Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

Today marks a sombre but important occasion—a day that reminds us to reflect on the past of this country, examine the present and look to the future for what we as a society should be and what we can be. It's an important day—a day for reflecting on our nation's brutal and dark history and for acknowledging the pain that has occurred and is still occurring. It is a day for transformation and for committing to doing better and being better as a country. Of course, 13 February is the anniversary of the day in 2008 when the then Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, issued his apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to the stolen generations—people whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation. It is a time that is a stain on our country and one we can't ignore—one that we must acknowledge and commit to never letting happen again.

I, like so many Australians, remember that day very well. It was a watershed moment. I remember being on the lawns in front of Parliament House. At the time, I was working at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, and I stood proudly on the lawns with my colleagues from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. We stood there listening to those amazing words—those moving words, those important words—from Kevin Rudd. There were tears. There was relief. There was joy. There were lots of hugs.

At this morning's Sorry Day breakfast, the Prime Minister reflected on how, when we first apologised for the atrocities inflicted upon our First Nations people, we collectively became a better country, a country ready to take the next step to moving forward. Just as we acknowledged that history in 2008, today we commit to being a better country for now and into the future.

Earlier this week, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, tabled the Closing the gap annual report and implementation plan. As the minister said, and as our Prime Minister reiterated, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is a landmark partnership. It brings together all levels of Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks. It's an agreement that not only prioritises the government's deep partnership with Indigenous Australians and their organisations through the Coalition of Peaks but is one for all Australians, all political parties, all communities, all businesses and all schools. I thank the First Nations leaders who are working with the government on closing the gap. I particularly acknowledge the amazing Pat Turner, the lead convener and co-chair of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap.

We know that, when policies and programs are created and delivered in partnership, when the community controlled sector is strengthened, when mainstream institutions are transformed and when data and information are shared with community, we see real positive changes in the lives of First Nations Australians. This is the key for transformation and for closing the gap. Our annual report and implementation plan show the progress made across the government and detail our plan in the priority areas of economic empowerment, cost of living, mental health and wellbeing, and giving our children the best start in life, health, education and housing.

In 2024, I had the immense honour of being appointed the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health. It's not a role that I take lightly. I'm absolutely honoured to continue the work that Minister McCarthy undertook in this portfolio, and I'm privileged to continue to work with her in her new role as the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, an important portfolio. We also thank Linda Burney for all her incredible work in that portfolio. From the get-go, my approach to this role has been listening to First Nations people. It's why I've travelled across the country to meet with communities from Brisbane to Perth, Badu Island to Naarm and the Torres Strait to Adelaide.

I had the great privilege of travelling to the Torres Strait, to Badu Island, where we announced that we would have four dialysis chairs there for that community. We had an amazing meeting. This is a tiny island, with 2,000 to 4,000 people, very close to Papua New Guinea, very remote and in dire need of dialysis chairs. Without those chairs, the people on Badu Island have to go to Thursday Island for treatment. Many have to say goodbye to their communities because they know that they will not return. It's a very sad thing when they have to leave the island simply to get health care. So one of the areas I'm particularly proud of is providing community controlled health care in the communities where people live and they can stay with their families.

We are particularly proud of strengthening the community controlled sector. When the Albanese Labor government came into office we committed to strengthening the community controlled sector. We know that we get better outcomes when we work in genuine partnership with the people on the ground who know their communities so well. One of the key pieces of feedback we received from the sector was the need for long-term, sustainable and flexible funding to ensure that ACCHOs can focus on their core business of delivering culturally appropriate high-quality care to First Nations people across the country. From July 2024 we were proud to invest an initial $300 million to implement rolling funding agreements to provide certainty and flexibility for ACCHOs, bringing the total ACCHO investment under the Indigenous Australians' Health Program to $2.7 billion.

What we know now that our forefathers did not acknowledge is that First Nations people are more likely to achieve better health outcomes when they receive health care from First Nations led organisations rather than from non-First-Nations-led organisations. Take, for instance, birthing on country. For thousands of years First Nations women have given birth on country, surrounded by culture, knowledge and community. Birthing on country is not just a health practice; it's a sacred connection to land, ancestors and identity for many. When First Nations women lead their own maternal care, we see better health outcomes. In fact, we've seen evidence that birthing on country leads to increased attendance at prenatal check-ups, higher rates of smoking cessation, the reduced likelihood of preterm births and greater rates of exclusive breastfeeding upon hospital discharge. The practice of forcing women to leave community security and home, often for environments that have felt unsafe, is disempowering and wrong. We also know that hospitals, like many other government run facilities, were a place where babies were stolen. It will take generations for our nation to rebuild that trust. It the responsibility of all of us to ensure First Nations women have choice and control over their health care and that culturally safe options are available. Today we acknowledge that progress has been achieved, mostly led by First Nations Australians, and that there is continuing work that must be done.

On National Sorry Day I want to add my voice to the millions of others and say, on behalf of our government and ancestors, I am deeply, deeply sorry. I acknowledge that, while no words will ever be enough to rectify the pain that has been caused, we must always endeavour to mend the pain in any way possible—not just through words but through actions too. I thank everyone who fought for the national apology, many who are from the stolen generations themselves and who are still with us here today. We heard a number of their testimonies this morning at the breakfast here in this house. It was extremely moving. Their goodwill to continue to come to this house, to continue to work with the Australian people and to continue to work with the government to do more to repair the past wrongs is extremely generous. We want to do more, we will do more and we must do more.

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