Waste burns remote cash

A NORTH Queensland community with fewer than 1200 people has 44 different funding programs across 11 government departments, according to a report due out today exposing serious waste across the state’s indigenous communities.

Confusion, duplication, cost shifting and accountability issues are helping to swallow the $7.6 billion that taxpayers pour annually into remote Queensland communities – about $38,500 for each indigenous resident.

The draft report, released by the Queensland Productivity Commission, quotes stakeholders as finding little evidence of evaluation and reporting when it comes to the spending of government money.

The report found in the small community of Hope Vale, near Cooktown, 78 services were provided by 46 service providers, along with 44 funding programs across 11 Queensland Government departments.

Despite the State Government spending about $1.3 billion on service delivery each year on remote settlements, communities, such as Yarrabah near Cairns, suffer from what its council calls a housing “catastrophe’’.

The council says it can only house 365 families while a further 700 families remain homeless in what is supposed to be a population of 2500.

The Local Government Association of Queensland, which contributed to the report, highlighted a culture of secrecy in Aboriginal communities surrounding information related to services.

“When asked, service providers say the council or community are not entitled to access this information (be- cause) it is confidential,’’ the LGAQ said in its submission. It found service providers only believe they need to provide information to the funding agency, not the community.

The report says the State Government’s $1.3 billion annual expenditure on Aboriginal community service delivery is about 3 per cent of the total service delivery budget of $45 billion.

The QPC’s Service Delivery in Remote and Discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities draft report, is now open for public consultation.

Treasurer Curtis Pitt, who will today receive the report from Commissioner Bronwyn Fredericks – pro vice-chancellor (indigenous engagement) at CQ University – has welcomed the move. He says the government is focused on achieving service outcomes that meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities . “While good examples of service delivery have been identified in the draft report, the QPC also identified opportunities for improvement,’’ Mr Pitt said.

WHEN ASKED, SERVICE PROVIDERS SAY THE COUNCIL OR COMMUNITY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION (BECAUSE) IT IS CONFIDENTIAL