Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will not delay the House long, but I wish to address the House on the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Bill 2010. The opposition does in fact support this bill as drafted, but I think all of us in Australia are entirely unhappy about the level of performance, or success, of Indigenous students. We do not believe that enough assistance has been given to Indigenous students to enable them to compete with other Australians. I think all of us are in favour of equality of opportunity so that Indigenous students are in fact able to perform along with non-Indigenous students.

As a country we have a lot to not be proud of with respect to Indigenous affairs. It is a scandal that Indigenous Australians live for a substantially shorter time than non-Indigenous Australians. All of us are very keen, wherever possible, to try to redress Indigenous disadvantage. Thus I said at the outset that we are not happy with the level of success of Indigenous students. If it is possible to give them an extra push along, an extra hand to help them to achieve at the levels of other Australians, then this is an important initiative and an important principle that all of us on both sides of the chamber would support.

This bill is a step in the right direction. While the opposition strongly supports the principle of equality for Indigenous Australians, I must say that the government’s rhetoric on Indigenous Australians has been long and loud but their performance has been completely inadequate. I think that many people voted for the Rudd Labor government in the 2007 election with an expectation that there would be an increased focus on Indigenous disadvantage. The people who voted on that basis would, of course, be sincerely disappointed. They believed that the Rudd Labor government would place a greater emphasis on redressing Indigenous disadvantage but, sadly, this has been another area where the Rudd Labor government has let down the Australian people.

I think it is important also to look at what the Liberal-National government did when we were in office prior to the 2007 election, in particular the initiative taken in the Northern Territory. It is important at times to think beyond the square and to look at failed systems which have not been assisting Indigenous Australians. Where those failed systems continue to fail, at great cost to the Australian community, it is important—and in fact it is a responsibility of governments—to think about how we can achieve successful outcomes in a better way. That was the approach taken by the Howard government prior to the election in 2007. It was a policy which was strongly supported by many in the Indigenous community.

We are all about practical reconciliation. We want to bring about a situation where Indigenous Australians are equal with non-Indigenous Australians in all areas. We want to see them achieve to the same level as non-Indigenous Australians. We want to see them in schools and universities. We want to see them filling the ranks of all the professions in our country. We want Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to achieve successfully at a high level. That is one of the reasons why the former Howard government was prepared to take a course of action which was criticised by some people—because we felt that the tired old solution of the past, of simply throwing money at the problem, was not achieving what it was intended to achieve.

The Leader of the Opposition has taken a particular interest in Indigenous affairs. Prior to his election as leader, he was a shadow minister in this area. We are very fortunate to have the honourable member for Warringah as the Leader of the Opposition because, in him, we have someone who understands what the former Howard government did and understands the shortcomings of the Rudd Labor government in the area of Indigenous affairs.

This bill amends the funding tables in the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 to include the additional $10.93 million allocated to the Sporting Chance Program announced in the 2009-10 budget. There is no additional appropriation in this bill. It transfers the amount of money—almost $11 million—from the Appropriation Act (No. 1) to the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 from 1 January 2010. The appropriation was considered as part of the 2009-10 budget process.

Honourable members would be aware that the Sporting Chance Program was a conception of the former Liberal-National government. It was announced many years ago—in the budget of 2006-07, I think. This program is an initiative which is actually achieving its desired outcomes in engaging Indigenous boys and girls in school through involvement with sport. If children can be encouraged to play sport—for fitness but also to play the sport to achieve excellent levels—then this is one way of redressing disadvantage.

I think all Australians felt a great sense of pride when we saw Cathy Freeman achieving what she achieved. And there have been so many other Indigenous sports men and women who have carried the flag of Australia, who have stood up and been counted. They are used as role models for other Indigenous and, I suspect, non-Indigenous Australians. That is a really important step. That is why the Sporting Chance Program of the former Howard government has been really successful.

The government has made promises to Indigenous Australians through Closing the Gap, yet has failed to deliver any new programs or to deliver any improvements in Indigenous education outcomes. The only successes being achieved by the Rudd Labor government in this area are through the programs of the former Howard government.

There is so much more to be done in the area of redressing Indigenous disadvantage. I do not think as a country we can hold our heads high or be proud of how we have collectively, over the last 200 years, handled the issue of Indigenous affairs. I think all of us have as an aspiration the redressing of Indigenous disadvantage so that Indigenous Australians are able to achieve to the same level as non-Indigenous Australians. Unfortunately the government has talked a lot—there has been a tremendous amount of rhetoric—but in this area, as in so many other areas, the government has been short on achievement. That compares not very favourably with many of the excellent outcomes achieved by the former Howard government.

Having said that, more should be done. This bill is a step in the right direction and I hope that the government does seriously seek to redress Aboriginal disadvantage. It has to get beyond tokenism. It has to get beyond the idea that, by throwing money at the problem, it is going to solve the problem. Indigenous Australians deserve objective attention to the problem. They need a bipartisan approach so that we are able ultimately to see Indigenous Australians achieving at the same level as other Australians. I commend the bill to the House.

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