The National Indigenous Council (NIC) was an appointed advisory body to the

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 Governmen ...

through the Minister's for Indigenous Affairs' Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs (MTIA) established in November 2004 (not to be confused with the earlier Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs (MTF) chaired by Mal Brough), and wound up in early 2008. It was chaired by

Sue Gordon Sue Gordon is an Aboriginal retired magistrate from Western Australia who has been locally and nationally honoured for her work with Aboriginal people and in community affairs. She is known for being chair of the Gordon Inquiry (the Inquiry in ...

, a

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

n magistrate.

History

NIC was established as a government-appointed 14-member advisory body, subsequent to the abolition of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

(ATSIC), which was an elected body of

Indigenous Australian 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 ...

representatives. The new body found little support among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, although the members of the Council were respected, because it was felt that the appointed members had no mandate to speak on behalf of Indigenous people. While the Howard government stressed that the NIC was not intended to replace ATSIC, and nor was it a representative body, a leaked document from the federal cabinet in April 2004 had used the word "replace" several times. NIC first met on 8–9 December 2004. It was supposed to run until 31 December 2007. A government inquiry into the demise of ATSIC recommended in March 2005 "that the NIC be a temporary body, to exist only until a proper national, elected representative body is in place". On 15 January 2008, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs,

Jenny Macklin Jennifer Louise Macklin (born 29 December 1953) is an Australian former politician. She was elected to federal parliament at the 1996 federal election and served as the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 2001 to 2006, und ...

, announced that the NIC would be wound up. The news was largely welcomed by Indigenous Australians.

Functions

The terms of reference of the council were to provide expert advice to government on improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians. It would report to the Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs (MTA), and would support the work of the MTA to develop "strategies which would improve the delivery of services to Indigenous Australians". It was not involved in specific funding proposals or in the planning of proposals being undertaken in individual communities. While it was regarded as the principal source of advice to the government, other bodies and individuals would also be consulted by the government. According to Minister

Amanda Vanstone Amanda Eloise Vanstone (née O'Brien; born 7 December 1952) is an Australian former politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios in the ...

, the Council's goals would include such matters as facilitating early childhood development, improving safety for Indigenous women and children, and reducing welfare dependence. Gordon indicated that Aboriginal

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

would be a top priority.

Members

The first 14 members appointed were: *

(Chair) * Wesley Aird *

Archie Barton Archie Barton was an Aboriginal Australian political activist and land-rights campaigner. He played a key role in the 20-year campaign in the Maralinga Tjarutja people regaining ownership of their land, following the British nuclear tests at Ma ...

* Miriam Rose Baumann *

MaryAnn Bin-Sallik MaryAnn Bin-Sallik (born 1940) is Djaru Elder and Australian academic, specialising in Indigenous studies and culture. She was the first Indigenous Australian to gain a doctorate from Harvard University. Early life and nursing Bin-Sallik was ...

*Joseph Elu *

Adam Goodes Adam Roy Goodes (born 8 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Goodes holds an elite place in VFL/AFL history as a dual Brownlow Medallist, d ...

* Sally Goold *Robert Lee *

John Kundereri Moriarty John Kundereri "Jumbana" Moriarty (born ) is an Aboriginal Australian artist, government advisor and former soccer player. He is also known as founder of the Balarinji Design Studio, for painting two Qantas jets with Aboriginal motifs. Today ...

Warren Mundine Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and politician. He was the National President of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition government's Indig ...

Joe Proctor Joseph Edward Proctor (born August 10, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Proctor was also a competitor o ...

*Michael White *

Tammy Williams Tammy Kay Williams (born June 21, 1987) is an American, former collegiate four-time All-American, four-time professional All-Star softball player and coach. She played her natural position at shortstop from 2006 to 2009 at Northwestern, as wel ...

Commentary

The appointment of the National Indigenous Council sparked controversy both among Indigenous leaders and politicians. Former Aboriginal football player Michael Long turned down a position on the board.

References

{{Indigenous Australians, state=collapsed Indigenous Australian politics 2004 establishments in Australia Organisations serving Indigenous Australians Public policy in Australia 2008 disestablishments in Australia