Geoff Clark (politician) facts for kids

Geoff Clark (born August 1952) is an important Australian Aboriginal leader and activist. He was the head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) from 1999 until it closed in 2004. ATSIC was a special government body that represented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and helped them.

Early Life and Sports

Clark was born in August 1952. His grandmother, Alice, raised him in an Aboriginal community in western Victoria.

When he was young, Geoff was a talented boxer. He even boxed in Jimmy Sharman's tent when it visited Warrnambool. At age 20, Clark moved to Western Australia. For six years, he worked as a builder's helper and a gardener. He also played Australian rules football for two teams in the West Australian Football League (WAFL): Claremont and Subiaco. In 1978, he played a few games for Norwood Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

Leading in the Community

In 1979, Clark started working as the administrator for the Framlingham Aboriginal Community Trust. This trust helped manage land and resources for the community.

He also helped create the Aboriginal Provisional Government in 1983. This group worked to give Aboriginal people more control over their own lives and futures. From 1983 to 1996, Geoff Clark was very active in Aboriginal affairs, both in Australia and around the world.

Role at ATSIC

In December 1996, Clark was chosen to be part of the board for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). He became the spokesperson for native title, which deals with the rights of Aboriginal people to their traditional lands.

In December 1999, Geoff Clark made history. He was the first person to be elected as the chairperson of ATSIC by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves. He served two terms in this important role. ATSIC was eventually closed down by the government in 2004. During his time as chairperson, Clark faced some legal challenges. In August 2003, he was briefly suspended from his role, but a court later overturned this decision.

Standing Up for Rights

In September 2011, Geoff Clark was part of a group that took legal action against a newspaper columnist, Andrew Bolt. The court case was about articles Bolt wrote that were seen as racially unfair. Clark said he joined the case because he disagreed with the general way Bolt wrote about Aboriginal people. The Federal Court of Australia decided that Bolt's articles broke a law called the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. This law helps protect people from discrimination based on their race.

See also

• Ray Robinson (ATSIC)