Fed: Moves to abolish ATSIC devastating - O'Donoghue

AAP General News (Australia)
04-15-2004
Fed: Moves to abolish ATSIC devastating - O'Donoghue

SYDNEY, April 15 AAP - Aboriginal people were devastated at drastic moves to abolish
ATSIC, indigenous leader Lowitja O'Donoghue said today.

Dr O'Donoghue, a former chair of the peak indigenous body, said the announcement by
Prime Minister John Howard today that he would abolish ATSIC would not solve any problems.

"I think that the action is very drastic, and I think that certainly the elected arm
and a lot of Aboriginal people will be devastated that he's taken such drastic action,
even though we have been aware that this is the path he was taking," she told Sky News.

Dr O'Donoghue said it was the first time Mr Howard had spoken about ATSIC since a $1
million review of the organisation was conducted.

She said abolishing the organisation was not among the report's recommendations.

ATSIC had been in big trouble and was wracked by leadership problems, Dr O'Donoghue said.

"On the other hand I need to make the point that mainstreaming is not the answer," she said.

"Mainstream governments have had much longer than ATSIC to improve the conditions of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and they have failed and so this is no answer."

Geoff Clark, the suspended ATSIC chief, had to take responsibility for some of the
organisation's problems.

"There have been problems of course with the leadership," Dr O'Donoghue said.

"I think that Geoff Clark has got to take some responsibility for that.

"All the attention on Geoff Clark and his problems have not done the cause any good."

Dr O'Donoghue said he could have resigned some time ago so that ATSIC could move on
in the eyes of the Aboriginal and general communities.

AAP sal/cjh/de

KEYWORD: ATSIC ODONOGHUE

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