Nominations open for ACT indigenous representative body

Polling for the elections will begin on Saturday July 5, coinciding with the start of NAIDOC Week celebrations in the ACT.

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Minister Shane Rattenbury called on interested citizens to nominate for the elections and represent their community.

The election process will be formally launched at Canberra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre in Yarramundi Reach on Monday.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 1.4 per cent of the ACT population, about 5100 in the 2011 Australian census.

“The elected body enables the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the ACT to have a strong, democratically elected voice that is able to represent the community’s interests and needs,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“The board consists of seven people from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and I would encourage any interested members to nominate as a candidate for the upcoming elections.”

Mr Rattenbury said the elected body “plays a vital role in working with the ACT government to communicate the concerns and priorities of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and influence positive actions and change”.

Current chairman Rod Little thanked the Canberra community, ACT government and members of the elected body for their contributions and co-operation in the space.

Members of the elected body are chosen through formal voting every three years, with elections timed to coincide with NAIDOC Week events and celebrations.

NAIDOC Week 2014 runs from July 6-13.