. Some programs were “very good [but] the problem is the implementation. How it’s operated is a disaster … there’s a lot of work there.”Questioned by the academic Marcia Langton, he agreed that remote working programs were in “a parlous state”. Some programs were “very good [but] the problem is the implementation. How it’s operated is a disaster … there’s a lot of work there.”
Asked by an audience member about the idea of closing down remote communities if they were deemed to be failing, Mundine said he and Abbott did “not agree on a lot of things, but there’s one thing we do agree on – he’s not going to be sending the trucks in.”Asked by an audience member about the idea of closing down remote communities if they were deemed to be failing, Mundine said he and Abbott did “not agree on a lot of things, but there’s one thing we do agree on – he’s not going to be sending the trucks in.”
Nor would welfare changes be used to force people into larger communities, he said.Nor would welfare changes be used to force people into larger communities, he said.
“It’s about us making communities sustainable.“It’s about us making communities sustainable.
He said he supported mining, but it should be up to individual communities to decide if they wanted it on their land. “If they want mining they should be allowed to have it,” he said.He said he supported mining, but it should be up to individual communities to decide if they wanted it on their land. “If they want mining they should be allowed to have it,” he said.
There were other ways jobs could be created, Mundine said, such as through micro businesses. He praised the new tourism plan for Arnhem Land, announced at Garma on Sunday, as a good way of allowing people to work while staying on their homelands. It would be a big step forward, he said, if Indigenous people earning good salaries, for example in the mining industry, were able to spend their money in their own communities, which meant having “a shop, a coffee place, somewhere to have your hair cut”.There were other ways jobs could be created, Mundine said, such as through micro businesses. He praised the new tourism plan for Arnhem Land, announced at Garma on Sunday, as a good way of allowing people to work while staying on their homelands. It would be a big step forward, he said, if Indigenous people earning good salaries, for example in the mining industry, were able to spend their money in their own communities, which meant having “a shop, a coffee place, somewhere to have your hair cut”.