11 July 2011

The Job Ahead: New Board Takes Office

The Congress National Board of Directors (l-r) Venessa Curnow, Brian Butler, Les Malezer (Co-Chair), Rod Little, Jody Broun (Co-Chair), Dennis Eggington, Daphne Yarram, Tammy Solonec.

The first elected board of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples took office and held their first official meeting during NAIDOC Week at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney.

The eight Directors were recently elected by Congress Members and Delegates and the board meeting follows the first policy summit held last month at Homebush.

“We are all very humbled and energised at the same time, about our role and the work ahead,” said Ms Broun. "The new board has hit the ground running, as we continue to canvass our members and adopt positions on a range of issues that they have identified,” she said.

Mr Malezer said the Co-Chairs and Directors are committed to some key principles and priorities. “Governments are on notice that the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be protected and promoted,” said Malezer. “We are also focused on growing the Congress and fulfilling our potential as a new voice in the nation’s political landscape,” he said.

The National Board identified critical areas of the work ahead:

• Our top priority is our people: building on our existing membership base
• Ensuring any constitutional reform accords with the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Ensuring that our peoples and communities voice is heard during consultations on the Northern Territory Emergency Response
• And further to that, the Congress establishes a formal position on the future of Federal Government policies and investment under this program in the Northern Territory
• Publishing the final report of the National Congress meeting
• Publishing the membership survey on policy priorities

To find out more about the Directors, click here.

Congress Directors drumming up members at the NAIDOC Family Day at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern on Friday July 8th.