Black Lives Matter: Too many are feeding off our native title bounty

Illustration: Eric Lobbecke

Our indigenous family can’t have it both ways when, quite rightly, promoting the cause that Black Lives Matter.

They’re right to bring to Australia’s attention the poorer education standards, poorer health outcomes, higher incarceration rates, higher deaths in custody rates and higher unemployment of our people and the racial abuse we suffer. But, at the same time, we must take steps to clean our own backyard.

Now is the hour when our indigenous community calls on South Australia’s Marshall government — and other governments — to help lead us away from the corporation management system that has led to widespread corruption, incompetence and nepotism.

You may ask: why is it important and how does it relate to BLM?

Indigenous corporations throughout South Australia receive tens of millions of dollars annually through mining company payments under native title agreements or through grants for running health services and “community” organisations for what seems the creation and maintenance of family dynasties.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: AAP

Many of these organisations have been placed into administration because of poor governance, reckless financial management and simply going broke. But no indigenous director is ever prosecuted. Some have been directors of more than one body that has gone into administration, but nothing happens to them. There is no accountability for bad behaviour, so it just keeps happening.

Under the native title system millions of dollars annually are paid to bodies often controlled by one family group who decide how the money is divided up in their community.

This leads to a power imbalance, opportunities for corruption and nepotism. There are very real and public concerns about the level of corruption in this system.

It is this simple: you do as the controlling family says or receive nothing.

There are good community-minded directors who are denied basic information of the boards they are on.

Some have never seen financial statements and are being denied access to other essential information. They are excluded from decisions and even meetings. Questions by directors and members go unanswered.

Then there is the role of lawyers who sometimes protect the interests of the controlling families (and therefore their ongoing fees), instead of acting in members’ interest.

There are many stories of people being threatened and assaulted for daring to stand up to these indigenous corporate bullies.

We have had a gut full of everyone turning a blind eye.

A protester wears a face mask depicting the Aboriginal flag during a rally in Sydney against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody. Picture: Getty

While this may be a surprise to non-indigenous Australians, it is no surprise to our communities, state governments or the opposition. These concerns were raised with my friend, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, before the last election. I was told that nothing could be done from opposition.

Well, Premier, you are not in opposition now. Your government can no longer turn a blind eye to these concerns just because it is an uncomfortable discussion.

By having millions of dollars controlled by some families denies other families access to their community money.

This denies these families the opportunity to start a business and to secure economic independence, it denies them educational opportunities such as improved literacy and numeracy, it limits the delivery of vital health ser­vices.

That all leads to higher incarceration rates, more deaths in custody, poorer health outcomes and higher unemployment.

A Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne. Picture: Getty

You and the other premiers have the power to address this, Mr Marshall.

A full judicial inquiry into governance of indigenous corporations (and the role of their lawyers) in South Australia would shed light on the concerns about corruption and maladministration within these bodies.

Aboriginal people are too scared to speak up for fear of their safety and that of their families and the denial of services by these corporate bullies. An inquiry will finally give them a formal public forum to tell their stories. As would non-indigenous people who are too scared to speak up about their concerns for fear of being called racist.

Yes, black lives matter, but our communities can no longer stand silent on the social problems caused by some of their own.

The premiers have the power to address this issue — we hope they have the courage. This would be a welcome positive for the vast majority of our community.

It is just too easy to be another government that turns away and ignores it all.

We call on Marshall to establish a full judicial inquiry into the governance of Aboriginal corporations and the actions of their lawyers.

Mark Koolmatrie is an elder and chairman of the Tribal Owners of Southern South Australia.