Community information - strengthening Government accountability in Aboriginal affairs

Fact sheet
An idea for making government work better for Aboriginal people.
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The idea is for a new organisation to hold the government accountable for the way it works with Aboriginal people, and to advocate for the things that matter to Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

When we talk about someone being accountable, we mean they have to be open about what they’ve been doing so other people can see if they’re doing the right thing. For example, the committee members of a corporation are accountable to the members. At an annual general meeting, the committee needs to explain what the corporation has done in the last year, especially about money. This way everyone can see if they are doing a good job or not.

An advocate helps the government listen to people outside government and speaks up about the things that are important to those people. For example, when a land council writes a letter to ask the Federal Government to change the law on native title, the land council is doing advocacy for traditional owners.

In the past, governments have at times made decisions that have not been good for Aboriginal people, or delivered services in a way that has not made a real difference. We believe this would happen less if there was stronger government accountability to Aboriginal people.

We think an official advocate for Aboriginal people would help the government listen better to Aboriginal people’s priorities, views, concerns and ideas. 

For more information, see the fact sheet below.