The Queensland government has been accused of operating a secret agenda, nicknamed 'project invisibility' by public servants, to systematically purge the public sector of First Nations officials, policies, and programs.
Barrister Alleges Organised Strategy
Prominent Indigenous barrister Joshua Creamer has accused the LNP government of implementing an 'organised strategy' to eliminate, remove, and reduce the role of Indigenous people within government. Creamer was sacked as head of the state's truth-telling and healing inquiry in the Crisafulli government's first act in office, on its first general sitting day of parliament.
Creamer stated that the government has removed a string of Aboriginal Queenslanders from state government boards and eliminated Black voices from government policy-making. He provided several examples, including the removal of contemporary artist Bianca Beetson and musician David Williams from the boards of state cultural organisations, the removal of prominent barrister Avelina Tarrago from the Legal Aid Board, and the appointment of Darren Robinson, a former detective criticised for his role in investigating the 2004 Aboriginal death in custody on Palm Island.
Specific Actions Since LNP Came to Power
Since the LNP took office, a number of Aboriginal programs and strategies have also been defunded, such as Murri Watch. The government attempted, before backflipping, to implement a blanket policy to contest all new native title claims. It overturned a decision to name the state's newest theatre for Indigenous poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The government passed legislation to exempt its Olympic venues from cultural heritage law. It has been accused of a cull of protected dingoes on K'gari without consultation with Indigenous owners, as required by the island's native title claim. The LNP has asked for a number of state electorates to be stripped of First Nations names. The Indigenous community has also questioned continuing representation in the Education and Health departments, including changes to the role of the chief First Nations health officer.
Creamer said he had heard it described by a person in government as 'project invisibility'. 'There's an organised strategy and that is to ultimately eliminate, remove, reduce the Indigenous affairs, Indigenous initiatives, Indigenous voices,' he said. 'You'll never get rid of every Aboriginal person, and you could look at boards where Aboriginal people haven't been removed. But I think there's an element of removing the voices that might be seen to challenge the government's position, or the status quo, or aren't in the government's camp.'
Non-Reappointment of Natalie Lewis
He also pointed to the decision not to reappoint Gamilaraay woman Natalie Lewis to the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC), an independent statutory body that provides advice to the government on child safety system reform. She had served as one of two commissioners for six years. Lewis said she had asked the attorney general, Deb Frecklington, for her term to be extended in order to guarantee an Aboriginal voice would be at the table while the government considered its response to a commission of inquiry. About half of Queensland children in out-of-home care are Indigenous.
The report, by lawyer Paul Anastassiou, was released on Wednesday. It recommends an end to the principle that adoption is a last resort for Indigenous children, against the urging of numerous Aboriginal organisations. Lewis said that when decisions are made in the absence of the voices of Aboriginal people, 'it sends a very clear message about what level of priority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have in the state'. She said she had seen, since the change of government, 'an abandonment of spaces where we have been pretty accustomed to having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented'. 'It's visible. There is less and less representation, and there seems to be more of a mainstreaming approach,' she said.
Asked on Thursday why she had not renewed Lewis's term, Frecklington said 'her term was up and she was not reappointed'. 'I've been very well reassured by the commissioner of the QFCC that the work that former commissioner Lewis was undertaking is continuing,' she said.
Government Response
A spokesperson for the Crisafulli government said its 'approach has been clear from the start – redirecting funds into practical locally led projects which deliver tangible outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander discrete communities through our Closing the Gap Priorities Fund'. 'The Crisafulli Government is investing in critical infrastructure projects such as restoring clean drinking water supply to Woorabinda, delivering housing and increased home ownership opportunities across Indigenous communities, and supporting education programs such as the Buwu education program in Cherbourg.'
Labor shadow minister Leeanne Enoch said: 'You don't need an internal secret code name like 'project invisibility' when the outcomes are so very obvious. From abolishing Indigenous advisory structures to sidelining respected Indigenous leaders, this government is deliberately making First Nation voices less visible and sending Queensland backward.'
