The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) is an

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

agency responsible for whole-of-government coordination of policy development, program design, and service delivery for

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

and

Torres Strait Islander people Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

, who are grouped under the term

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. Created in July 2019, the Agency is responsible to the

Minister for Indigenous Australians The Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Government of Australia is a position which holds responsibility for affairs affecting Indigenous Australians. Previous ministers have held various other titles since the position was created in 196 ...

Linda Burney Linda Jean Burney (born 25 April 1957) is an Australian politician and is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing Barton since the 2016 federal election. She is Minister for Indigenous Australi ...

and is an executive agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, replacing the Department's Indigenous Affairs Group. The inaugural Chief Executive Officer is retired

Vice Chief of the Defence Force The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) is the military deputy to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) of Australia, and acts as the CDF in his absence under standing acting arrangements. Vice Admiral David Johnston, the incumbent VCDF, has ...

Ray Griggs Vice Admiral Raymond James Griggs, (born July 1961) is an Australian senior public servant and a former senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy. He served as Chief of Navy from June 2011 to June 2014, before being appointed Vice Chief of ...

, and Deputy CEO is Professor Ian Anderson PSM. Jody Broun is set to take on a five year role as CEO from 14 February 2022.

History

The agency was first announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the 26 May 2019 after the return of the

Liberal-National Coalition The Liberal–National Coalition, commonly known simply as "the Coalition" or informally as the LNP, is an alliance of centre-right political parties that forms one of the two major groupings in Australian federal politics. The two partners in ...

to government at the 2019 Federal Election. Prime Minister Morrison announced a ministerial reshuffle and machinery of government changes which elevated Minister for Aged Care and Indigenous Health Wyatt into the

Cabinet of Australia The Cabinet of Australia (or Federal Cabinet) is the chief decision-making organ of the executive branch of the government of Australia. It is a council of senior government ministers, ultimately responsible to the Federal Parliament. Minister ...

as the Minister for Indigenous Australians and the creation of the National Indigenous Australians Agency within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, replacing the Department's Indigenous Affairs Group. The National Indigenous Australians Agency was listed in the

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette The ''Commonwealth of Australia Gazette'' is a printed publication of the Government of Australia, Commonwealth Government of Australia, and serves as the official medium by which decisions of the executive arm of government, as distinct from Go ...

on the 29 May 2019 as the ''Order to Establish the National Indigenous Australians Agency as an Executive Agency'' under the

Public Service Act 1999 The Public Service Act 1999 () is an Australian law, passed in 1999 by the Howard Government that regulates the federal Australian Public Service. The Act regulates the employment of federal public servants in Australia. The Act establishes ob ...

to be formally established on the 1 July 2019.

Governance and responsibilities

The National Indigenous Australians Agency is responsible to the Minister for Indigenous Australians and is an executive agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. As outlined in the Order, the Agency is responsible for leading and coordinating policy development, program design and implementation and service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and providing advice to the Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Affairs on whole-of-government priorities. The agency is also responsible for the promotion of

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

, the

Closing the Gap The Closing the Gap framework is an Australian government strategy that aims to reduce disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, based on seven targets. From adoption in 2008, after meetings with the Close the Gap social ...

strategy, and monitoring and evaluation of programs.

Structure

The NIAA is led by a CEO, Jody Broun, and two Deputy CEOs each with distinct responsibilities. As of 2022 the NIAA is organised as follows:

References

External links

* * {{Indigenous Australians Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia Indigenous Australian politics Organisations serving Indigenous Australians

History

Governance and responsibilities

Structure

See also

References

External links