Mr SNOWDON (10:24 AM) —Minister, I am not sure that I agree with all you have said. I will not seek to debate those matters with you today, but I should put you on notice that there are different views—and I am one of those people who have different views to some of the ones you have expressed. But I do want to raise with you one issue which I think needs some thought by your CEO in the department and yourself—that is, the potential for a conflict of interest between decision makers in the new ATSIS and members of their own families.

It is not unknown, as you would be aware, Mr Deputy Speaker, for ATSIC employees to be Indigenous people. The decision makers might no longer be the regional council chairs, regional councillors or ATSIC commissioners but they might now be Indigenous people who are no longer responsible to any elected body but are appointees and may therefore be in a position where they are making decisions which affect their own families or other groups with whom they have a particularly close affiliation. What steps are being taken to ensure that that does not happen? At least the ATSIC commissioners, the chairs of the regional councils and the councillors are accountable because they are elected; people who are appointed are not accountable.