Gary Hardgrave (Moreton, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The primary purpose of this bill is to amend the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 by appropriating additional funding of $43.6 million over the 2006-08 calendar years to improve opportunities for First Australian Indigenous students in school and training sectors.

This funding will be used for additional tutorial assistance, support for community festivals for Indigenous youth, health promotion, activities addressing substance abuse by Indigenous youth in remote regions, and delivering school based sporting academies and related activities for Indigenous students.

The Australian government places enormous importance on achieving better educational outcomes for Indigenous students. To achieve this, new investment is absolutely necessary in the areas of schooling, vocational and technical education, and health related strategies. This government is committed to developing the capacities and talents of our First Australians, our Indigenous people, so they have the necessary knowledge, understanding, skills and values for a productive and rewarding life of their choosing.

Some $14.5 million will be used to extend tutorial assistance programs to encourage year 9 Indigenous students to continue with schooling to complete year 12, thereby improving their educational and job prospects. This initiative has the benefit of engaging year 9 students and reducing drop-out rates from school at this very critical transition point. Tutorial assistance for Indigenous year 9 students will complement similar assistance already provided to year 10, 11 and 12 Indigenous students.

Up to 5,000 Indigenous vocational and technical education students annually will also benefit from tutorial assistance program funding of $11.2 million. This initiative will be directed towards Indigenous students undertaking courses leading to the attainment of Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate Level III or above qualifications. Indigenous students are, sadly, underrepresented in courses at these levels. It is well recognised that attaining an AQF Certificate Level III or above qualification significantly increases the chances of employment.

Another initiative contained in this bill is directed towards giving young Indigenous girls and boys increased opportunities to engage in education and sports activities. Funding of $9.1 million is being sought for 18 school based sporting academies and related strategies. This funding will build on successful models of sporting academies that have helped Indigenous people engage positively in sport and succeed in education and later life. I pay tribute to the member for Canning for his very positive efforts in his electorate in piloting this program. This funding will provide a rolling out of the lessons learned so well in the strategies in the southern suburbs of Perth.

In 2007 the initiative will also enable more than 1,000 students to attend up to 12 sports academies, located within schools, offering a range of sports and recreation activities. With some 18 academies in place by the end of 2008, the participation of our First Australians will increase to an estimated 1,530 students from every state and territory.

Up to some 16,000 young people annually will benefit from this government allocating $7.3 million to the Indigenous youth festivals initiative. This is a component of the Community Festivals for Health Promotion program. This program aims to, through Indigenous youth festivals, promote healthy and positive lifestyles, improve participation in education, increase vocational planning and reduce crime and drug abuse—and they are very effective indeed.

The festivals are providing an opportunity to strengthen educational outcomes—such as attendance at school and school engagement—by integrating events of this nature into core curricula and practices of schools, particularly in remote areas such as Cape York and parts of Western Australia.

Funding of $1.5 million will be used as part of a whole-of-government regional approach announced in September 2005 to address substance abuse—diversionary and preventative education based projects that build upon the successes already achieved through the Australian government’s Partnership Outreach Education Model. The POEM pilot will be introduced in the central desert and two other remote regions. These projects will help combat the critical issues of petrol sniffing and substance abuse and we are ambitious to engage up to 1,000 young people over four years.

A further $100,000 from existing program resources is being made available to the National School Drug Education Strategy to assist in stopping young people from becoming involved in substance abuse activities.

This bill before the House will make an enormous difference. It is a deliberate investment as part of a whole-of-government commitment to our First Australians to make a difference in their lives through their formative years at school to ensure that they, through their own efforts and enterprise, can engineer a great sense of success in their own personal futures.

I commend this bill to the House.

Debate (on motion by Mr Edwards) adjourned.