Wiradjuri Elder to Tell Aboriginal Affairs Minister State Government Indigenous Strategy Not Working

A Wiradjuri Elder says two years into the state’s OCHRE strategy, there has been no improvement in the south-western inland.

The state government says OCHRE is delivering a range of services to Indigenous people from birth through school, to training and job opportunities.

The New South Wales Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Leslie Williams, says a progress report shows more than 3000 students are learning an Aboriginal language.

Wagga Wagga’s Flo Grant is due to meet the Minister today.

She says she will again complain that money is being spent from Dubbo north, and OCHRE does not exist in the south.

“We’ve never seen it and I’ve talked to people up in those remote areas, they want to have their own programs and they can’t get funded unless they do it through the government structure,” Ms Grant said.

“Everything (is) managed from Dubbo.

“How can so much happen from one centre in a huge state and a very high population of people?”

Aunty Flo says she will today tell the Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ochre is not helping local Indigenous people at all.

The OCHRE plan focuses on encouraging local decision making in Aboriginal communities and getting employers involved in career planning for indigenous students.

A report card two years on, says Opportunity Hubs, which connect students with career advice and job opportunities, are now operating in 102 schools.

Aunty Flo says the program auspiced by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) is destroying self-determination.

“We don’t any longer make decisions for the program that are run,” she said.

“What are the programs that DAA provide?

“They’re running around setting up working parties that are going to take years to get off the ground.

“What are the services being provided by OCHRE?

“Where are they on the ground?”

Aunty Flo says the successes claimed two years on do not apply to Balranald, Hay, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, Wagga, Albury, Tumut and Young, where there are no programs happening.

She says Wagga and Albury are resettlement areas with large Aboriginal populations, and nothing is happening.

Ms Grant says the Department of Aboriginal Affairs office in Wagga Wagga has been closed, but there are three offices in the north.

“Why haven’t we got service providers down here in Wagga to services this region like we had with the old office?” she said.

“Because we’re different people, we’ve got different needs, we’ve got different progresses.

“You don’t plug the Europeans and say you’re all just European, so therefore you’ve only got one brain.”