Review finds morale at rock bottom in the WA Department of Aborignal Affairs.
Steve Corsini
I really feel for the DAA heritage officers "at the coal-face" who've had to work in an environment of political interference in the heritage process, ridiculous reinterpretations of significance, Government policy and changes to the heritage act which ignore the Native Title rights of traditional owners, gutless Minsters who instead of taking responsibility for giving permission to destroy sites, instead “direct (i.e. intimidate) the ACMC to reconsider or change their decision or be sacked, or impose (without due process) public service "yes-people" to make sure the committee makes the "right" decision. And Oh yes, initiating a Crime and Corruption Commission raid on a vocal heritage consultant whose only action was to circulate a press release given to him by a Greens MP who’d been given it BY THE PREMIER as part of a Government announcement at James Price Point on the review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
Stephen Corsini
BA Hons Archaeology, Grad Cert Applied Anthropology
SJC Heritage Consultants Pty Ltd
Bullying at WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs revealed in public sector survey
By Kendall O'Connor and Angus Sargent
Updated about an hour agoSat 24 Sep 2016, 9:36am
Photo: The survey has raised concerns about the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. (ABC News)
More than quarter of staff at Western Australia's Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) have witnessed bullying and other unprofessional conduct in the workplace, a leaked document has revealed.
The finding comes from a Public Sector Commission survey which showed less than half of staff saw their senior leaders as being effective in their role.
A significant number of employees could also be set to depart the DAA, with almost half of those responding saying they were likely to leave the department within the next two years.
The survey was carried out between May and June this year, with a response rate of almost 80 per cent.
Greens MP Robin Chapple said the findings were a damning reflection on the DAA.
"Given these appalling statistics, I am seriously concerned about the lack of confidence and culture of mismanagement within the department," Mr Chapple said.
"Quite clearly there are systemic issues within the Department of Aboriginal Affairs that have not been addressed, despite assurances from the Minister."
Unprofessional conduct claims 'concerning'
A DAA spokesman said the results of the anonymous survey could be attributed to significant reform undertaken by the DAA in the last 18 months.
The changes followed two Supreme Court challenges, adjustments to senior leadership and a significant reduction in staff.
The spokesman said there had been no formal reports of sexual harassment, bullying, stealing or ethical issues in the past 12 months, despite the survey showing a higher than average understanding of how grievances should be reported.
"The most concerning part of the survey were allegations of staff having witnessed unprofessional conduct," he said.
Opposition Indigenous affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt said feedback he had received from DAA staff showed there was a problem internally with the culture.
"Fundamentally, the statutory basis of the Aboriginal affairs regime in Western Australia is outdated and can't provide what government wants, nor what Aboriginal people want," he said.
The DAA spokesman said the department had already taken significant steps to address the issues raised in the survey, including making changes to senior leadership.
john...@ozemail.com.au
Hello Stephen,
Has anyone done any specific case studies?
I have just (as of yesterday) spent 8 hrs (over a number of day) solid on the telephone trying to find a HERITAGE OFFICER in NSW (OEH/NPWS).
The question "Do you know anyone who is or ever was a heritage officer or similar in NPWS" has finally produced two names, but both were not in when I phoned. Hence the actual score for 8hrs ringing (and a non-inconsiderable phone bill) was actually ZERO result.
It would appear that NPWS is having a big re-organisation, which management is calling a "re-alignment" ... that many have been told to leave Hurstville and are being relocated ('all over the State'?).
From best I can tell, the former NPWS heritage section people got move to "elsewhere in OEH".
But someone told me they didn't think I'd have much luck finding because it was suspected 'they have gone now'.
I am compiling on the "old Blacks Town" area, including Colebee Grant, but what all this means is that at the moment things have hit ROCK BOTTON as not one single person still interested in there was found in all that effort. People who use to be (e.g. Jim Kohen and Jack Brook) are not doing anything any longer as best I can learn. All the Councils on the Cumberland Plain have replied that they currently know of nobody at all researching any aspect of Aboriginal history - and DTAC phone answers that the office administrator is on Extended Leave.
I could go on but that is enough no doubt to give you a taste for it.
As for permissions to destroy (now called AHIPs) that is one thing I am quantitatively trying to look into following up. Anyone interested in details just contact me.
Cheers, John Byrnes
----- Original Message -----From:oza...@googlegroups.comTo:<oza...@googlegroups.com>Cc:Sent:Sat, 24 Sep 2016 11:10:58 +0800Subject:{OzArch} Review finds morale at rock bottom in the WA Department of Aborignal Affairs.
I really feel for the DAA heritage officers "at the coal-face" who've had to work in an environment of political interference in the heritage process, ridiculous reinterpretations of significance, Government policy and changes to the heritage act which ignore the Native Title rights of traditional owners, gutless Minsters who instead of taking responsibility for giving permission to destroy sites, instead “direct (i.e. intimidate) the ACMC to reconsider or change their decision or be sacked, or impose (without due process) public service "yes-people" to make sure the committee makes the "right" decision. And Oh yes, initiating a Crime and Corruption Commission raid on a vocal heritage consultant whose only action was to circulate a press release given to him by a Greens MP who’d been given it BY THE PREMIER as part of a Government announcement at James Price Point on the review of the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
Stephen Corsini
BA Hons Archaeology, Grad Cert Applied Anthropology
SJC Heritage Consultants Pty Ltd
Bullying at WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs revealed in public sector survey
By Kendall O'Connor and Angus Sargent
Updated about an hour agoSat 24 Sep 2016, 9:36am
More than quarter of staff at Western Australia's Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) have witnessed bullying and other unprofessional conduct in the workplace, a leaked document has revealed.
The finding comes from a Public Sector Commission survey which showed less than half of staff saw their senior leaders as being effective in their role.
A significant number of employees could also be set to depart the DAA, with almost half of those responding saying they were likely to leave the department within the next two years.
The survey was carried out between May and June this year, with a response rate of almost 80 per cent.
Greens MP Robin Chapple said the findings were a damning reflection on the DAA.
"Given these appalling statistics, I am seriously concerned about the lack of confidence and culture of mismanagement within the department," Mr Chapple said.
"Quite clearly there are systemic issues within the Department of Aboriginal Affairs that have not been addressed, despite assurances from the Minister."
Unprofessional conduct claims 'concerning'
A DAA spokesman said the results of the anonymous survey could be attributed to significant reform undertaken by the DAA in the last 18 months.
The changes followed two Supreme Court challenges, adjustments to senior leadership and a significant reduction in staff.
The spokesman said there had been no formal reports of sexual harassment, bullying, stealing or ethical issues in the past 12 months, despite the survey showing a higher than average understanding of how grievances should be reported.
"The most concerning part of the survey were allegations of staff having witnessed unprofessional conduct," he said.
Opposition Indigenous affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt said feedback he had received from DAA staff showed there was a problem internally with the culture.
"Fundamentally, the statutory basis of the Aboriginal affairs regime in Western Australia is outdated and can't provide what government wants, nor what Aboriginal people want," he said.
The DAA spokesman said the department had already taken significant steps to address the issues raised in the survey, including making changes to senior leadership.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "OzArch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ozarch+un...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to oza...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/ozarch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Jeannette Hope
Dear John
You are wasting your time expecting local councils to either be doing historic research or know anyone who is.
Here’s how to find out whether anyone has done any research in your area:
1. Google university history departments for people researching Aboriginal history (not just academics, also graduate students).
2. Try AIATSIS – but don’t just ring and ask, search the website / library catalogue.
3. Have a look at the RAHS library for local histories of that area.
4. Go to a good bookshop or search on-line for books on Aboriginal history published over the last decade or so.
5. Try Trove for everything published. But for this and No 3, think laterally, and don’t start with too specific a search.
6. Join an historical society / professional/ local, and go to conferences.
7. When all else fails, as is probable, given the gazillion possible topics and the limited number of researchers, do it yourself, and publish the result for the benefit of others. Instead of regarding the lack of other research as ‘rock bottom’, think of it as a golden opportunity for you to corner the market and publish some original research.
As for ‘heritage officers’ in NPWS/ OEH, well I am not sure there were ever any positions by that name in NPWS. There were Aboriginal Site Officers and Regional Archaeologists in NPWS; Heritage Officers was a term used in the Heritage Branch. People are still there in OEH, but as we all know there have been major reorganisations. Give them time to settle down. Anyway, you already know more than them – just go for it, see No. 7.
Cheers
Jeannette
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2016.0.7797 / Virus Database: 4656/13074 - Release Date: 09/24/16
john...@ozemail.com.au
Thanks Jeanette,
I have also asked them had they been contacted yet by "Heritage Near Me" - a major new NSW Government initiative.
That important initiative says of itself:
"Heritage Near Me is about your community - protecting, sharing and celebrating NSW’s diverse natural and cultural heritage. It’s the key to recognising local heritage and preserving these assets for ourselves and for future generations.
Heritage Near Me is an innovative new program that empowers NSW communities to protect, share and celebrate their local heritage. The program has been developed to address an identified gap in current heritage programming. The Heritage Near Me team are working closely with local government, industry and communities to ensure that local heritage values have greater recognition."
Re that team working closely with local government they say they have been in contact with Strathfield and Warringah Councils.
However I cannot find anyone at Strathfield so far who has even heard of "Heritage Near Me" project .. and Warringah Council has not answered that (they have gone our of existence .. amalgamated into a mega-council that now stretches all the way from Sydney to Broken Bay.
I am also working through looking for current uni projects too.
So far I have found none current for either Strathfield/Homebush Bay or Warringah/Narrabeen .. though people say that for the latter I am bound to eventually find some.
My wife an I both spoke at Narrabeen about the past .. quite a while back now (discussed at: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5737284/narrabeen-p2p.htm ).
The next plan (for me) has then been to try and have a (it will be small) discussion meeting for any north-of-sydneysiders interested in weather, climate or coastal processes .. relating to the FUTURE for the place.
That needs to find about 5 to proceed.
Again on that both Councils AND University researchers were asked if they knew of anyone living north of Sydney who were either doing or interested in any sort of research whatsoever on climate or sealevel change. All so far have known of nobody whatsoever and my own efforts have only found two ..so not enough to warrant a discussion meeting yet. As you may know I've also tried several times to do the same for "silcrete on the Cumberland Plain" topic -- but again could not find sufficient number (5) interested and who might attend.
The other suggest that has repeatedly been made to Councils has been that if they know of nobody (e.g. Parramattta Council has repeatedly confirmed it knows of nobody interested in anything along the Parramatta River other than birds) then why not put something on its website and/or in newsletters inviting interested people to make contact.
TROVE is a MAJOR tool in doing my compilations/webpages. I had contacted AITATIS - on quite a few things.
Ditto RAHS (but have not been to their library) . Re (4) have bought quite a few - bear in mind my budget is slight. Re (6) I belong to many historical societies and am attempting to write the history of one of them.
Re "do it yourself, and publish the result for the benefit of others" - this is why I write in webpage form .. so that anyone else may easily have anything I have collected/compiled.
Re "regarding the lack of other research as ‘rock bottom’" - that is likely misunderstood.
All I am reporting was that 8 hrs enquiring on phone to OEH/NPWS could find nobody currently interested in the "old Blacks town" area where in the past quite a few were, and that DTAC for some time gave a recorded message saying the office administrator was on "Extended Leave" .. etc. And where the 'rock bottom' being reached comes in here is that in all my time of being interested in this particular are had there before been reached a stage like this. Something similar did happen in 2012 but it was not as bad.
Cheers,
John
Cheers,
John
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~