The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) regional councils formally dissolved today, July 1. Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Amanda Vanstone, told ABC News that new bodies will be established to act as an interface between indigenous communities and government. So far, new arrangements for ten of the 35 regions covered by ATSIC regional council are in the works, she said.
However, other ABC reports account disappointment and doubt. Kimberley Hunter,
chairman of the former Yilli Rreung Regional Council, said that he doubts new
bodies will give indigenous people a direct say in policy.
