NAAJA ‘back to normal’ claim questioned by Senator Price

By PETER ROWE

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) has put side a number of damaging issues to make organisational changes which it claims will “set it up for the challenges of the future.”

The agency has confirmed the organisation would halve the maximum number of directors to eight, three of whom will be independent and a new Chief Financial Officer will begin later this month with a new Chair to be appointed at the next board meeting.

Opposition Indigenous Affairs spokesperson Senator Nampijinpa Price said it was important to remember this was the same organisation which had seen some 90 clients unrepresented, 27 of whom had to be remanded in custody due to service failings.

“Whether or not NAAJA have now returned to full service delivery, the touting of how many thousands of people they represent coupled with the failure to acknowledge their monumental shortcomings in this regard only very recently, borders on misleading,” Senator Price said.

But the Senator was critical of recent problems at NAAJA, questioning the strength and legitimacy of any government communication to the body in recent months.

“If the government had successfully and genuinely communicated the nature and gravity of the kind of change that was required at NAAJA, they should have absolutely been made aware of the constitutional change before it was adopted,” Senator Price said.

Senator Price also said the announcement lacked any mention of the two outstanding audits which are in progress.

“Findings from those audits remain unclear, therefore scrutiny must remain when it comes to the financial situation at NAAJA. We cannot assume that there is nothing to see here and they are back to business as usual as this announcement would have everyone believe,” she said.

“Key issues such as the nature and extent of the government’s input into NAAJA’s new constitution and the findings from outstanding audits are yet to be settled. Until these matters are clear, and we know who will fill the vacant roles, the efficacy of the changes to NAAJA’s governance cannot be known.”