The Federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1972 and March 1901.
It had its origins in the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, which was established by the Holt government in 1967.
The current agency responsible for Indigenous affairs is the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA).
Like all federal departments, it is manned by public servants and has been operating for over 50 years and has not done much to close the gap for First Nations People.
Mr R.U. (MyCity Logan, August 15) in “Are they confused?” thinks the agency is doing a good job with the money they spend as he wants them to keep doing the same thing.
The large number of First Nation Groups/Tribes that signed the 439-word Uluru Statement from the Heart do not agree with R.U. Logan. They agree with our local Federal Member Burt Van Manen who stated in My City Logan on July 4-10:
“We all acknowledge Indigenous Australians have been let down by successive governments, successive departments with boards paid to represent them. And sadly, it has meant indigenous Australians have not been able to close the gap.”
This large Uluru group wants a Voice, enshrined in our constitution which will permanently protect First Nations advice in our democratic structure and provide First Nations Peoples with a strong institutional foundation to influence decision-making.
Why? Because over the last 50 years successive governments have tried different ways, and various Boards of advisors and committees each time the government changes. All this has got Australia and First Nations people nowhere.
The First Nations people asked the Liberal government in 2017 to do something different and they refused and only changed the name of the Department to the NIAA.
The new Labor Government was asked, and they have agreed to do something different with the HOPE it will help close the gap in time and reduce the billions of dollars being spent doing the same thing and getting nowhere.
Unfortunately, Burt Van Manen believes having the same permanent VOICE advising parliament each time the government changes is divisive and will divide Australians.
The Liberals want to keep on doing the same as the governments are doing now, that is changing the advisors each time the government changes.
The misinformation and lies by the No campaign makes me wonder why I am still proud to be an Australian.
Laurie Ganter,
Mount Warren Park.
