Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly I acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the Canberra area, and I pay my respects to the elders past and present and, of course, to all of Australia's Indigenous peoples.

I rise today to add my thoughts on the Closing the Gap statement delivered by the Prime Minister. In the Prime Minister's address there was a sense of humility and an understanding that we as a nation and we as members of parliament representing our various communities still have much work to do in bridging the gap between our Indigenous peoples and the broader Australian community. I have a strong sense that, while we have come some way in doing so, there are still many areas in which there is much work yet to be done.

As the Prime Minister noted when he spoke, there are many, on both sides of politics, who have gone before us in trying to bridge the gap. We all have a personal responsibility, however, to ensure that the journey does not end with us; that we give our all to continue the work that has begun. It is vitally important that the Prime Minister and his department take leadership of bridging the gap.

It is also vitally important that the many innovative and creative initiatives which are already taking place across our nation—some of which are funded by the federal government; others of which may be funded either by state or local government or by business and corporates—that are working and bringing about results in the various communities across our nation, whether they be in urban Australia or regional Australia, receive ongoing support. The establishment of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council is another significant milestone.

However, there are some particular aspects of the Closing the Gap report that should be cause for reflection and action. In particular, the data involving Indigenous young people and children is evidence that there is much more to be done. The report shows that progress against the target to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade has been disappointing—only two out of eight areas have shown a significant improvement since 2008. The attendance of Indigenous children in remote schools is one of the greatest indicators that we are still far from closing the gap. Education is the cornerstone of our society; it is where children are given the best opportunity to grow, learn, develop and become contributors to their communities. It is the foundation of their future. We cannot neglect this important moment in time.

One particular organisation I have had the pleasure of working with, that lives and breathes closing the gap is Ngroo Education. Ngroo is a non-profit organisation intent on improving opportunities for Aboriginal children to achieve their potential by increasing their level of participation in mainstream early childhood education and care. Ngroo engages strongly with Aboriginal people. Across New South Wales there are now 20 elders connecting their communities to Ngroo, and then in turn to childcare centres. Ngroo's earliest work took place in September 2008 and it has had many achievements in just a few years. A highlight is that its Walking Together program is having a demonstrated positive impact on the participation and outcomes of Aboriginal children in early childhood education and care. Ngroo works to provide improved cultural awareness training focused on outcomes for non-Aboriginal staff. The outcomes include skills to identify barriers to participation and motivation to work to overcome these barriers. Ngroo also works with Aboriginal communities to create connections that empower the community to drive the activities of Ngroo. At present, Ngroo has two full-time and five part-time staff, with Aboriginal staff making up 57 per cent of the total. In 2014, one more Aboriginal staff member will be added.

I have witnessed the work of Ngroo on the ground in my electorate of Macquarie. It is one of the best models of closing the gap I have seen. Ngroo is focused on creating an environment where Indigenous children are not seen just as a number but are valued, where their communities, elders and families are connected and engaged with the local community, the broader community and with the childcare centre that is part of their community. I have watched as the local elders and Aboriginal staff dance barefoot with the children at a local preschool. In fact, I have joined them on one or two occasions. In my view this wonderful organisation is proof that we can close the gap and create an environment where Indigenous children enjoy attending preschool and feel a connection to their culture, to their mainstream teachers of education and, most importantly, their families.

Health is another key area where there is much work to do in closing the gap. Child mortality rates for Indigenous children have been a concern for every government. The Closing the Gap report showed that there have been significant improvements in Indigenous child mortality in recent years. During the period 1998 to 2012 the Indigenous child mortality rate declined by 32 precent. This has led to a significant narrowing of the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. In my electorate, the Nepean-Blue Mountains Medicare Local has taken the initiative to create the Blue Mountains Aboriginal Healthy for Life Program which is funded by the federal government. This is led by Brad Moore, who is the Chair of the Blue Mountains Aboriginal Health Coalition. He is doing a wonderful job. This program works in close partnership with five primary health sites, including medical and general practices as well as the community based health program including the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation-Darug Mountains Group and the Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation. At this point, I acknowledge the Darug and the Gundungurra people, who are the First Australians of the community that I represent. I acknowledge their elders, past and present.

The Aboriginal Healthy for Life program aims to: enhance quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic and complex illness; improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, babies and children; improve the long-term health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians; reduce the incidence of adult chronic illness over time; and improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and boys.

The Blue Mountains Aboriginal Healthy for Life team is made up of two registered nurses, a male and female Aboriginal outreach worker, and a program manager. They are making significant progress and the health outcomes will be seen in the decades to come. The program is making significant inroads into Aboriginal health in my community, and I congratulate the Nepean Blue Mountains Medicare Local on their work.

In my electorate of Macquarie, the history of the First Australians is rich. Aboriginal heritage extends well beyond archaeological sites, rock engraving and rock shelter art. It includes: natural landscape features; ceremonial, mythological and religious areas; and massacre sites; and other places with which Aboriginal people maintain a strong spiritual, cultural and historical association. It is a constant reminder of the First Australians, who long before Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossed the Blue Mountains had been crossing the mountains for thousands of years. As a nation we must never forget those who were the first inhabitants of our nation and who still have such a strong connection to the land. Today is an opportunity for us to again assert our commitment to working alongside our Indigenous First Australians to create a better future for all Australians.

The Closing the Gap statement delivered by Prime Minister Tony Abbott was an important moment in this parliament and an important moment of personal reflection in my political career so far. Let me recap why the Prime Minister's speech is significant to all of us as Australians and why it is significant to me personally and also as the member for Robertson. In doing so, I acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the Canberra area, and also the Darkinjung and Guringai peoples, who are the traditional custodians of my local community region, and pay respect to the elders, past and present, of all Australia's Indigenous peoples.

There is, quite crucially, a focus on children and young people in Indigenous communities. The target to halve the gap in child mortality within a decade is, so far, on track to be met. We must not relent in our pursuit of this goal. In my electorate of Robertson, there were more than 3,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the time of the last census, almost of half of them under the age of 20. Helping this age group is often about education. Closing the gap in my electorate, and around the nation, is about getting kids to school and then on to employment. This can take on a variety of forms.

In Robertson, our Indigenous population is supported by a number of local organisations, including the Darkinjung land council and the Mingaletta Aboriginal corporation based out on the peninsula. They do terrific work in our community. Robertson is also home to the National Aboriginal and Strait Islander Skills Development Association's dance academy—or NAISDA, as it is more commonly called. NAISDA graduates are positive role models for Indigenous youth not just in my electorate but right around our nation. I commend NAISDA for their goal to develop opportunities and self-development and independence in their students and their commitment to encouraging their students to maintain strong links to their cultural backgrounds. NAISDA chairman, Dr Warren Mundine, is also head of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council. Dr Mundine has called on the Prime Minister to close the gap on school attendance by the end of this year, four years ahead of the 2019 deadline.

There are other organisations and programs in my electorate that also seek in their own way to help close the gap. One such program is organised by Gosford City Council, which arranges a sport and cultural exchange to Walgett for Aboriginal students enrolled in local primary schools. The students play in the Ricky Walford Shield rugby league and the Jenny Wright Shield netball carnival and visit a cultural centre where they hear traditional storytelling and learn more about Indigenous culture. Gosford council also runs an Indigenous surf carnival—a summer surf program targeting young Aboriginal people on the Central Coast. The program includes three water safety and learn-to-surf programs and a competition day, and is a great way to engage hundreds of young people while also ensuring they learn about water and beach safety. An Australian Sports Commission report found that this surf program and others like it make a difference in other parts of the participant's life. Such programs can help lead to less self-harm, less antisocial behaviour and less substance abuse. They also increase confidence and self-esteem, help to develop social skills and result in better behaviour at home and in the classroom.

Unfortunately, there has been very little improvement towards halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy. It is apparent that Indigenous employment has, if anything, slipped backwards over the past few years. That is where my moment of personal reflection really hit home to me. While not claiming to be an expert on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues—in fact, quite the opposite—I was really moved by the Prime Minister's statement in the House that day. As a mother, a former teacher and someone who has mentored young people in a range of voluntary roles over the last 20 years or more, I have a passion to see all our young people have great hope for the future. Initiatives like those I have mentioned today and heard of from my parliamentary colleagues are inspiring, as we seek to work together to build hope and opportunity.

My own work background is quite diverse. While my first full-time job was as a teacher back at my former high school in Narara, I have since gone on to work in politics and the corporate sector. I have come to understand how education plays a vital role in providing opportunities, particularly work opportunities, for our young people. Each of my own work opportunities was afforded to me because of my schooling and university degree, as well as my skills and subsequent work experience But beyond all this is the importance of advocacy and of taking a stand. Closing the gap has always been a bipartisan goal and so our successes and our failures are also shared. As the Prime Minister has said, our challenge is now to turn our good intentions into better outcomes. Today I commit myself to being an advocate in my electorate for closing the gap so that these intentions and outcomes help people right across the Central Coast, and indeed around Australia, to thrive.

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