Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I must say from the outset that I support the Social Security and Veterans’ Entitlements Legislation Amendment (Schooling Requirements) Bill 2008, recognising that it is no silver bullet to fix truancy and underenrolment, which is a permanent intergenerational handbrake on the children of our nation and their futures. There will undoubtedly be many teething problems in bringing state government bodies, education facilities and Centrelink together and sharing personal information, but let us take the government at its word that it can achieve all this.

While it is envisaged that in the medium term these requirements will be rolled out through the wider community, there is no doubt that in the first instance it is about addressing the crisis in remote Indigenous Australia. My electorate of Grey, as I often have cause to say in this place, is by its nature extremely diverse. Part of this diversity includes the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in the far north of South Australia. If in the first instance the government have seen fit to trial these changes in the Northern Territory as part of the intervention, then the question must be asked: when will they take the problems of the APY lands, which are part of the same inland communities, just as seriously and get started there as well?

I would be the first to admit I am no expert on Indigenous issues in South Australia, or anywhere else for that matter, but since being elected last year I have devoted as much time as possible to trying to learn about the problems facing Indigenous Australia, both in the urban population and in the remote areas. While there are significant problems facing our urban Indigenous population, they pale into insignificance when compared with those of their remote brothers and sisters. Much of what I have seen on my journeys into these areas is totally dispiriting. The evidence of the dysfunctional nature of these societies is everywhere: poor health, domestic violence, substance abuse, poor educational outcomes, teenage pregnancy and the breakdown of traditional structures. The problems and symptoms are easy to identify; the solutions are much more difficult. I have just listened to the member for Kalgoorlie list the problems of his electorate, which is the same dynamic, the same group of people that I am talking about, as we have adjoining electorates. As he was speaking, I found myself nodding as he listed the problems of these communities and some of the issues we need to face.

In the last few weeks we have seen the announcement by the government of a guest worker program. Immediately the cry has gone up that our Aboriginal population should be filling these roles. That is undoubtedly right, and a concerted effort will hopefully see some advances in this area. But it is a sad fact of life that, for many in this group, particularly those in remote areas, educational outcomes are so poor that this population is largely not equipped to participate in the workforce at any level.

The problems of the lands have been exacerbated by a form of racism whereby, in almost every area, we the wider community, in our efforts to help, have accepted lower standards than we would accept for the broader community. This condescending attitude must end. Hopefully the proposed amendments to the legislation will at least be part of the answer. However, when we take into account the government’s full reinstatement of the CDEP scheme, we must question the government’s overall commitment to reforming the concept of mutual obligation. Education is not just about what happens inside the school gate; it is about how children are prepared for life.

On Tuesday I attended a function here at Parliament House to promote National Child Protection Week. All of those who attended witnessed a very strong presentation that gave pause for thought. The abuse of children is a tragedy of national proportions. It includes physical abuse, mental abuse and neglect. Neglect, by any standard, includes not ensuring that all children receive an adequate education. But my purpose in mentioning that presentation by the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is to highlight their slogan: ‘Children see, children do’.

One of the purposes of CDEP is to prepare workers for the workforce and condition them to a working environment. The track record of this program is that many of the participants do not have regular hours or days of work. They roll up when they like. Sometimes they come; sometimes they do not. Not only does this not prepare participants for work in any real sense, but it also adds to the appalling role models presented to the children of these communities. We have evidence that the government are getting tough in one area, or at least talking the talk, but going weak at the knees in another. They penalise people who will not ensure that their kids are going to school, but to others they offer pseudo-jobs where it does not matter whether you roll up or not.

But this inconsistency goes even further. As a result of these amendments, parents will be penalised if they do not ensure that their children attend school. This is an attempt to protect children by ensuring that benefit recipients are fulfilling their end of the bargain with taxpayers. It would seem logical, then, that the unemployed should also be penalised if they refuse employment or deliberately underperform. After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. But the government are sending the opposite message. They are winding back the penalties for noncompliance in the labour market but tightening up the penalties for noncompliance in education.

When we relieve people of their responsibilities, we reinforce and reward substandard performance. For all Australians, there must be carrots and sticks—too much of one and not enough of the other will not give the right results. Mutual responsibility means, yes, the government—that is, the taxpayer—will support you but you must be prepared to help yourself.

That premise is inherent in these amendments; it should provide a guide to the rest of our system. Every time you relieve someone of a responsibility, you ensure that they will not do the task. It is no longer their job; it becomes your job. This condition affects not just Indigenous society but all groups. If you usurp responsibility, whatever your motive, you destroy the motivation for self-reliance.

As I said at the outset, I believe these amendments are a step in the right direction. But they are just one step. Let us see if the government can follow up on the promise and treat the problems of the APY Lands as seriously as they treat the problems of the Northern Territory. An emergency is an emergency, children are children, and a state border should make no difference to a determined government.

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