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The invitation to work in government

Representing Others: Aboriginal Senior Officials in the Self-Governing Northern Territory Elizabeth Ganter Research School of Social Sciences Australian National University. The invitation to work in government. Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy 2002-2006:

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The invitation to work in government

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  1. Representing Others: Aboriginal Senior Officials in the Self-Governing Northern TerritoryElizabeth GanterResearch School of Social Sciences Australian National University

  2. The invitation to work in government Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy 2002-2006: “Adequate representation of Indigenous people at all levels within the Northern Territory Public Sector to enable [their] effective contribution to policy and decision making affecting Indigenous people” (Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment 2002: 7)

  3. Finding my interviewees • 69 senior/executive Aboriginal employees reported by NTG in Dec 2006 (Admin Officer 7 or equivalent & above)- 46 in administrative/ professional positions (+23 teachers) • REFERRED TO 160 POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS (contacted 115, invited 104) • INTERVIEWED 76 • 46 current/ 30 former employees (17 in Aboriginal organisations) • 48 senior/ 28 non-senior • 58 in the Top End/ 18 in the Desert (A/S, Tennant Creek + remote)

  4. Aboriginal public servants in central Australia • Referred to 39, invited 25 (10 Aboriginal senior public servants) • Interviewed 18 • 6 senior public servants currently in NTG • 7 non-senior public servants currently in NTG • 5 in the Indigenous sector (none had attained seniority in the NTG)

  5. The work of Aboriginal public servantsacross the Northern Territory Encouraging Aboriginal good civic behaviour - 24% Encouraging Aboriginal employment - 21% Delivering services directly to Aborigines - 13% Aboriginal social policy – 10% Aboriginal-state relations – 9% Running Aboriginal organisations/other ngos – 9% Aboriginal culture and heritage – 5% Only 8% did NOT work in Aboriginal-specific areas

  6. more NT-wide demographics Gender and age spread • Equal male and female, majority in their 40s but older and younger Value education and professionally mobile • More didn’t than did finish high school; a few only primary • 75% have further qualifications (equal no. cert/diplomas and degrees) • 42% have worked in the Indigenous sector Long-serving, experienced and not motivated by political colour of NTG • 13 were employed at the time of self-gov’t • 15 commenced in the 1980s (3 out of 5 A/S recruits remain) • 24 between 1990-2001 (2 out of 4 A/S recruits remain) • 24 after 2001 (6 out of 8 A/S recruits remain) Sense of history • At least 38% personally affected by policies of child removal

  7. Predominantly Local Territorians 82% of interviewees (62) were local to the NT • 47% (29) were born in remote communities (19) & regional towns (10); the rest in Darwin and Alice • 87% (54) work in their region of origin • 80% (50) have worked in their community of origin at some time • 66% (41) work in their community of origin now

  8. Representing Others ALL work in the Aboriginal interest, whether or not they work in Aboriginal-specific jobs 62% of all interviewees said they represent other Aboriginal people

  9. Some ways of representing others • Present and feeling for others: empathy • Self-identifying (or not) and staying; ‘who I am’ • ‘Radars’, messengers between gov’t & community • Conditionally present and speaking for others: advocacy • ‘Spin’, protection, resistance, passing the baton • Speaking to others: moral display • Role models, ambassadors, ‘use me’

  10. Speaking to others: Role models in central Australia • ‘all my family’s looking at me’ • ‘show to them that you beat the system’ • ‘just being a local Indigenous person: “well if she can do it” - because I’ve just normal schooling like everyone else - “we can do it too” ’

  11. What was different about the desert?

  12. ‘when you’re in a discussion about an issue and you put your point of view across, that’s an Indigenous perspective’

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