The small ORIC register that doesn’t match real life

The small ORIC register that doesn’t match real life

In our governance workshop, we opened the ORIC page that lists people who are banned from running corporations and there were only two names at the time (from memory), which shocked the room because our lived experienced felt that the number should be way higher based on the many dodgy / incompetent operators running our communities…

Screenshot of the Register of Disqualified Officers page from the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC), featuring fields for name and address, along with 'Apply' and 'Reset' buttons.
  1. Gerald Mervyn Hoskins
  2. Damien Troy Matcham
  3. Ashley James Taylor
  4. Adul Fazad Mohammed Abdus Shahid
  5. Brett Iven Evans

But the point is simple – when bad behaviour has no visible result, people lose trust and government loses credibility. Not just in the dodgy operators, but in the rules that should protect communities.

ORIC’s own page explains the four ways someone can be disqualified: automatic disqualification, breaking civil‑penalty rules, a court order or a decision by the Registrar.

That’s clear on paper… but the real test is whether it’s used in a way people can see and believe.

The ANAO is running an audit of how support and regulation work, and there’s a public feedback form. This is a good time to speak up about what is and isn’t working.

What would help? A simple quarterly update in plain English: how many complaints came in, what action was taken, and short lessons (anonymised) so directors can learn. Also, a fair path back for people who do training and fix their behaviour.

If the register is the scoreboard, it should reflect the real game.

Text from a presentation slide discussing feedback on the performance of the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and the ANAO's audit process.

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