Pat Brahim reappointed as Chair of the Aboriginals Benefit Account Advisory Committee
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin has reappointed Mrs Pat Brahim as the Chair of the Aboriginals Benefit Account Advisory Committee (ABAAC) for a further three years.
Mrs Brahim has provided strong leadership of the Committee over the past three years, helping to effectively manage a large increase in the number of applications for Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA) s64(4) grants.
Mrs Brahim’s leadership has helped members of the Committee to provide the Government with strong advice about appropriate projects to receive ABA funding.
Mrs Brahim has guided the development of a number of key strategic initiatives, including the ABA Stores Infrastructure Project, which is helping provide communities with healthy and more affordable food.
The Minister has thanked Mrs Brahim for her dedicated service to Aboriginals in the Northern Territory and congratulated her on her reappointment as Chair.
Mrs Brahim has more than 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors.
The Aboriginals Benefit Account was established to hold and distribute statutory royalty equivalent monies generated from mining on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory.
The Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs of appropriate projects these monies can be distributed to, which will benefit Aboriginals living in the Northern Territory.
Since December 2011, there has been a suspension on applications for grant funding under the Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA). This was to allow time to process the large number of applications that had been received.
This process has now taken place and the next application process for grant funding under the ABA will open on 1 August 2012.
For 2012-13, applicants will be able to apply for funds from the ABA under two streams of funding; large projects of more than $250,000, and small projects of up to $250,000.
Each year, there will be two opportunities for applicants to apply for small projects grants, and one for large projects.
Both funding rounds will open on 1 August 2012 and applications close on 31 August. These applications will be assessed and considered at the November meeting of the ABAAC.
More detailed information can be found at http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/aboriginals-benefit-account-aba