Bruce Baird (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment (2007 Budget Measures) Bill 2007 and commend the Minister for Education, Science and Training for bringing this bill forward. I also note, in terms of the shadow minister’s comments, that we are likely to see a bipartisan approach on this significant issue.

This is an extremely significant week, as 27 May marked 40 years since our nation voted ‘yes’ in favour of recognising Indigenous Australians as Australian citizens. Being one of the older members in the House, I can proudly say that I voted ‘yes’. Certainly, there was a sense of excitement as the community came together to recognise the important role that our Indigenous community plays. It is surprising and somewhat shocking to young people to think that 40 years ago this was not the case, but the overwhelming support of the people of Australia was indicative of the enormous goodwill that the general community wishes for the Indigenous community.

We have had some successes and many failures which are well documented. This bill goes to the heart of trying to address one of the significant areas of disadvantage for our Aboriginal community—that is, education. Without education, trying to survive, perform and excel in modern Australia is very difficult, as those school children who are present in the gallery today would know. That is why they concentrate on their education, and it is also important for young Indigenous people. Our track record has not been great but we are certainly working on it.

With the recognition by way of the vote 40 years ago came all of the rights of being an Australian citizen—the right to vote, the right to receive government benefits and financial assistance and, of course, the right of every Australian to receive quality health services and a quality education. The success of the ‘yes’ campaign was symbolic of this nation’s desire to move towards ensuring that Indigenous Australians are given an equal chance in life to benefit from the great opportunities this country has to offer.

I feel it is very appropriate to be speaking in the debate on this bill, considering the significance of the anniversary this week. The bill is about expanding programs which have been put in place to give Indigenous students across our country the best possible access to quality education. No matter where you travel across the world, education remains the key to improving living standards and decreasing poverty amongst communities.

I cannot stand here today and say that I am proud when I read statistics which show Indigenous life expectancy in this country remains at 1922 levels. Forty years after Australia voted ‘yes’ for Indigenous rights, the average Aboriginal person in this country can expect to live 17 years less than non-Indigenous Australians—a fact that we are all concerned about and that we would all, on both sides of the House, like to improve. We work together with the aim of improving that statistic.

Similar statistics show that Indigenous Australians fall behind the rest of the population when it comes to literacy and education standards. Whilst the gap in retention rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from year 7 to year 12 has closed slightly, it is a very large gap, at 35.8 per cent, and that is also of concern. What hope for an education does any child in this country have if we cannot keep them in our school system? Needless to say, when it comes to Indigenous issues, as a nation we still have a very long way to go.

I agree with the education minister when she stated that education is probably the best way to remove disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in all key areas. In the late eighties I was shadow Aboriginal affairs minister in New South Wales. As you are confronted by all of the issues that exist within the Indigenous community, above all, you see education and employment as key issues. Of course, one leads to the other, and that is why this bill is important.

This bill will provide additional funding of $26.1 million over the 2007 and 2008 calendar years to provide more Indigenous students with the opportunities that come with a quality education. The budget now provides $84.5 million to improve employment, education and training opportunities for a further 1,600 Indigenous Australians living in rural and remote areas. These are practical measures which will allow more scholarships and program places for Indigenous youth, as well as provide maintenance for existing educational infrastructure and encourage more Indigenous people to take up a vocation within the educational sector. The increased funding in this bill is a further investment by the government to strengthen some of the successful programs already in place and ensure that these programs are opened up to as many students as possible.

I am extremely pleased to see that these amendments will allow for the expansion of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program from a current level of 250 scholarships to 1,000 scholarships over the next four years. This program was established as part of the government’s Indigenous Australians opportunity and responsibility commitment with the aim of providing Indigenous youth with educational opportunities at high performing government and non-government schools. The program targets young Indigenous people, generally from remote rural areas, to develop and fulfil roles as Indigenous leaders within their communities. They receive mentoring and targeted orientation so that they too can become mentors and role models for young people. This is what we want to see—a transition into that mentoring role.

We all know that the reality is that secondary education and training opportunities are limited for those living in remote communities. This is a $36 million investment by the federal government to say to Indigenous youth: ‘These are the opportunities out there. If you want them, we can help you get there through this program.’ This is a reality for many young Australians wishing to further their education or complete vocational training. Very often they need to relocate from their home towns and their families in order have the best educational opportunities. This is the nature of our country, given the distance between some rural areas and the major centres that often provide these opportunities. For many young Indigenous Australians the situation is no different. The federal government’s Youth Mobility Program, which will be expanded under these amendments, assists young Indigenous Australians in relocating to major centres for employment or training purposes. The investment is significant and symbolises the success of this program since its introduction. Its $33.2 million will provide a further 860 places for this program over the next four years. I think we all support this project of getting the young people down to where the training exists and where the job opportunities exist. I am sure it would be very difficult for parents and families to send their sons and daughters away to these major centres, but I know that most Indigenous parents, the same as other parents, want their children to have the best chance of acquiring qualifications whether it is through study, apprenticeships, employment or post-secondary training.

There are many boarding schools out there that already have a significant cohort of Indigenous students. We must ensure that the existing infrastructure at these boarding schools is well maintained so as to prevent the loss of any boarding places. This bill will see funding of $14.1 million over a two-year period go into the urgent upgrades of accommodation facilities which many of our Indigenous youth rely on for study away from home. This program will target boarding schools that have demonstrated a dedication to accommodating Indigenous students, particularly those students who are at risk of not completing year 12. I understand that waiting lists exist at many of these schools. This funding will provide much-needed capital for the upkeep of existing infrastructure to ensure these schools continue to provide a quality and accessible education for young Indigenous Australians.

When a young Aboriginal person receives an education through one of these institutions the personal benefits are quite obvious through the increased opportunities in the workforce. However, the benefits of an education do not stop with the individuals themselves. These young people become leaders and role models within their home communities. A young Aboriginal person may return to their home town and contribute to their community through their enhanced knowledge, life or job skills. I see the member for Lingiari, who has a significant Aboriginal population in his electorate, in the House. I am sure that he has seen that situation occur many times. Those of us in city seats do not see the real-life examples day by day, but we want to encourage those who are working amongst the communities. Others may never return, but they have still created a pathway for younger members of their community. They are role models who demonstrate that education opens doors and enriches lives.

People who work in the education sector often have the greatest influence on our children when it comes to influencing future careers. This is why it is essential that we encourage as many Indigenous people as possible to become educators. This bill will see around 200 Community Development Employment Project positions converted to actual jobs within the educational sector. These real jobs have been created as part of a broader $97.2 million program announced by Minister Hockey, which will see participants gain the benefits of employment, including wages, leave, super and professional development. It is a win-win situation: 200 CDEP positions will become real jobs for Indigenous Australians—but, perhaps more importantly, it will encourage more Indigenous Australians to go into the education sector. It is important that Indigenous students have these role models as their teachers and educators. Education providers, including state and territory governments, will be expected to at least retain their current commitments to CDEP participants taking advantage of this package. The Australian government, along with state and territory governments, have made a commitment to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education policy to support more Indigenous people to become employed within the education sector. This bill means that 200 Indigenous Australians will be able to do just that.

While acknowledging that we do have a long way to go as a nation to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians when it comes to education, we have certainly been making some progress. Over the past decade incremental progress has occurred across all sectors of Indigenous education. In its 2005 report Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage the Productivity Commission pointed to education as one area demonstrating clear improvements in recent years. In 2006 all education ministers agreed to endorse and implement Australian Directions in Indigenous Education 2005-08. The Australian government’s funding arrangements for this period will redirect funding towards initiatives that have a proven track record of success. It will also place greater weighting of funding towards Indigenous students at greatest disadvantage.

There have been a number of promising trends across the Indigenous education sector over recent years, and many of these improvements have been in remote areas targeted by the federal government programs I have spoken about today. Between 2001 and 2005, Indigenous primary and secondary school enrolments have increased the most in remote areas. Indigenous participation in the VTE has grown strongly in all locations between 1996 and 2005—and most of these improvements have again come in remote areas, I believe—by approximately 117 per cent. This government is working on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the national benchmarking of reading, writing and numeracy at years 3, 5 and 7. There is much further work to be done in that area.

In vocational and technical education a substantial increase in award completions has occurred at the IESIP target group of AQF certificate III or higher, with a 17 per cent increase in completions at certificate III level, and a five per cent increase at the diploma plus level. Indigenous higher education graduates also continue to have higher take-up rates into full-time employment. Over the 2005-08 period this government has directed $214.7 million towards tutorial assistance to help Indigenous students in all sectors improve their literacy and numeracy.

I certainly believe that this is a significant week. We have celebrated the signing 40 years ago of the vote in favour of recognising Indigenous Australians. It was a landmark period. Of course we have much to be proud of in terms of the fact that we have come a long way. But in terms of any benchmark, we still have a long way to go. This bill will do much in assisting further education in our Indigenous community, closing the gap in terms of retention at schools and literacy standards, and bringing young people in and providing better accommodation for them at boarding schools and other institutions.

We certainly support this. We want to continue supporting the work of those who are directly involved in this program. These are the people that we respect very much in our community. They have had in many ways a tragic history since white settlement, but we are moving to redress those issues. We are moving to change our assistance program. There is much to be done in health, much to be done in education and much to be done in terms of the life expectancy amongst the Aboriginal community, but this is a step in the process. I certainly commend the minister, and I commend the bill to the House.

See this speech in context