The Hon Mal Brough MP becomes new Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

The following summary has been adapted from media releases issued by the Australian Government, The Australian newspaper and the National Indigenous Times.

The Hon Mal Brough MP has been sworn in as the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs. The Prime Minister, John Howard, announced that as of 27 January 2006 the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination would be moved to the Family and Community Services (FACS) portfolio due to the potential synergies with other FACS programs. Aboriginal issues have been brought into the political and administrative mainstream by combining Indigenous Affairs with FACS in the new Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs portfolio. The Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs portfolio has been renamed Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Mr Brough will replace outgoing senator Kay Patterson, while also taking over Amanda Vanstone’s role as Indigenous Affairs Minister.

Mal Brough was a former army office and served in posts around Australia as well as representing the army in Hong Kong, Canada and Papua New Guinea. He resigned with the rank of Captain in 1988 to pursue business interests in the private sector, in the telecommunications sector, and in small business. He entered Federal Parliament as the first Member for the Queensland seat of Longman in 1996, and held the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business from 2000-2001. He moved on to be Minister for Employment Services and in October 2003 the portfolio of Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence was added to his list of responsibilities. He has been Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer since July 2004.

Mr Brough said as employment services minister he paid a great deal of personal attention to Indigenous affairs and believed in the further mainstreaming of Aboriginal affairs. He stated ‘I just want to see as much done as possible to give opportunities to Indigenous Australians like every Australian deserves’. He also requested that critics of the amalgamation of FACS with Indigenous Affairs should wait before passing judgment on the level of attention the Government would pay to Aboriginal issues.

For further information

Department of Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
View website

Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination
View website

House of Representatives, Parliament of Australia
View information

Media releases and news items

The Australian
Switch puts focus on Indigenous issues
View news item (HTML) (25 January 2006)

National Indigenous Times
Brough breaks Vanstone’s hold on black affairs
View news item (HTML) (Issue 97, 2006)

Prime Minister of Australia
Ministerial changes
View media release (HTML) (released 24 January 2006)