Brough walks the talk in islands
Paul Toohey | February 08, 2008

MAL Brough is far from dead to Aboriginal Australia. He’s back, working on a project on the Tiwi Islands he says will see him “walking the walk after talking the talk”.

Mr Brough, the Howard government indigenous affairs minister who championed the Northern Territory intervention before losing his seat in the election, has been sighted on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, being escorted by the Tiwi Land Council.

Yesterday, he told The Australian reluctantly that he was seeking to make a profit from - and lend a hand to - the islanders in yet-to-be-finalised joint-venture projects on the islands.

“I’ve travelled up there several times,” Mr Brough said from Queensland yesterday.

“If you can make economic development work, it’ll become an unstoppable force for change. We’ve travelled to the Tiwis and put proposals to them and the aim of it is to try and help them realise their potential.”

The township of Nguiu, on the Tiwis’ western-most Bathurst Island, was the only community that signed up to Mr Brough’s 99-year lease arrangements during his tenure as minister. The lease means Nguiu has effectively become public land, with no permit required to enter. Locals can now look to buy their own homes - and outsiders can scope the town for business opportunities.

“It’s not about me earning a dollar,” Mr Brough said. “If businesses don’t make money, it becomes welfare. The idea is to make a profit in joint-venture partnerships. I’m trying to walk the walk after talking the talk. I’ve got people willing to lend their knowledge and expertise.”

Mr Brough’s final concession speech on November 24, after he lost his federal seat of Longman in Queensland, was heavy with sadness at what he feared would be Labor winding back his intervention to tackle abuse of Aboriginal women and children.

“The work we have commenced in the Northern Territory - I just hope and pray it continues,” he said at the time. “I took the chance during this campaign to go back out to places like Hermannsburg and Mutitjulu, and I saw in the eyes of the women out there their desperate need for this to continue.

“So I have a plea to Mr Rudd: I know you don’t agree with much of what I’ve done out there, but not for me, not for some ideology, but for the children of the next generation, please give them a chance, give this a chance to work.”

In an interview with The Australian on December 19, Mr Brough flagged his determination to work with indigenous communities.

“We have long advocated economic independence, and the best way to achieve that is with individuals and family groups establishing themselves in viable businesses,” he said. “I want to work in joint ventures with the aim of building the skills base and assisting people to start sustainable business and giving them the skills to stand on their own.”

Mr Brough said yesterday he had in mind “a range of things”.

“A large component will be in the construction field, but it goes way beyond that. I have no expertise in construction, but I will bring people to the party who have the right attitude and want to make it happen. We’re not seeking publicity. I don’t know who’s talked to you or why. I’m not grandstanding.”

He confirmed he had two partners whose identities would become apparent later, and a company he preferred not to name. “Two years ago, I went around the country talking to business people and now I’m saying to them, ‘Here’s your opportunity’,” he said.

“My partners will be public knowledge when we’ve got contracts. Our goal is that we set out as a group to secure 50 full-time jobs for Tiwi Islands people before January 1, 2009. Our job is to create 50 non-welfare-dependent, non-CDEP jobs for Tiwi Islander people by year’s end.”

Mr Brough said he did not regard the enterprise as his new job. “No, it’s not a job,” he said. “I’m working with the Tiwi Islanders. The bottom line is people have fire in their belly and can choose to own and live in their own economy, export back to the mainland, and we’ve got the people willing to put time, money and effort in.”

—————————————————————
PROGRAM: 105.7 8DDD FM MORNING PROGRAM
TIME: 8.30AM
DATE: Monday 11th February 2008
REPORTER: JULIA CHRISTENSEN
INTERVIEWEE: BRIAN CLANCY
RE: TIWI ISLANDS BUSINESS PROPOSAL

If you thought that you’d seen the last of former Aboriginal Affairs
Minister, Mal Brough, well he’s now looking to intervene in a more
private manner on the Tiwi Islands. There are reports that he’s been
spotted on the Tiwi Islands speaking to the land council about a
business development. I spoke earlier to Brian Clancy who’s the
spokesperson for the Nguiu people about what exactly Mal Brough is
proposing.
CLANCY It’s basically a construction idea to build affordable
houses using Tiwi labour and he’s got the backing and we’re checking them out, you know, we’re having a look at it at the moment, but he’s certainly got
some quality backing. The whole idea is, you know, Mal’s idea of
solving indigenous disadvantage is through economic development and jobs
and I think he’s in a position now where he wants to walk the walk.
He’s talked the talk, now it’s time to walk the walk. REPTR So he wants
to build private houses does he for Tiwi residents?
CLANCY Not necessarily, just housing. It’s very early days and
we’re looking at it, but you know, the leaders for years, the Tiwi leaders
have been saying they want to get out of the welfare cycle and they want
real jobs and that’s the way to do it. REPTR Will this be using
Commonwealth government money?
CLANCY I think the idea would be, you know, there’s millions of
dollars that have to be spent on indigenous housing over the next few years and the idea that, you know, rather than for years, we’ve had non indigenous
people come into communities building houses and then taking that
Commonwealth money away, not creating long term jobs for indigenous
people. This idea is basically to get Tiwi jobs and keeping the money
in the community. REPTR I’ve heard there’s also talk of building a sort
of motel and accommodation centre there and an office centre for
visitors to the Island. Is that part of Mal Brough’s proposal?
CLANCY Not directly, but certainly the traditional owners who
signed off on the 99 year lease have got the money now to be in the game and they’ve got the land. So they’re projects that traditional owners are lookingat, yeah.
REPTR What sort of backing does Mal Brough have?
CLANCY Oh he’s got a couple of fairly high profile people, they’re
business people and they’re doing it for the right reasons.
REPTR Are they Territorians or from interstate?
CLANCY The two at the moment are from interstate.
REPTR So would they and Mal Brough make money out of this enterprise?
CLANCY Well they’re businessmen, so they’re certainly not going to
lose any money.
REPTR And of course these opportunities come up because of the 99 year
lease that was signed by the people of Nguiu opening up a range of
different business opportunities. That was pushed by Mal Brough, now
he’s set to make a profit from it. Is there any opposition on the basis
of possible conflict of interest there?
CLANCY As I said, it’s very early days, but whoever’s going build
the houses, if it’s non Tiwi contractors as I said, what we’ve had for the
last 20 years, then with no Tiwi mob actually making any money of it,
this may be an opportunity and as I said, we’ve got to have a look at
it, but maybe an opportunity for jobs and money to remain on the Tiwi
islands.
REPTR So it’s kind of like a joint venture?
CLANCY That’s the proposal yeah.
REPTR So what’s the process from here Brian?
CLANCY Well we’ve got to look at his one and we’ve got another
couple of proposals that we’re looking at and the leaders through directors of
Tiwi enterprises will sit down, go through them all and work our way
through there, yeah. REPTR And how long do you think that might take?
CLANCY Everything we do, we call Tiwi time. I’ve really got no
idea.
REPTR Alright, well there is something coming to closure. You’re about
to travel to the new school that’s opening on the Tiwi islands. Last
time we heard the borders were going to be staying in tents. How’s it
looking now?
… Thanks for your time this morning Brian.
CLANCY Thanks Julia.
ENDS.

Nik

On the grouond….. god knows who you are but im sure we eill have worked together… tiwiccbbddttggaajjee?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! hasnt a clue…. fair enough he is very knowledgable in the back ground but really is only educated in what he has read on these types of sites!! im just interested in where hes cutting and pasting his info from?!?!?!?! Wickapedia maybe????? play nice now kids im off to enjoy my travels for abit!!! Tiwi ccbbddttyyddjjff???? i have lots of female friends should i set you up???? muppet!

poor nikkki - did GSL bullies accuse him of being a greenie? check out his frightened little quote at the end of the link above “For the guys on Melville I worked with you should know this….. I had no clue some guy was going to use my blogs and I was certainly not working with him in this report…!!!”
And check out his pix. Company fuelled beerfest every night?… btw nothing against poor nikkki - but really, GSL should employ genuine experts not frightened unqualified backpackers on the “environmental” team.
And check this out from one of poor nikkki’s comments above (sorta looks like someone else told you to write this nikkki?) “…as part of great southern we dont just work as a sole trader we support and overly include the local boys,…” Its called digging yourself deeper Great Southern.

o no! here’s another bloggin backpacker… (and there’s more to come )
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/rbisset/rtw05-06/1148170380/tpod.html