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National Congress told Wiradjuri grandmother she wasn’t a suitable applicant for them
by Stephen Hagan 19 August 2013
H
igh profile Indigenous advocate, Anne Weldon, Director of the Sydney Metropolitan Land Council and a member of national NAIDOC, told First Nations Telegraph she was absolutely gutted when informed she was not good enough to be considered for the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. “I thought this was a democracy,” Ms Weldon, a proud Wiradjuri woman, said. “To make it even worse, I wasn’t particularly keen on lending my name to the National Congress because of its poor standing in our community. “But I felt it important to offer
Ann Weldon with grandchildren. Image supplied
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.” Lindon Coombes, CEO, First Nations 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 a significant contribution to the work of Congress in many other ways.”
Mr Coombes made reference to the selection criteria for Chamber 3 in which she was assessed against. • a gender balance • a demonstrated commitment to Congress purposes • to ensure that there is a balance of knowledge and experience • delegates reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations including remote, regional, urban and youth. Mr Coombes also pointed out that her skills and experience was used to rank applicants. Having sited Ms Weldon’s extensive background in Indigenous Affairs, First Nations Telegraph finds it incomprehensible how the National Congress could
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deem her to not be an asset to their organization struggling for acceptance in an ever-changing political landscape. Ms Weldon is the founding member of the NSW Aboriginal Children’s Service and Inner West Aboriginal Community Company. For over 35 years, she has held executive positions and was a member of a number of committees including the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and Marrickville Aboriginal Consultative Committee. She was the first female CEO of the Aboriginal Legal Service and the first CEO of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. She was elected to the Sydney ATSIC Regional Council for three consecutive terms as Councillor and as the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. Ms Weldon was appointed to the inaugural NSW Aboriginal Housing Board in 1998 as an ATSIC nominee and was then appointed the first female Chairperson of the NSW Housing Board from 2000-2007. She was also a Board Member of the Australian Technology Park and the former Redfern Waterloo Authority. Mr Coombes stated in his letter to Ms Weldon that it “was an extremely challenging task to select the 19 applicants to fill the vacant individual delegate places for both men and women.” Ironically, at the National
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Ann Weldon with family and friends at NAIDOC Ball in Hobart last year. Image supplied
Congress’ elections conducted in Cairns on 19-21 July, only 9 nominees applied to fill 12 vacant positions for Chamber 1 Female and 8 nominees applied to fill 12 vacant positions for Chamber 2 Male. Ms Weldon asked Mr Coombes to provide her with a full explanation on the selection process as well as any reports in relation to her application and any rights she has for an appeal of the ethics council’s decision. When First Nations Telegraph spoke to Les Malezer, recently re-elected co-Chair of National Congress, about Ms Weldon’s concerns he said it was the policy of his organization to outsource selection processes so as to be ‘at arm’s length’ from that process. When asked, on behalf of Ms Weldon, if Mark McMillan (elected director of National Congress at the Cairns forum) was part of the ethics panel that reviewed the decision on Ms Weldon’s application, he said he was uncertain. Ms Weldon said she was made aware by Mr Coombes that the selection process was “contracted to the University of Melbourne, (where Mark McMillan is an academic), to develop a framework for ranking applications that ensure a transparent and independent process”. Mr Malezer said he could not
answer the question on whether Mark McMillan was on the University of Melbourne review team. “All we (Congress directors) get is the final recommendation from the ethics committee and we don’t ask questions,” Mr Malezer said. Ms Weldon said she was not confident of getting a response from the National Congress to her concerns. “It just confirms to me that an organization that pays it’s co-Chairs (Les Malezer and Kirstie Parker) $250,000 and their directors over $80,000 each a year for three years plus all the perks that go with the job, don’t want grass roots people like me interfering with their little cosy arrangements,” she said. “Ask any black fella in this country what the National Congress has done for them or where they’ve spent their $25m of tax payer’s money and I’m certain you’ll get a blank look on their face.” “They talk about being accountable and transparent … but in all my years of working in black politics, I’ve never seen such a secretive organization in my life,” Ms Weldon said. First Nations Telegraph will report any further developments on this story and will publish stories received from other applicants who’ve had their applications declined by National Congress.