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Silence is deafening at National Congress on Chamber 3 culling
National Congress: (Top Row: L-R) Les Malezer (Co-Chair), Kirstie Parker (Co-Chair), Rod Little, Venessa Curnow. (Bottom Row: L-R) Daphne Yarram, Gerry Moore, Tammy Solonec, Mark McMillan. Image: National Congress
by Stephen Hagan 21 August 2013 ollowing revelations this week that the National Congress of Australia’s First People had culled high profile Wiradjuri leader Ann Weldon from Chamber 3 and on further enquiries to them to name the people responsible for that act, National Congress leaders and staff have chosen to remain tightlipped on the subject. In fact so pathetic has been the deafening silence from National Congress leaders on the simple question of who did the culling of candidates from over 200 down to 40 that their promoted strengths of being accountable and transparent has come under a dark cloud of cumulonimbus proportion. On Monday this week First Nations Telegraph highlighted the frustration experienced by Wiradjuri leader Ann Weldon who said she was “absolutely gutted” when informed she was
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not good enough to be considered for Chamber 3 of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. Ms Weldon, speaking exclusively to First Nations Telegraph, said she wasn’t particularly keen initially on lending her name to the National Congress because of “its poor standing in our community” but put her hand up for Chamber 3 to “offer a grass root’s perspective (from the inside) on issues like the Constitution debate and other important social issues that affect our mob that otherwise was being taken up by the bourgeois blacks who’ve taken over black affairs since the demise of ATSIC”. The National Congress was set up by the Labor Government in April 2010 and promoted itself as ‘a national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’. In their promotional brochure they state they strive ‘for equality, freedom and opportunity’ and is a “member-led organisation’. The biggest problem appears to
be the exclusivity of membership of the organization. The current national board: Les Malezer (Co-Chair), Kirstie Parker (CoChair), Rod Little, Venessa Curnow, Daphne Yarram, Gerry Moore, Tammy Solonec and Mark McMillan represent three chambers with a total membership of 120. Chamber 1 is comprised of 40 delegates from National and Peak Representative Bodies. Chamber 2 has 40 delegates from organisations and Chamber 3 has 40 individual delegates who are chosen for their unique skills as opposed to representing peak bodies or organisations. Lindon Coombes, CEO, National Congress of Australia’s First People, informed Ms Weldon in an undated letter that “there was a significant number of applications from across Australia,” and that “with a strong field of applicants it is unfortunate that on this occasion we were unable to offer you a delegates position, however your experience and skills can still make Page 1
www.firstnationstelegraph.com a significant contribution to the work of Congress in many other ways.” After numerous attempts by First Nations Telegraph to contact Les Malezer, co-Chair and Lindon Coombes, CEO to ask the pertinent question of who made the final decision on delegates from Chamber 3, those well-remunerated public officers all of a sudden became extremely media shy. When contact was made with Director Tammy Solenec from Western Australia she was quick to say ‘I prefer not to be quoted on this issue’ and that ‘you should take the matter up with our media team’. When pushed a little further and told that she, as a director, ought to have a response on who does the culling of Chamber 3 applicants, Ms Solonic responded: “We’re still a young organization finding our feet and still making mistakes” and then assertively offered the view that “someone … who I don’t know personally, has to cut the 200 plus applicants in Chamber 3 down to 40 delegates. That’s just the way business is … someone has to miss out and will not be happy with that outcome.” After being told by staff at the National Congress head office in Sydney that questions raised by us: who does the culling for Chamber 3 and does National Congress advertise with other Indigenous media outlets other than the Koori Mail (new National Congress co-Chair Kirstie Parker was the editor of the Koori Mail), would be responded to by their Communications Director, Liz Willis, the waiting game began. As days passed and with no response from Liz Willis, a surprise call to her mobile late yesterday afternoon caught her off guard and she reluctantly offered a response to the first of the two questions posed by saying the Congress is “very busy at the moment and I don’t have time to dedicate to answering these questions today”. Page 2
When asked if she would be ready to answer the questions the following day, she said she didn’t think so and couldn’t quite give a day or time when the information would be forthcoming. On their glossy brochure National Congress states they will ‘endeavour to bring equality, freedom, opportunity and empowerment to all First Peoples’. It would appear leaders at National Congress are having difficulty being accountable and transparent on who was charged with culling the 200 plus delegates for Chamber 3 down to 40. Having been told by administrative staff at National Congress that the Ethics Council had endorsed all applications to Chamber 3 it still remains a mystery on the individual or committee charged with making the hard call on who would comprise the 40 representatives in that chamber. To remove any doubt that recently elected director from Chamber 3, Dr Mark McMillan - a Wiradjuri man and academic in The University of Melbourne Law School - was a representative on the culling committee that Les Malezer said “was outsourced to Uni of Melbourne” the question was posed to him. “Absolutely not,” was Dr McMillan’s response. “I’ve no idea who or what group of people within my university sat on that committee”. Following our story earlier this week another high profile Indigenous leader came forward with his story of disappointment of also being culled from Chamber 3. Gavin Tye, a Mandangandji man, and senior accountant who is the Relationship Manager – Indigenous Strategies, as part of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, CPA Australia and The Institute of Practicing Accountants told First Nations Telegraph that he felt “ripped off” by his culling..
Gavin Tye: Image supplied
“I was very disappointed when I received the letter from Lindon Coombes,” Mr Tye said. “I thought with my extensive skills in accounting that I had something to offer Congress.” Mr Tye said he didn’t know how many applicants had their names in the hat for selection to Chamber 3 and when he received the news he felt “alone and despondent” but “chose not to take the matter further”. “When I read Ann Weldon’s story I was furious that there was this big secrecy surrounding the committee charged with culling applicants. “It really does speak volumes to the probity of this mob who let others believe they’re above reproach and yet remain silent on who did the culling of applicants,” he said. First Nations Telegraph will continue to report on this matter until such time as co-Chairs Malezer and Parker comes clean and tells the nation who the faceless men and women are who took the razor to the applicant’s list. Until such time as the Chamber 3 stench of secrecy and arrogance is removed from the National Congress the dark cloud of cumulonimbus proportion will continue to hover over them and bring into the question their relevance as a national voice for First Nations People.