National Centre of Indigenous Excellence: Money, Bad Decisions And Mishandled Responsibilities

Former Chair of the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) and Chair of Indigenous Business Australia, Eddie Fry, was on a divestment mission last year to shed the Redfern site, a process that continues under his successors.

The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) is one of the few beacons of hope in the Aboriginal community, as other landmarks such as The Block have been torn down to make way for commercial development.

Is the ILSC tightening up its portfolio because it has made a series of bad investments?

The ILSC's acquisition of Ayers Rock Resort was one of its biggest failures on record, costing the organisation millions prior to COVID-19.

A letter to Mr Abbott, dated May 27, alleged the former ILC board agreed to the increased price "without any sound reasoning documented in the [then ILC Board] minutes." - ABC

One can only imagine the amount of money lost from that one investment during the COVID-19 lockdown, when tourism revenue was basically nonexistent.

New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC)

The NSWALC were reportedly given the opportunity to take over the NCIE, but had no long-term sustainability vision, which is unsurprising considering my own experience.

?The NSW government-owned and Indigenous-led organisation is probably the only viable option, given that it gets a lot of funding and support from the NSW government but it has a poor track record when it comes to supporting local Aboriginal land councils...

How would it have any chance of running the NCIE?

The claim that the NSWALC represents thousands of Aboriginals is like me saying that I can speak for all my email newsletter subscribers.

Solution

It would be great if we could find a solution that includes Aboriginal community ownership, since government ownership has never benefited First Nations communities in the long term.

The NSW government regularly puts local Aboriginal Land Councils into administration because it doesn't provide them with enough culturally appropriate support.

?Government ownership and "Indigenous-led" or "Community-led" is not the way forward for First Nations communities.