The former Northern Territory Indigenous policy minister, Alison Anderson, says a plan for a new body to represent Aboriginal people will have board members who do not really understand the problems of people in remote communities.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, yesterday released a report calling for a new representative body with a 128-member council.
But the independent Member for MacDonnell, Alison Anderson, says she does not think anyone from remote areas will make it onto the board.
She believes it will be filled with people who are already well represented.
“These are the people that are educated enough to get themselves over to Canberra, to advise the federal minister,” Ms Anderson said.
“And I think [Indigenous Affairs Minister] Jenny Macklin and [Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd should be setting up a body that represents the whole nation, and not just a little body that is not really going to work.”