Former ATSIC head Geoff Clark, 72, has been sentenced to six years and two months in jail for defrauding the Framlingham Indigenous community in south-west Victoria of nearly $1 million. Clark, who led the community on and off for about three decades and briefly served as chair of the now-defunct ATSIC in 1999, was found guilty on 25 charges spanning roughly two decades. His offences involved using his positions in the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust and related organisations for personal gain, including paying his legal fees, property bills, and pocketing trust rental income and royalties. His son, Jeremy Clark, was also convicted on several fraud-related charges and received a suspended sentence with a good-behaviour bond.
In sentencing, Judge Michael O’Connell criticised Clark for exploiting weak governance structures and treating community resources as his own, emphasising that his conduct betrayed the trust of the community. The judge noted that Clark showed no remorse and had actively misrepresented the community’s financial situation while diverting funds. Clark has served 78 days in pre-sentence detention and will be eligible for parole in approximately three and a half years.
