Hello Raven
Quote:In a lot of instances Nicole they had to agree to behavioural change contracts in order to access government funding, including funding for basic citizenship services and entitlements. In the case of the first publicly announced SRA this was a petrol bowser and health checks from the Government in return for hygiene measures including face washing. This was to address trachoma rates in the Mulan community.
Yes. The SRA was dependent on some sort of behavioural change, like getting kids to school. No one puts a petrol pump or swimming pool in my backyard if I don't send my boy to school. In fact, if I don't send my boy to school the authorities will come down on me like a ton of bricks.
Can you flesh out the bit I have highlighted in yellow please?
Quote:SRAs accounted for only about one per cent of Federal Indigenous expenditure. How can fiddling with one per cent of Indigenous funding make any real impact, particularly on Indigenous disadvantage?
By focusing public debate on SRAs, the Government evaded scrutiny over the other 99 per cent of Indigenous funding.
During the course of the SRAs the Indigenous Affairs Minister would often explain the need to listen directly to local communities and families so that ‘our funding hits the mark’.
What's the "other 99%" of indigenous funding spent on?
And what's wrong with what the Indigenous Affairs minister said? It makes sense to me, btw, if you're rolling out a new program (like SRAs) to take a small bite, and test it. If it works, allocate it more funding.
Quote:Though ATSIC had it's difficulties Indigenous communities and a range of Indigenous service organisations interfaced with ATSIC Regional Councils, providing a largely Indigenous-controlled consultation and governance structure for setting local and regional priorities. This structure provided significant Indigenous participation in and control of policy development and service delivery.
What replaced ATSIC was a new ‘Western construct’ – the unelected, bureaucrat-driven Indigenous Coordination Centres (‘ICC’s) which are the Government’s mainstream agency one-stop-shops. It seems the clipboard has a secure future in Indigenous affairs after all.
I'd be very, very careful about spruiking the 'merits' of ATSIC, Raven. I note you prefaced your comments by saying, "although ATSIC had it's difficulties...".
Quote:The fact that SRAs were not legally enforceable placed all of the power with the Government and very little in the hands of communities. The Government can drag its heels or renege on funding if it chooses. For example, Murdi Paaki did not received any of the 200 air conditioners promised by the Government in an SRA signed for 3 years. We are still unsure if Mulan got it's bowser.
No sanctions were available to communities who felt let down by the Government. There was no mechanism to independently scrutinise whether the Government was meeting its responsibilities and compel it to act.
Ok. I hear you on that.
Quote:What was most offensive about SRAs to Indigenous people is that they were racially discriminatory and patronising. They make funding conditional on behavioural change and other commitments which were not required from non-Indigenous communities.
Non- Indigenous communities don't get swimming pools for simply sending their kids to school! On the contrary, our children can be removed from us if we don't do it.
I'll ask of you Raven, what's your solution?
Cheers,
Nicole
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