Indigenous Coordination Centres facts for kids

The Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) are special offices of the Australian Government. They help connect Indigenous Australians with government services and support. These centres work to make sure Indigenous communities get the help they need.

ICCs are responsible for giving and sharing services with Indigenous Australians. As of 2021, there are 30 ICC offices across Australia. Before ICCs, another group called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) handled these matters from 1990 to 2005. ATSIC stopped operating because it wasn't achieving its main goals, like improving living conditions for Indigenous peoples. After ATSIC closed, the Indigenous Coordination Centres became the main link between Indigenous communities and the Australian government.

How Did ICCs Begin?

ICCs are currently managed by the Australian Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. They started as administrative offices under ATSIC. Over time, they changed to become more independent in their work.

What Was ATSIC?

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was created in 1990. It managed government services and programs for Indigenous Australians. ATSIC also advised the Australian government on issues important to Indigenous communities.

ATSIC was led by a national board of Indigenous representatives chosen by their communities. Its goal was to help Indigenous people have a bigger say in decisions that affected their lives. ICCs were used as local offices under ATSIC. This Commission worked for 15 years before it was closed in 2005.

Even though ATSIC had more Indigenous involvement than other government groups at the time, it faced challenges. One reason was that it was closely watched by the central government. This made it slow to manage programs. Also, a government report showed that Indigenous Australians still faced differences in living standards, health issues, and opportunities. ATSIC was created to help with these problems. Some politicians also thought it cost too much money.

ATSIC was closed to make Indigenous programs simpler. The idea was to give these programs directly to different government departments. This way, each department could focus on specific Indigenous programs. After ATSIC closed, ICCs were then used to connect these government departments with Indigenous communities.

The New Way Forward

After ATSIC closed, new plans were put in place. These "New Arrangements" aimed to help Indigenous peoples have similar living standards and opportunities as other Australians. This approach was called a 'whole-of-government approach'. It meant that all parts of the government would work together.

This new way created better ways for Indigenous Australian community leaders to work with different levels of the Australian government. These plans had three main parts: ICCs, Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs), and Regional Partnership Agreements (RPAs). These agreements helped explain what the Australian government and Indigenous communities would do together. They aimed to solve issues affecting Indigenous Australians. Under these new plans, the responsibilities of the ICCs also grew.

Where are ICC Offices Located?

As of 2022, ICC offices are found in 30 regions across Australia. Here are some of the locations:

• Adelaide Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Alice Springs Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Bourke Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Brisbane Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Broome Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Cairns Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Cape York Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Ceduna Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Coffs Harbour Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Darwin Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Derby Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Geraldton Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Hobart Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Kalgoorlie Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Katherine Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Kununurra Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Melbourne Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Mount Isa Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Nhulunbuy Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Perth Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Port Augusta Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Queanbeyan Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Rockhampton Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Roma Indigenous Coordination Centre
• South Headland Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Sydney Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Tamworth Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Tennant Creek Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Townsville Indigenous Coordination Centre
• Wagga Wagga Indigenous Coordination Centre

What Do ICCs Aim to Achieve?

ICCs help Indigenous Australians and the government work together. They also give Indigenous leaders a way to connect with different government groups. Indigenous communities in Australia face challenges like differences in health, living standards, and opportunities. They also sometimes have less involvement in political processes.

ICCs receive funding to help solve these challenges. Their main goals are to improve how policies are created and put into action. They also support working together across federal, state, and non-government groups.

How Do ICCs Help Communities?

ICCs are seen as a helpful and special way to deal with the challenges Indigenous Australians face. They work by bringing together different government departments that provide services to Indigenous people. ICCs also help create Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs) with local communities. They have been successful in making these agreements.

The government has provided money for programs that help families and improve safety. They also fund projects to build better infrastructure in Indigenous communities. These programs are managed by ICCs. The centres have also improved local problem-solving and understanding of different cultures.

What Are Some Challenges for ICCs?

For ICCs to successfully coordinate programs and funding, their staff need certain skills. These skills include being able to speak up for changes and work with different government levels. They also need to cooperate well with Indigenous communities. However, ICC staff sometimes do not have enough power or the right skills for these tasks. They often rely on senior officials, who are not always available.

A big challenge for ICCs is "institutional inertia." This means that policies can be slow and complicated to put into action. This slowness can make it hard for ICCs to coordinate programs effectively. Some people criticize this bureaucracy for wasting resources that could go directly to Indigenous development.

Because of these complex processes, there can be a gap between the daily lives of Indigenous Australians and the policies made for them. Communication between ICCs and the central government can sometimes be unclear. This means that policies made by the distant federal government might not always fully address Indigenous issues.

It can also be hard to track who is responsible for what, because the plans for working together are sometimes vague. ICC managers have to work with many government levels, and there can be confusion about how to put policies into practice. ICCs often struggle to reach their goals because they have limited funding. Funds often come with strict rules that Indigenous communities find hard to meet.

The idea was for ICCs to make program funding simpler, but this has not fully happened. This is because it's complex to coordinate between different government departments and get program approvals. It's also hard to coordinate within each Indigenous community. Each government department needs its own report, which adds to the work. Programs that do get enough funding are often short-term, lasting only a year. Then, more effort is needed to get funding again.

Some people also criticize the federal government for being too controlling in its relationship with Indigenous Australians. Because ICCs handle the administration, programs might not always be led by Indigenous people. This can affect the independence and self-determination of Indigenous Australians. When state governments are given the job of providing services, their involvement in remote areas can be limited. This means Indigenous programs in remote areas might not get as much attention as those in bigger cities. Some believe that remote Indigenous areas are difficult to govern and too far from mainstream government.