TAS: Family tree proof needed for Tas ATSIC elections

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TAS: Family tree proof needed for Tas ATSIC elections

By Don Woolford

HOBART, Feb 1 AAP - People wanting to vote in this year's ATSIC election in Tasmaniamay have to produce a family tree to prove their Aboriginality.

The new system aims to end claims that non-Aboriginal people stood for and voted inprevious elections for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).

The family-tree system will be trialled during Tasmania's October elections.

The last two ATSIC polls in the island state resulted in inconclusive Federal Courtactions over Aboriginality.

In 1999 there was also less than a 10 per cent turnout, compared with the nationalaverage of 25 per cent.

The Australian Electoral Commission said the poor participation rate was partly becausemany people thought the election process was flawed.

ATSIC assistant general manager Ian Parmeter today said the new process would allowobjections to be dealt with before, rather than after, the election.

Mr Parmeter said a provisional electoral roll would be prepared which would includeanyone of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who was over 18 and lived in therelevant ATSIC electoral ward.

They would have to declare they satisfied the normal criteria of being of indigenousancestry, including identifying themselves as an indigenous person and being recognisedby an indigenous community.

However anyone could object to a person listed on the provisional roll. Such caseswould then go to a review panel.

People facing objections would have to produce a verifiable family tree to prove Aboriginaldescent, although not any minimum percentage, Mr Parmeter said.

The help of the state archivist and a historian would be available to them.

Mr Parmeter said the new system was a practical attempt to counter the "difficult andsensitive" problem of allegations that non-Aborigines were participating in ATSIC elections.

He said that while the problem was not unique to Tasmania, it appeared to be much morewidespread there than elsewhere in Australia.

There were no plans, at this stage, to extend the trial to mainland Australia, Mr Parmeter said.

AAP dw/tnf/bwl

KEYWORD: ATSIC TAS