COAG Indigenous Trials
About COAG - Australian Government Strategies
About COAG
This initiative is about governments working together with Indigenous communities in up to ten regions to get better results for people on the ground through more effective use of government expenditure. This will require governments to work together better at all levels across agencies and jurisdictions. To enable this to happen most governments are putting in place some special arrangements.
Australian Government Strategies
The Minister with overall responsibility and accountability for the whole of government initiative is Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone, Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs.
Senator Vanstone chairs a regular meeting of Ministers with responsibility for Indigenous policy and programmes, which leads the whole of government process for the Australian Government.
Day to day accountability for progress in each trial site has been given to an individual Australian Government Departmental Secretary (or sponsor), whose agency will act as a lead agent within a trial site(s).
The Secretaries are members of a Secretaries' Group on Indigenous Issues (the Secretaries' Group), chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Since 1 July 2004, the role of the Secretaries Group has broadened to include implementation and oversight of the Australian Government's new Indigenous Affairs arrangements.
The Secretaries Group is supported by the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination which is a part of Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. OIPC leads coordination across Australian Government Agencies agencies and fosters cross-portfolio partnerships to develop and deliver initiatives in the COAG Indigenous trial communities.
Australian Government Secreteries' Group
Current Members of the Australian Government Secretaries' Group are:
- Dr Peter Shergold Chair, Secretaries’ Group on Indigenous Affairs
- Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
- Mr Bill Farmer
- Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
- Mr Wayne Gibbons
- Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination
- Mr David Borthwick
- Department of Environment and Heritage
- Dr Peter Boxall
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Mr Robert Cornall
- Attorney General’s Department
- Ms Jane Halton
- Department of Health and Ageing
- Dr Jeff Harmer
- Department of Family and Community Services
- Ms Lisa Paul
- Department of Education, Science and Training
- Mr Mike Taylor
- Department of Transport and Regional Services
- Ms Helen Williams
- Department of Communications, Information Technology