- Liam ___________________________ . In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse http://itsoch.hypermart.net KOLA Action Group http://kola-hq.hypermart.net Journey of Healing http://www.journeyofhealing.com .___________________________ -----Original Message----- From: Webcentral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 8:43 AM Subject: [atsic] Medai Release: The most powerful voice faces the ultimate test of accountability >4 October 1999 > >The most powerful voice faces the ultimate test of accountability > > >ATSIC is the most powerful voice ever established for Aboriginal and Torres >Strait Islander people but it could be lost forever if they don't turn out >to vote at the ATSIC regional council elections on 9 October, retiring ATSIC >Commissioner John Delaney said today. > >"As a representative organisation, ATSIC is only as good as the people >elected to regional councils and the board of commissioners," said >Commissioner Delaney, who represented the Sydney Metropolitan Zone on the >ATSIC Board for the last three years. > >"The regional council elections are the ultimate test of accountability. >They are the means for reviewing the performance of regional councils and >they are a measure of how seriously our communities take their >responsibilities for advancing Indigenous interests when choosing who to >vote for. > >"ATSIC is the only organisation that offers a truly national perspective on >the needs of our communities. And ATSIC is the only organisation that can >ensure Indigenous control of a sizeable proportion of revenue from the >national tax base. > >"Other organisations - land councils, housing corporations, legal services - >have their place within the context of local issues. But ATSIC is behind >the funding of most organisations and activities in Indigenous communities. > > >"People sometimes forget that it is ATSIC that funds CDEPS, native title >bodies, legal services, Indigenous radio and television, housing and >business loans, cultural development and so on. It is ATSIC that sends >delegates to meetings with governments and international bodies and it is >ATSIC that funds other organisations to do so as well. " > >Commissioner Delaney said the future of ATSIC rests with Indigenous >communities. > >"We need to send a strong message to Canberra and to every state government >that ATSIC is now - and will remain - the main political advocate of our >interests. > >"We need to show every Indigenous and mainstream politician that Indigenous >people are the force behind ATSIC - that we are organised, that we are >strategic and that we won't be dismissed as irrelevant. > >"Our communities must turn out to vote in force to vote at the ATSIC >elections next Saturday 9 October or at mobile polling booths before then. > >"Whatever limitations we think it has, ATSIC is the best structure and the >most powerful voice our people have ever had. If we allow ATSIC to weaken, >we will never get anything as powerful again." > > > >Contact for Commissioner Delaney: Martin Freckmann 0408 >631 045 > >Craig Sproule >Office of Public Affairs - ATSIC >Ph: 02 6121 4952 >Fax: 02 6282 2854 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
