Govt accused of isolating Indigenous public servants

A national reconciliation group says the federal Government's main-streaming of Indigenous services into government departments will continue to isolate Aboriginal public servants.

Director of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation, David Cooper, says there is only one Indigenous executive out of 20 managers in the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination. He says as the Government's main centre for Indigenous policy, it replaces ATSIC where two-thirds of the executive was Indigenous.

"When you have a major transfer of control, management control, from Indigenous people back to white bureaucrats. What else can you conclude from that?" he said.

"We're returning to a paternalistic, coercive approach to Indigenous affairs," Mr Cooper said.

By Sorry 21 January 05

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