APY Lands

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs a question about the recruitment process underway to appoint a new general manager to the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Last month, I raised a number of serious concerns about the selection process and asked the minister a series of questions centred around whether he was confident all APY lands executive board members were fully involved in the process. He replied, and I paraphrase:

In my experience, members of the APY Executive Board are exceptionally interested in these matters and exceptionally well informed, probably more so than many other boards that make similar appointments…I am quite sure that they will…involve themselves very substantially, very heavily and very well informed in the process that is underway at the moment.

Serious concerns have been raised with me that the process is being hobbled to ensure a candidate sympathetic to the former controversial general manager, whose contract was not renewed after it expired on 31 March this year, is appointed. This includes the refusal of the recruitment agency appointed to oversee the selection process, and a number of people on the selection panel, to provide copies of all 28 applications to board members to allow them to review the applications personally. I am told one applicant is a senior executive at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia with outstanding credentials in Indigenous affairs and culture.

Instead, I am informed that only seven preferred applications were sent to board members, some on the grounds of law and culture—which, I am told, eliminated all female candidates—and that list has since been whittled down to three applicants. Of further concern are claims that official minutes of board meetings are being doctored to remove all mention of the concerns being raised by disgruntled board members. My questions to the minister are:

1. Given these recent revelations, does he remain confident the selection process is being conducted in a lawful, proper and transparent manner?

2. Does the government have any oversight or powers to intervene if it is not satisfied with the selection process and/or the recommendation of the board of who to appoint to the position?

3. Is the selection process subject to the equal opportunity and anti-discrimination acts, or is the APY lands exempt from that?

4. Is the minister comfortable that there are no women being considered for this important position?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for his question. I certainly have not been presented with any evidence that any part of the selection process is running in any way that is untoward or unlawful. As I said last time, in my experience members of the APY Executive are very interested and involve and concern themselves in many of these matters.

If, as the honourable member suggested, I started to involve myself in imposing unilateral selection processes on the APY Executive Board, I am certain I would be criticised very, very heavily for doing so. As I outlined last time, the APY Executive Board is elected by Anangu to represent Anangu and in relation to the recruitment and appointment of a general manager, the minister's role is limited to approving terms and conditions for that appointment, not making the selections.