Aboriginal health at the mercy of Labor incompetence

28/07/11

Yet another Labor insider has turned on the department responsible for managing the central Australian intervention.

Shadow Indigenous Health Spokesperson Andrew Laming said senior FaHCSIA officials have scurried away from questions regarding the Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services.

“Last year the Coordinator General complained about serious problems within the department which were negatively impacting the efficient and effective implementation of the Remote Service Delivery National Partnership,” Dr Laming said.

“At 2011-12 Budget Estimates hearing on 3 June 2011, officials denied knowledge of the correspondence and took the question on notice.”

The written answer finally surfaced this week, stating that “In preparing his second statutory report, the Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services wrote to FaHCSIA (on 22 June 2010 and 24 August 2010) on matters he was considering for inclusion in this report. These communications were confidential internal working documents”.

Dr Laming said it begs the question “How independent is the Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services?”

“Despite being a statutory officer with no reporting line to FaHCSIA, the Coordinator General sent his written concerns to the Secretary for clearance before compiling his supposedly “independent” report to Minister Macklin.

“So much for cutting through road blocks and red tape and facilitating a new way of doing business in remote Indigenous communities,” Dr Laming said.