Our stories: Career profiles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Patricia Turner AM

DEPUTY CEO, CUSTOMER SERVICE, CENTRELINK

I am of Arrernte descent and was born and raised in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. I have one sister and three brothers.

I enjoyed my time at school and went on to do a Masters degree in Public Administration at the University of Canberra. I was always determined to get a good education. My uncle, the late Dr Charles Perkins, was the first Aboriginal person to graduate from any university in Australia and he was always a great inspiration to me. My grandmother and I travelled from Alice Springs to attend his graduation ceremony at Sydney University in 1965. I knew then that it would be important for me to get the best education I could.

I have had a very rewarding and productive career in the Australian Public Service. My first job was in Alice Springs with the Department of Interior, Northern Territory Administration, Welfare Branch, operating the old-style plug-in switchboard and performing reception duties. I soon moved into clerical work and later community and welfare work. I did some very interesting work with Aboriginal youth and legal education which I co-ordinated with the parents, the local high school, the magistrate's court, the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service and the police. The aim was to educate the young people about how the legal system works and what their rights were in dealing with it.

I left the public service for a few years to work with an Aboriginal organisation concentrating on women and young people. I then returned to Adelaide to study at the South Australian Institute of Technology.

In 1978 I moved to Canberra and worked in the Equal employment Opportunity area in the Public Service board. The work involved promoting employment opportunities for people who were not very well represented in the Australian Public Service at the time. They included women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability and people from diverse cultural and language backgrounds. I then won a promotion in the department of Aboriginal Affairs and worked in the social policy area preparing policy advice for the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Secretary and other senior officials, on health and welfare matters. This included issues such as Aboriginal childcare, adoption and fostering, and improved access for our people to primary health care and other support services. It involved research, keeping in touch with community aspirations and a lot of writing.

Throughout my time in the Australian Public Service I took advantage of training courses to improve my skills, and while courses are helpful, most of my skills were developed on-the-job. I had the benefit of an excellent supervisor who taught me a great deal about how the bureaucracy worked and this stood me in good stead to deal with challenges and frustrations as they arose. I stayed in the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio for many years because I wanted to make a positive contribution to improve conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout the country. I must say though, that ATSIC does not have sole responsibility for responding to the needs of our people. All other government departments and agencies have shared responsibility for ensuring our people have the same access to services and resources as all other australians. I believe that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs are a matter of national importance and the Commonwealth Government has a significant role to play in contributing resources and working cooperatively with all other levels of governments, our communities and the private sector to improve the quality of life for our people. My commitment to contribute to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has been a driving force in my career and I had real opportunities to do this during my career in the Australian Public Service for which I am most appreciative.

I encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at work to decide what they would like to do, to develop their skills and experience accordingly, and pursue every opportunity as it presents itself.

In 1989 I was promoted to Deputy Secretary, Department of Aboriginal Affairs and in 1994 I was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ATSIC. The 4 years I worked as CEO, ATSIC were exciting, challenging and always demanding. It required the highest professional standards in advising the ATSIC Chairperson, Board of Commissioners and the Minister on all matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I had responsibility for some 1200 staff throughout the country and the proper administration of ATSIC's budget and programs.

Since joining Centrelink in late 2000 our organisation has endorsed a Statement of Centrelink's Commitment to Reconciliation and developed the Indigenous Servicing Strategy and Indigenous Employees' Action Plan to assist in achieving improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

When I am not working I enjoy cooking and reading. I am also Chairperson of the Lumbu Indigenous Community Foundation.