Dr WOODRUFF – Minister, can you give us some information about what I understand is occurring, that Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania will be moving from DPAC to NRE to be located with Heritage Tasmania? I believe that’s what was announced this week by minister Ogilvie. That is, if it’s true and if you could give us some information about it, a very long way from your government’s commitment previously to creating a whole‑of‑government division for Aboriginal affairs to coordinate the government’s Aboriginal affairs agenda, informed by Aboriginal people and remaining within DPAC. Can you talk about what’s happening with Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania?
Mr JAENSCH – I’ll provide a quick overview. I will ask that Ms Gray speaks to the operational aspects of it.
There have been a couple of machinery of government changes over the last few years involving Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania and Aboriginal Affairs portfolio more broadly. You are right that previously the Aboriginal land and heritage work sat in the context of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, partly because it deals with a lot of land management issues and databases, spatial data management, planning and interaction with Parks and Crown Land Management as well as the resource management and planning system. So, there’s a lot of very functional alignment between the heritage and lands aspect, Aboriginal heritage and lands and the work of NRET.
You’re right, there was a decision taken to consolidate Aboriginal affairs under one roof in one agency with DPAC a couple of years ago and there was a progressive move of people and systems from NRET into DPAC. I understand more recently DPAC itself has been reconsidering how it specialises more in whole of government and policy development work and that delivery of services and policies is better handled by other agencies.
There is change underway at the moment which, as I understand, is at the end of October or around then.
Mr GALL – 1 November.
Mr JAENSCH – Yes, 1 November. We’ll see Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania having another change of postcode but the team has still been working together and will continue to. This is not an enormous government. We have the ability to work across some of those agency boundaries, but when it comes to things like the new heritage protection legislation, land management, the issues around things like cultural landscapes that you’re talking about, there’s an enormous alignment there with the workflows and the operations of NRET that I believe does suit Aboriginal land and heritage as well.
Dr WOODRUFF – Before you answer, I wanted to delve a bit more into that, because I suppose they’re the concerns that people are raising. In this hearing we’ve talked about three things which you said that you can’t really give comment on because that’s better under another minister. You mentioned it on the Macquarie Point Development Corporation – the removal of the Truth and Reconciliation Park commitment – you said that’s another minister. When I was talking about Parks and their push for tourism and four-wheel drive track increases in the western Tasmanian Aboriginal landscape, you said that was the Parks minister. When you were talking about Ms Ogilvie just then, you said in relation to Corrections and Closing the Gap commitments, ask those questions of that minister. That is the concern with the way Aboriginal issues are being split up. The commitment was to bring them together so that there’s a whole‑of‑government approach.
Now what you’re doing is taking Aboriginal heritage, putting it with colonial heritage, and that seems to –
Mr JAENSCH – Well, no. Just because you say it, doesn’t mean that it is true.
Dr WOODRUFF – Just wait. Well, it is my view and it’s the view of other people. It reinforces a concern that you’re going to stick with an old sticks and bones approach to protecting Aboriginal heritage and not take on cultural landscapes and protection of the seascapes. Can you see that people are concerned at this move of putting Aboriginal heritage with colonial heritage?
Mr JAENSCH – I believe you’re quite committed to a narrative of your own on this and I would like to dispel it. First of all, in your preamble, Closing the Gap is everybody’s responsibility. I’m very pleased and proud that we have assigned targets to every relevant portfolio minister to meet under Closing the Gap. This is not something that is the responsibility of the Aboriginal Affairs minister alone, and shouldn’t be.
Dr WOODRUFF – Why can’t you answer questions about it as the Aboriginal Affairs minister?
Mr JAENSCH – People like Pat Turner have been very clear with us that they don’t expect this is something which is driven by Aboriginal Affairs ministers trying to change everybody else’s portfolios. It’s an all-in and everyone has responsibilities to serve.
Dr WOODRUFF – But who takes responsibility for the outcomes at the end of the day?
Mr JAENSCH – When you raise the issue about – I’m referring to everybody else. When you’re asking me questions about tourism and you’re asking me about –
Dr WOODRUFF – Parks.
Mr JAENSCH – about Macquarie Point decisions, I can speak to the aspects of that that I have input to. I reject your assertion that I’m farming out or neglecting my responsibilities –
Dr WOODRUFF – You just don’t have any engagement with that. That’s the problem.
CHAIR – Order, Dr Woodruff. Please allow the minister to answer.
Mr JAENSCH – When it comes to the functions of Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania, Aboriginal land and heritage, they will still report to me as the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs directly. I’m not responsible for Parks. They won’t be subsumed by Parks. I’m not responsible for European heritage. There’s no suggestion that someone else is going to stand between me and Aboriginal heritage.
Dr WOODRUFF – So, they won’t sit under Ms Ogilvie?
Mr JAENSCH – No. Aboriginal heritage is still mine as minister responsible. It just has a different administrative home in the structure of government. When it comes to the processes of land management, working with our Heritage Register, interacting with other spatial datasets, that’s not stuff that DPAC is good at. That’s stuff that NRET does all day. There are good connections there to get better outcomes for Aboriginal people and Aboriginal heritage. Critically, the oversight of the whole‑of‑government process of Closing the Gap, and right now, things like the intensive focus on our youth justice reforms, including Aboriginal youth justice, as a lead in DPAC as appropriate, because we need to draw in the involvement of many government agencies. That’s what DPAC is good at.
