The COAG Indigenous Whole of Government Initiative

The Australian, State and Territory governments have agreed to improve their approach to the delivery of government programmes and services to Indigenous communities.

In April 2002, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to trial working together with Indigenous communities in up to ten regions across Australia to provide more flexible programmes and services based on priorities agreed with communities in those regions. Eight trial sites have been selected across Australia.

The trial is informed by two basic principles:

responsibility for the condition and wellbeing of Indigenous communities is one shared by the community, its families and individuals and with governments - this is being called Shared Responsibility
communities and governments will need to change their current approaches by building their capacity - in different ways - to be able to deliver on the Shared Responsibility and build a Shared Future.

COAG Communiqué on the Indigenous Initiative 4 April 2002

On this page

Trial Organisation

The Role of DEST

Trial Organisation

The Australian Government Minister with overall responsibility and accountability for this initiative is Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone, Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. Minister Vanstone chairs a regular meeting of Ministers with responsibility for Indigenous policy and programmes, which leads the whole of government process for the Australian Government.

The Secretaries with day to day responsibility for progress in individual trial sites are members of the Secretaries' Group on Indigenous Issues. The Secretaries' Group meets monthly to discuss strategies and progress.

COAG has also established an Indigenous Coordination Centres Taskforce You are now leaving the DEST website . The Taskforce is responsible to the Secretaries' Group for leading coordination across Australian Government agencies and with State and Territory Governments, and for monitoring Australian Government performance, including feedback to and from Indigenous communities, under the Whole of Government initiative.

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The Role of DEST

Day to day accountability for progress in each trial site has been designated to an individual Departmental Secretary (or sponsor) whose agency will act as a lead agent within a trial site. The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) is the lead agency for the Murdi Paaki Region in New South Wales and Ms Lisa Paul, Secretary of DEST, is the 'sponsor'. DEST will also act as a participating agency in the other seven trial sites where it will work in partnership towards improving the delivery, coordination and flexibility of education and other Australian Government programmes based on identified community priorities and the principle of shared responsibility.

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