Hobart Mercury - September 7, 1999
Author: GEORGIA WARNER

The powerful Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre is being confronted by the Grassroots movement. The upheaval in black politics.

ON the battlefield that is black Tasmanian politics today, there is a war of words over just how many foot soldiers there are.

The Grassroots movement claims up to 800 supporters but the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre's long-time activist Michael Mansell scoffs at that figure. They number no more than 10, he says.

The Grassroots group fires back with its own claims about Mr Mansell's support base. They say that because all Tasmanian Aborigines over the age of 14 must give notice in writing if they do not wish to automatically become a TAC member, it is impossible to know exactly how many blacks support the centre. They say the TAC is likely to enjoy considerably less than its claimed backing of the majority of the 6000 Aborigines Mansell says make up the black community.

It's just another round of sniping in a war that's been going on for several years within the Aboriginal movement.

Mr Mansell and many others, including former Labor MLC and Aboriginal Affairs Minister John White, say it is neither unhealthy nor unusual for there to be division in the state's Aboriginal community.

And in some areas the two sides agree - particularly on the issue of the number of people entitled to claim they are Tasmanian Aborigines and, therefore, to qualify for the wide range of assistance that can mean.

But this unanimity is rare. The Grassroots group accuses the TAC - their most powerful political force and service provider - of making decisions on Aboriginality which have benefited people whom they say are not black, while Grassroots Aborigines remain the community's most underprivileged.

``We see nothing of the millions of dollars that are pumped into Tasmania and the TAC,'' said Grassroots member Doug Maynard. ``We're no better off than we were 25 years ago. Take the money away today and we'll be the ones who are still black tomorrow.''

The Grassroots group says drug and alcohol abuse, crime, unemployment and poor standards of education, health and housing remain endemic among Tasmania's Aborigines. Grassroots Aborigines say also they have been excluded from consultation by the TAC in negotiations over such key issues as land rights and the alternative Aboriginal juvenile justice program based on Clarke and Badger Islands in Bass Strait.

They say the fact that their community is spread around the state, and fear of reprisal should it speak out against its major service provider, have made it impossible for them to garner even close to majority support when they have raised issues at TAC annual general meetings.

Some Aborigines said the issues of Aboriginality and concerns of the Grassroots group were delicate, complicated and sensitive. They were not deserving of such scrutiny, particularly not by whites who could not be expected to understand the issues.

But the Grassroots group disagrees, saying its community has been trying for years just to be heard and be given a voice in the running of their community affairs.

The 1996 protests outside the TAC, which led to 10 arrests, is evidence of the frustration felt by the group.

That frustration has prompted the Grassroots group to form Tasmania's first Sovereign Council of Elders in a deliberate bid to erode the power base of the TAC. Its members will be elected at a statewide Aboriginal meeting planned for Eddystone Point in the North-East later this month.

Elder Melvyn Everett said the council was seeking the endorsement of the United Nations and would then challenge the TAC for a share of ATSIC funding to provide housing, education, medical and cultural facilities at its sovereign north-east community. He said the plan had the support of at least 800 Grassroots Aborigines - and scoffed at Mansell's own claims of support.

The Grassroots group also points to a confidential review of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre legal service last year, which recommended it address broadly-held perceptions of insularity and exclusiveness.

``It should be emphasised that it is entirely legitimate for the TAC to administer this issue of Aboriginality rigorously,'' the review said. Nonetheless there were ``numerous complaints about anomalies of access to services and gaps in service delivery arising from a lack of consistency, standardisation and uniformity in the criteria and procedures for determining Aboriginality and a lack of any reliable system for mutual recognition''.

John Clark, chairman of the ATSIC regional council and the Flinders Island Aboriginal Association, recently had his Aboriginality questioned by the TAC.

``There are problems with a group that is a major provider of Aboriginal welfare but which also has has the power to determine Aboriginality,'' Mr Clark said. ``That is draconian and autocratic.

``Then you have a club-type situation and if somebody does have a need for a service but doesn't have a family tree and relies on their oral history, they are going to have problems. If you don't like someone in the Aboriginal community, or their views, denying their Aboriginality is an easy way to bring them down.''

The Grassroots Aborigines have made allegations about the financial dealings of the TAC. However, ATSIC and police inquiries had not unearthed any evidence of wrongdoing, said TAC administrator Heather Sculthorpe.

All TAC programs were audited every year and they had been to the satisfaction of the Federal Government, said a spokesman for Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Senator John Herron.

Mr Mansell said the TAC was more accountable than BHP.

``We are subject to some of the strictest accountability procedures in the country,'' he said. ``All our programs are audited every year, sometimes more often.

``This organisation has more meetings than any other organisation in the country. We have branch meetings at Burnie, Launceston and Hobart every month and annual general meetings.

``We had a public meeting with the Premier last month to discuss some of the important issues which this group says they are never consulted about and only one of that group turned up.

``It is sloganising. Their complaints are all in their minds.

``But you can't tell some people that. They want to see something is corrupt and it doesn't matter how often you explain it to them, they will still see it as corrupt or wrong.''