Geoff Clark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geoff Clark (born. 1952) ^[1]is an Australian Aboriginal politician and activist. Clark led the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) until it was effectively disbanded in 2004.

1 Personal
2 Political career
3 Court Proceedings
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Personal

Geoff Clark was raised by his grandmother, Alice, in an Aboriginal community in western Victoria. He was a keen boxer, boxing in Jimmy Sharman's mansion when it came to Warrnambool. At age 20 he moved to Western Australia and until he was 26 he worked as a builder's labourer and as a gardener and played football for WAFL clubs Claremont and Subiaco. Geoff also represnted Norwood in the SANFL for 2 games in 1978.

[edit] Political career

In 1979 he became the administrator for the Framlingham Aboriginal Community Trust. He co-founded the Aboriginal Provisional Government in 1983 and in the same year visited Manuel Noriega, the then dictator of Panama. Between 1983 and 1996, he was active locally in indigenous affairs.

In December 1996 Clark was elected to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) board as the Native Title spokesman. In December 1999 he became the first chairman of ATSIC to be elected to that position. He served two terms in this position before the organisation was disbanded in 2003. Clark's tenure was increasingly overshadowed by allegations of misconduct and ongoing criminal proceedings against him.

In August 2003, Clark was suspended as ATSIC chairman by the Indigenous Affairs Minister, Amanda Vanstone. It was alleged that he attempted to sell off government property under the control of ATSIC, for the benefit of ATSIC, which eventually led to the Australian National Audit Office declaring the organisation in breach of the Australian constitution. In 2004, after being pre-empted by the Labor opposition, the Liberal government began proceedings to abolish ATSIC.

[edit] Court Proceedings

In 2001, press reports claimed that Clark was responsible for four rapes that took place in the 1960s and 1970s. In late 2002 he was re-elected as chairman of ATSIC, and in 2003, criminal charges were filed by the Victoria Police. The charges were dismissed due to discrepancies in the evidence.

In 2003, it emerged that ATSIC had agreed partially fund Clark's legal defence relating to a pub brawl where he was present. Its offer was later revoked. A court dismissed 18 charges against Clark, however he was later convicted of obstructing police.

In January 2007, a Victorian County Court civil jury found that he had led two pack rapes in 1971. The victim, Carol Anne Stingel, suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome, was awarded $20,000 in compensatory damages and $70,000 to cover legal costs. No punitive damages were awarded. He described the ruling as "the lowest point in the history of this country" in response to the question whether it was "the lowest point in [his] life."

In February 2007, he appealed the findings of the jury in the Stingel matter. His notice of appeal alleges the verdict to be 'perverse', that the trial judge misdirected the jury regarding failures to call corroborative witnesses on the part of the complainant, that the trial judge erred in ruling against the admission of certain evidence, and that the fairness of the trial process had been compromised by pre-trial publicity.^[2]

Mr Clark has stated that he does not have the funds to pay the damages awarded against him.[1]