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CEO of an Aboriginal Organisation speaks about services

As the Chief Executive Officer of an Aboriginal organisation do you feel that non-Aboriginal orgainisations/services provide appropriate services to Aboriginal people.

Some do and some don’t. Some organization don’t understand the needs of Aboriginal people, and all the cultural awareness in the world is not going to change that, because they have their minds set in government departments on how Aboriginal people are supposed to be.

What are the problems you face when dealing with government services?

Across the counter dealings with Aboriginal people on individual basis, the complaints that I get through this office is counter staff actually talking down to them, and when handed forms if they do not understand them they are looked at as if they are stupid. Staff are not aware that all Aboriginal people can not read and write. Instead of asking for help and support from staff they are dealing with, they bring the forms here or to other Aboriginal organisations and that is actually belittling in its self and I find that is where cultural awareness comes in, not just for management but for counter staff that are dealing with our people and I think attitudes have to change where, I’m employed and your not and you have to do what I say, or if you are looking for a house, here are the forms, fill them in, don’t bother me, get someone else to do it and the rubbish of take them away and bring them back make an appointment for a fortnight. A lot of it is rubbish and can be dealt it with there and then and that how our people get to know these people. If they are helpful and do the right thing our people will walk away and think they were good people to deal with and when they go back they will actually ask for them.

How can management change the attitudes of staff towards Aboriginal people?

Its up to management to make that change.. They have to do Cultural awareness, they have to ensure that the staff working under them are fulfilling what their directions are. At the end of the day, if you have a person across the counter looking down their nose or trying to belittle you in any way, the response from me is, I don’t deal with those people, I go straight to the manager and I would expect the manager to deal with his staff.

Besides cultural awareness what else should management put into place?

It should be part of any policy that all staff that have an Aboriginal community undertake cultural awareness training and even those in a low population or no population should undertake it, especially The Department of Housing, Centrelink.

Some Aboriginal people won’t access non-Aboriginal orgainsation/services, what would be some of the reasons for that?

Some services are limited with the service they provide. We have a good rapport with the department of housing but if we have to deal with Centrelink on behalf a client we deal with the Aboriginal Liaison Officer and where organization have Aboriginal Liaison Officers we gravitate towards them for the sole reason they are aware of the wants and needs of the Aboriginal community and there is no cultural barrier.

What successful programs have you managed from this Aboriginal Organisation.

The cell and watch program. That’s a law and justice program, that supports indigenous people in custody, and in the legal system and we work in association with the police. Juvenile Justice, Probation and Parole, court support is offered and we have legal aid that attends here on a needs basic. We have Awabakal Medical Service that come up here twice a month and that has been very successful. We have Centrelink that does outreach up here on a fortnightly basis through the Aboriginal Liaison Officer. Ungooroo is actually a registered Land Care Group and basically what we do is offer any service that anyone needs when they come through the door if its within our capability. We are here to support them and advocate on their behalf, If it beyond us, we put them in contact with services that service the needs they require. We have undertaken CDEP, Community Development Employment Program over the last six months and have reached all our goals in that. In saying that it is not compulsory but we have our clients sign up with a job network provider and we found this difficult in the fact the we encourage our people to go to these because they have training dollars that exceed ours, and to this point we are only aware of about one or two of the job providers that have actually put some of our clients, who are also their clients into training and this is a matter that is gong to be dealt with, probably where we have to call a meeting and find out how many of our people have gone into training and if not, why not, because basically that ‘s what they are their for to train them up for employment and support them exactally what they are their for.

What outcome do you expect from this meeting?

I am hoping that they take into account exactly what they are saying and what I am saying without saying it is “ you start training some of our people or we will advise them to walk away from your network and sign up with a another job network and is working towards the benefit of our people.

What service do you expect from Job network providers.

I expect an equal playing field, I’m not saying were not getting that, maybe more training remembering that a lot of our clients left school early and have worked in the workforce as labourers, and minimal jobs and now you have to computer literate to do these thing. They need to be put into training for welding and apprenticeships or associated training to get apprenticeships which are out there, its costly and Ungooroo are willing to come to the party if we are able to get these people trained up so they are able to go into employment. Ultimately that’s the goal of CDEP to get these people full time employment and it is supposedly the goal of job network providers.

How important is it for Aboriginal people to gain access to full-time employment?

It is one of the most important things that’s on the agenda, because its breaks that Centrelink cycle. Their Aunt or Uncle gets their pay this week and everyone lives high because Mum an Dad get it the following week and their seen as surviving and not knowing that they are just surviving and basically that is just part of life. To have just a couple of young people to just go out and get a job and able to go out on the weekend of buy a car and other Aboriginals kids can say “if I get a job I can have this stuff” instead of living from day to day and week to week, so it really is crucial that with our younger people especially breaks that cycle so that their children don’t get into that cycle of unemployment.