NSW has led the country in many aspects of its response to Aboriginal affairs and Reconciliation.

With initiatives such as the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, the Statement of Commitment to Aboriginal People and the Aboriginal Community Development Program, we are striving to ensure Aboriginal people and communities have quality education and training, employment, better health and living conditions, support for their culture and heritage, and that improvements are lasting. Fundamental to our efforts has been our recognition of the special position Aboriginal people have in NSW as Indigenous people and our commitment to work towards a society which treats everyone with fairness and equity.

On 18 February I visited the Aboriginal community of Walhallow in northern NSW and saw a great example of what can be achieved when there is strong community leadership and a real capacity for people to shape their lives.

We also need to bear in mind, however, that past efforts in Aboriginal affairs by governments have met with mixed success, as was acknowledged by the meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) last year.

With this background, and with the formal end of the Reconciliation process, we need a fresh plan for Aboriginal Affairs in NSW; this plan should strengthen Aboriginal leadership and economic independence and build a partnership between Aboriginal people and the NSW Government. We must utilise past problems and successes to get better outcomes.

Partnerships: A New Way of Doing Business with Aboriginal People will be NSW's plan of action. The plan will demonstrate our commitment to working with local leadership for local solutions. As such Aboriginal communities will play a key role in developing and implementing the plan.

The new plan will include:

• Establishment and monitoring of performance indicators for NSW Government Chief Executives Officers.
• An annual audit report measuring the progress of targets and timetables across all agencies for the delivery of government services and infrastructure to Aboriginal people and communities.
• Development of a formal agreement with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission to promote co-operation and co-ordination and avoid duplication.
• Support for development of Aboriginal leadership in communities, including holding of an Aboriginal leadership forum for Aboriginal elders and young people from across the state.
• Working with business representatives to help in creating a strong Aboriginal small business sector.

The Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, together with the Chief Executive Officers' Group on Aboriginal Affairs, jointly chaired by the Directors-General of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and The Cabinet Office, will be the key forums overseeing development of the Plan.

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs is currently developing the Partnership Plan in conjunction with other key agencies. I would therefore request all Ministers to ensure that agencies within their portfolios work with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to ensure the development and implementation of the new plan.

Bob Carr
Premier

Issued by: Department of Aboriginal Affairs and The Cabinet Office
Contact: Bob Davidson, Department of Aboriginal Affairs 
Jenny McDonald, The Cabinet Office
Telephone: (02) 9290 8700 (DAA) 
(02) 9228 4706 (TCO)
Email: [email protected] 
[email protected]
Date: 1 June 2001