Criticism mounts as Red Chief Local Aboriginal Land Council lacks event policy after $81k consultant hire

Gunnedah, Australia, April 2023 — Tim Gumbleton‘s appointment as Administrator of the Red Chief LALC was expected to lead to significant improvements, but four months on, there is still no event policy in place, leaving many to wonder if he is truly fulfilling his role as “Restructuring & Recovery – Regional NSW & Victoria”.

“Since my appointment (14 December 2022), an information meeting has been held at the LALC on 2 February 2023 with the next meeting of members to be held on Thursday, 30 March 2023 from 6:00 pm.” – Tim Gumbleton, ‘Update to Members – 14 March 2023’.

But Dean Foley believes it’s not good enough.

“Despite the previous NSW Liberal / National government hiring a consultant on a six-month contract for $81,000 (plus GST), progress is not evident as they haven’t even set up an event policy after four months.”

“Are these consultants really fixing anything, or are they just profiting off the struggles of Aboriginal communities and failing to address the disparity gap?”

According to recent reports, there are concerning findings regarding the performance of Local Aboriginal Land Councils in New South Wales. Specifically, 43% of these councils have been assessed as medium to high risk due to compliance issues, and 19 have not been funded by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC).

Furthermore, there have been reports of significant losses incurred by NSWALC’s Invest Fund (SIF), which amounted to $68.5 million. As of 30 June 2022, the SIF had a value of $598.7 million, which could potentially be at risk if NSWALC sustains further losses.

These findings highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability within the Local Aboriginal Land Council system. 

It is important to ensure that these councils are properly funded and managed to effectively support the needs of Indigenous communities and preserve their cultural heritage.

Steps must be taken by the new NSW Government and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs to identify and address any compliance issues and prevent further losses to vital funds like the SIF.

Further information:

Dean Foley

Barayamal

p: +61 458 980 232 

e: [email protected]

Media Assets (Gunnedah Red Chief Local Aboriginal Land Council):

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DMAJYAOvtkLH6PfOsN0U10a7ZhWui4ct?usp=sharing

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Other Contacts:

Tim Gumbleton 

FCA Principal I Restructuring & Recovery – Regional NSW & Victoria 

RSM Australia Pty Ltd

[email protected]

M: +61 (0) 418 919 882

Shane Hamilton

Deputy Secretary Aboriginal Affairs and Outcomes

Aboriginal Affairs NSW

• Vanessa Williams (she/her) 
  • Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary, Aboriginal Affairs NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet
  • T: 02 8575 1115    
  • E: [email protected]

NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister

The Hon. David Robert HARRIS, MP

(02) 4352 2711

[email protected]