People involved		Meeting with Aboriginal organisations at the Central Land Council (CLC) At this meeting we had an introduction to 'country' from Betty Pearce, custodian of land in the area. She also described her life growing up in Alice Springs where racism was rife and times were hard at the Telegraph Station School. We introduced ourselves and explained the purpose of our trip to Australia before each member of the Aboriginal organisations introduced themselves and described their work:   * Joylene Steel - Community Welfare Worker from Aboriginal Childcare Agency who works with Aboriginal families and makes referrals to counselling in cases of death, abuse and trauma * Christine Palmer - a Senior Welfare Worker explained her role in providing safe accommodation for battered women and working with solvent abuse among young people * Leslie Warrior - from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress who works with mental health issues and family well being * Margaret Lankin - from the same organisation who co-ordinates a family health clinic together with her colleagues Daniel Houtman and Eunice Blackmore * Pamily Staples from the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit who launched a discussion about alcohole abuse amongst Aboriginal people in which a participant mentioned that possibly as many as 70% of Aboriginal men and nearly as many women have serious drinking problems * Jane Goodwin - Women's Day Centre Co-ordinator   Institute of Aboriginal Development (AID) The Delegation were received by the Institute's Director, Donna Ah Chee and her Deputy, Debra Maidment. They explained to us the central purpose of the Institute and introduced two colleagues who told us of their specific role in support of Aboriginal people.   IAD was established by the Uniting Church in 1969 with the purpose of assisting community development for Aboriginal people and providing community cultural education between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. The overall aim is to help Aboriginal people to develop the knowledge and skills required to cope with cross-cultural situations, to advise and carry out educational and other programmes related to the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people, to promote cross-cultural understanding through specific programmes for non-Aboriginal people, to maximise the involvement of Aboriginal people in the management and affairs of the Institute, and promote the research and understanding of central Australian Aboriginal languages.   The educational experience offered by IAD was of particular interest to Matei Olle Timan MP who is trying to ensure that a school built in his Ngorongoro constituency at Olosokwan provides relevant and sympathetic education to Maasai children along similar lines.   At this time the Institute is in contest with the Northern Territory government over a grant it received from the Commonwealth Government to re-develop facilities on the current site. The last Federal Labour Government allocated $2.6M (The actual cost of re-development). Since IAD was informed of the allocation the NT government has persisted in obstructing access to those urgently needed funds. Its current position is to refuse to release them unless IAD agrees to vacate its site. However, IAD's Board has resolved to fight for re-development of its current location. The Minister for Education and Training, Peter Adamson, has stated that he will withold the $2.6M unless IAD moves. He has proposed that the Institute re-locate to a site adjacent to Centralian College known as Boxwood or Coolabah Swamp. It is swamp land and it is in close proximity to a site of significance to Arrernte people (A senior member of the Arrernte community and the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority have confirmed the inappropriateness of the Minister's chosen location). The Minister's threat to refuse to release the funds already earmarked is contrary to the wishes of his ministerial predecessor, Minister Finch who after extensive consultation agreed to the re-development of the current site. On the basis of that undertaking extensive design work has been carried out and planning approval obtained. IAD has obtained expert opinions, both cultural and technical, on the feasibility of re-locating to other sites and of the advantages of remaining on the current site. There are no impediments to remaining where it is on this site, other than the objections of the NT government. The technical and community advice supported retention of the current site on several grounds including its central location, accessibility to Aboriginal people, and co-location with other significant Aboriginal organisations, whereas 80% of the location proposed by the NT government was subject to flooding and more significantly, its proximity to a site of significance to the Arrernte People. This decision was reached only after the most exhaustive consideration of all the alternative sites including the NT Government's preferred site on the Coolabah/Boxwood Swamp.   IAD has approached Minister Kemp to identify a mechanism to have the funds redirected to IAD other than through the NT government. There has been no response to this proposal from Federal government. It is believed that the funds have not yet passed from the Federal to the NT government.   Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre The delegates were welcomed by Colin Cowell, who together with his colleagues Steve Forester, Raelene Hudson and Donald Mallard gave an introduction to the centre's purpose and operation. We met in a large room surrounded by an array of magnificent Aboriginal paintings which the centre was marketing on behalf of the artists. We were offered a range of 'bush tucker' that the Africans found a little difficult to enjoy and heard a rendition on the didgeridoo. Colin explained how their business plan up until Year 2000 was prepared as a story and how they were on line to achieve their objectives in terms of the plan including the awarding of the ATSIC Best Tourist Enterprise award. Apart from cultural tourism they have setup a commercial operation based on a planted 20,000 date palms.