Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council accused of attempts to intimidate membersBy Micaela HambrettABC Central WestTopic:Local Government31m ago31 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:02amFormer OLALC board member Jason French wants people held to account for letters sent to members. (ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett)In short:Members of a NSW land council have received letters accusing them of misconduct and banning them from future meetings.They say the letters follow claims of nepotism and financial misconduct among the council's executives.What's next?An extraordinary meeting has been called for May 15, but it is not clear whether it will address the members' concerns.abc.net.au/news/orange-local-aboriginal-land-council-misconduct-claims/105235330Link copiedShareShare articleThe executives of a New South Wales Aboriginal land council have denied attempting to silence members who have made allegations of nepotism and financial mismanagement. Members of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council (OLALC) in the state's Central West have made claims of a lack of transparency and conflicts of interest within the organisation.In April more than 40 people signed a petition of no confidence in executive staff and called for an investigation.OLALC has subsequently sent letters to several members, accusing them of misconduct and banning them from attending meetings.OLALC said the two matters were unrelated and that the letters were in response to members' aggressive behaviour towards staff.The no confidence petition was organised by OLALC member Jason French, who received correspondence last week accusing him of verbally abusing an employee in 2022 and barring him from attending meetings."It was an incident regarding [mail] we kept receiving at my dad's address years after he had passed," he said."Nearly three years later it all of a sudden pops up a couple of weeks after they received this petition?"They just want to silence people that speak up and question their actions and their motives behind what they're doing within the land council."OLALC's chair and chief executive have not responded to the community petition. (ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett)In March more than 30 OLALC members walked out of the annual general meeting after representatives for the chair and chief executive refused to answer questions.The petition outlines a "lack of transparency and accountability" regarding agreements between Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) and the land council, which share board members and executive staff.Members expressed growing concerns about "potential conflicts of interest and nepotism within the leadership structure" and called for the appointment of a forensic auditor to investigate financial activity within OLALC over the past seven years.The petition was sent to OLALC's board and the Office of the Registrar, which administers land councils.It requested the OLALC board call an extraordinary meeting to vote on the motion.Les Powell says he received a threatening letter after signing the petition. (ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett)'An attack to shut us up'The ABC has seen letters sent to four members banning them from attending future meetings, though the correspondence states that access to the land council office can be restored if the members undertake appropriate training and commit to stop behaving in an aggressive way towards staff.Les Powell received a letter accusing him of being "demanding and intimidating" to two staff, which he said was "devastating"."I refute those accusations," he said."It's obviously an attack to shut us up."Neil Ingram Sr also signed the no confidence motion."OLALC are not in line with Wiradjuri cultural protocols or the Land Rights Act," the elder said.Neil Ingram Sr says land councils belong to the members. (ABC Central West: Micaela Hambrett)Mr Ingram Sr received a letter accusing him of being "loud, abusive and angry" to an employee, which he denied.He said the letters followed a pattern of intimidation towards OLALC members who spoke out."I got the letter from the [legal] officer who is exercising his power, control and authority over me," Mr Ingram Sr said."Our members are not allowed to ask questions, which to me is very sad and very dangerous."Before Mr Ingram Sr signed the petition he had filed formal complaints with the Office of the Registrar and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.In one complaint he alleged the OLALC chair threatened to "uppercut" him at a member's meeting.Mr Ingram said he had not received any response to his complaints.Family ties 'irrelevant', chair saysOLALC chair Jamie Newman said the land council had a responsibility to protect its staff and denied the letters were intended to intimidate members."The letters were sent to a very small number of members in response to specific incidents where staff reported being bullied, threatened or abused," he said."Everyone has the right to a safe workplace."The staff members who alleged they were bullied were the children of the chief executive and the legal officer.Mr Newman, whose niece is on the OLALC board and whose son stepped down as vice-chair in February, denied claims of nepotism and conflicts of interest.Jamie Newman says people who have issues with the council's governance should put their hand up for election. (ABC News: Hugh Hogan)"The land council board is democratically elected by its members and where they work or who they are related to is irrelevant," he said."If members are dissatisfied with the composition of the board we encourage them to nominate for election."Mr Newman is also the chief executive of the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS).He said only three board members worked at the OAMS and that "overlap" between the services was inevitable.An OLALC extraordinary meeting was called on April 26 to be held on May 15, which met the requirement of 21 days' notice under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.The public notice did not refer to the vote of no confidence and said the meeting would "solely" provide members with information about an "independent governance review", which it claimed was an initiative of the board.In a statement the Office of the Registrar's principle legal advisor told the ABC that the registrar was satisfied the OLALC board was addressing members' concerns.The NSW Aboriginal Land Council declined to comment for this story.Posted 31m ago31 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:02am, updated 4m ago4 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:29amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top Stories'He was that toxic': 600 unused posters tell the story of Dutton's failed campaignTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Backlit photo of a Dutton press conference, his silhouette centred in front of a microphoneAustralia's best sports rights in the hands of a Soviet-born, former oil tycoonTopic:Media IndustryAlbanese to speak with King Charles, Labor factions hash out next ministryLIVEPhoto shows Albanese, at a press conference, raises his hands while speaking.Doctor told Erin Patterson she might need liver transplant, court hearsLIVEPhoto shows A digital drawing of Erin Patterson wearing a pink shirt'Offensive': PM unleashes on ousted Greens MPTopic:Government and PoliticsPhoto shows A composite image of two men wearing suits sitting in the House of Representatives.Related storiesTraditional owners say land council's backflip on gold mine is 'astounding'Topic:Indigenous PolicyPhoto shows A close portrait of a man looking bemused.Controversial mine decision sparks calls from Indigenous leaders for more planning powerTopic:AboriginalPhoto shows Jamie NewmanIsland community wiped out by floods plans $30m rebuild after vote to go aheadTopic:Disaster ReconstructionPhoto shows two women in front of Cabbage Tree Island signRelated topicsAboriginalLocal GovernmentOrangeTop Stories'He was that toxic': 600 unused posters tell the story of Dutton's failed campaignTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Backlit photo of a Dutton press conference, his silhouette centred in front of a microphoneAustralia's best sports rights in the hands of a Soviet-born, former oil tycoonTopic:Media IndustryAlbanese to speak with King Charles, Labor factions hash out next ministryTopic:Government and PoliticsDoctor told Erin Patterson she might need liver transplant, court hearsTopic:Law, Crime and Justice'Offensive': PM unleashes on ousted Greens MPTopic:Government and PoliticsJust InWoman with more than 1,000 minions in home wins Guinness World RecordTopic:Human Interest11m ago11 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:22amANZ profit rises as NAB boss tips rate cuts and housing boomTopic:Banking18m ago18 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:15amNepotism, financial misconduct claims rock Aboriginal land councilTopic:Local Government4m ago4 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 2:29amGrazier recovering from grain silo collapse running for his rescuersTopic:Emergency Services42m ago42 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 1:51amMore Just InBack to top