The Administration of Indigenous Affairs
Australian Government programs and policies for Indigenous peoples are the responsibility of a range of agencies, but are managed in a whole-of-government way.
The whole-of-government arrangements are based on:
- coordinated policy development
- efficient, flexible and strategic use of funds across the government agencies administering both Indigenous-specific and mainstream programs
- active engagement and consultation with Indigenous peoples, and
- partnerships with Indigenous peoples, state and territory governments and the private and non-government sectors to produce benefits for Indigenous communities.
At the national level, the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination within the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA):
- collaborates with other agencies in developing national Indigenous policy
- leads negotiations on bilateral agreements with state and territory governments
- facilitates other intergovernmental processes including through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Working Group on Indigenous Reform and the Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
- coordinates a single Indigenous Budget, and
- monitors and evaluates outcomes from whole-of-government processes in Indigenous Affairs.
Other FaHCSIA units are responsible for:
- managing the processes and systems supporting a cross-agency group of Indigenous programs funded through Indigenous Coordination Centres
- working to remove ‘red tape’ from Indigenous service provision, and
- managing flexible funding so that more coordinated and strategic support can be given to particular Indigenous localities, developed with and responding to the needs of local peoples.
Indigenous Coordination Centres
The network of Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) is responsible for local engagement with Indigenous Australians and the coordination of programs at the local and regional levels.
There are 30 multi-agency ICCs in metropolitan and regional Australia. ICCs bring together staff working in the main Australian Government agencies administering programs and services for Indigenous peoples, and, in some cases, state or territory government agencies. They work with local Indigenous communities to develop and coordinate responses to local Indigenous needs and negotiate regional and local agreements.
COAG Working Group on Indigenous Reform
The COAG Working Group on Indigenous Reform is a forum bringing together the Australian Government and all state and territory governments. The Working Group’s objective is to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, focusing in particular on these targets:
- to close the life expectancy gap within a generation
- to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade, and
- to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements within a decade.
Further information
- Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs
- Indigenous Coordination Centres
- Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
- Council of Australian Governments
This fact sheet is also available to download ( PDF)
last updated June 2008