The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected body has accused the ACT's bureaucracy of a lack of transparency and obfuscation over progress on the territory's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement.
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In a report on hearings into progress on the agreement, which was signed last year, the body called for greater inter-directorate collaboration on programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
But the elected body also criticised ACT government directorates for their limited responses to questions taken on notice.
"We have been left disappointed by the lack of transparency given to a number of the priority actions that were agreed by directorates. These priority actions were intended for achievement in the first 18-month period of the agreement," the report said.
"Secondly, the Elected Body have been surprised and disappointed by the lack of concrete reporting of numbers, data and progress. Instead relying on stories and case studies to illustrate progress, rather than solid, systemic change."
The elected body said in its report it would like to see questions transparently and honestly answered, with data that allows the body to assess progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities against mainstream outcomes.
"The lack of transparency and engagement on the progress and validity of the outcomes framework is deeply frustrating after the enthusiasm and vision with which the Agreement was launched," the report, released early last month, said.
"Targets are not helpful if they simply stay 'in progress' for ten years and then we discover we did not have data and it becomes a meaningless exercise."
The 10-year agreement was signed in February 2019.
The body's chair, Katrina Fanning, said in a foreword to the report that directorates needed to work together to achieve the agreement's intended outcomes.
"Rarely are outcomes for our community achieved through the efforts of just one directorate. We will expect a key area of whole-of-government focus to be on addressing systemic racism," Ms Fanning said.
The report also called for a commitment to fund new programs to address issues within the ACT's justice system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and expand mental health support.
"The elected body would like to see a greater collaboration between [the justice and community safety directorate] and other directorates to progress behaviour and engagement issues with justice," the report said.
The hearings took place in March.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
