"Indigenous organisations are corrupt"
This idea stems in part from controversies that surrounded the now disbanded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and some of its officials. Despite claims about its unaccountability, ATSIC remained the only statutory body with its own internal audit section and was reviewed satisfactorily by external assessments and investigations.34
The circumstances in many Indigenous communities present unique governance challenges for many Indigenous organisations which, like any others, need to be well governed in order to succeed. There are countless successful, well-governed Indigenous organisations and businesses. And their success relies on the capacity of managers, staff and board members to understand and follow complex rules of fiscal and corporate responsibility – which in turn require a level of training and support that has been lacking in many Indigenous communities.
New research into Indigenous governance is revealing what works in Indigenous governance, what particular challenges organisations face and what governments can do to help improve community governance capacity.
LINKS
34 P G McHugh, Aboriginal Societies and the Common Law (2004) p 492
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