Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the opposition for their assistance in this matter. In this discussion on Aboriginal disadvantage, I would like to acquaint the House with the Noongar people of the south-west of Western Australia. At the time of European settlement of the area there were between 6,000 and 10,000 Noongar people living in the south-west, in a region roughly south and west of a line from Jurien Bay, about 200 kilometres north of Perth to Esperance, which is 800 kilometres south-east of Perth. This includes the Perth metropolitan region, an entire south-west land division. Evidence suggests that they have been living in that area for at least 45,000 years. Today around 30,000 people living in the region claim Noongar heritage, making this grouping the largest Aboriginal language group in Australia. Around 10 per cent of these live in my electorate.

In the Forrest electorate the Noongar language grouping is split into two groups, in geographical terms by the Capel River. North of this is the traditional home of the Pindjarup and, south, predominantly the Wardandi. It is also one of the most urbanised areas, with the majority living in the Perth metropolitan region. As we know, the Noongar community has produced some of AFL's best footballers, such as the Matera brothers from the West Coast Eagles and Stephen Hill from the Dockers.

Today around a third of the AFL's Indigenous players across Australia are Noongar. This is a group of Australians with a proud history and a strong culture. It is also a group that works to encourage and support their people. For example, the South West Aboriginal Medical Service, based in Bunbury, also provides an outreach service in regional centres like Collie. It is really critical that the AMS get out to these small communities.

The Noongar community have actively targeted education as a key priority and I commend them for that. They have seen marked improvements in graduation rates at both the secondary and tertiary levels. That is exactly what we need to see and that is their intention. Of course, there is still much more to do in terms of closing the gap for the Noongar community, but I am really encouraged, as they would be, by what is in place.

Members should note that the term 'Noongar', although often seen spelled in different ways, means 'the people'—or, perhaps more literally, human being. This is similar to many other Indigenous populations around the globe whose name for themselves means the equivalent of 'the people'. The Noongar community is a great reminder to us all that we are not dealing with a language group; we are talking about human beings. Too often in discussions we can fall into the trap of generalisation and we can talk about them as a group rather than individuals with dreams, hope and aspirations.

It is not difficult to understand why, as so many Australians do not even know an Aboriginal person. So perhaps they have no individual experience to call upon. For many, the only experience they have of an individual Aboriginal person is on television, where they sometimes see and hear messages that are not always a positive experience. So it is most appropriate that the word 'Noongar' be remembered in this debate and that the focus should be on providing opportunities for individuals and families. In doing so, we can raise the level of the debate and focus on improving health, education and employment opportunities for individual Aboriginal people throughout this nation through their individual empowerment—for it is these three things that will drive the future of the next generation of Aboriginal and Noongar communities.

Of these, for me perhaps the greatest need is education. The rate of Aboriginal students attending and graduating not only high school but also tertiary education has to be lifted yet again. I was at an ECU graduation in my electorate recently and one of the teachers came and saw me afterwards and said, 'We need to make sure we have more young Aboriginal people graduating as well,' and I support that. We know that through education come greater job choice, greater job satisfaction and greater job security. This rule applies to us all, including Aboriginal people—and, like us all, having meaningful employment is ultimately tied to our self-esteem and self-worth.

We have seen the government engaging with leaders of the Aboriginal community, like Warren Mundine, who want to step away from welfare and sit-down money and instead focus on step-up money—stepping up to education and employment and self-empowerment and self-determination. On these issues, the Prime Minister is to be congratulated for his leadership and his genuine and heartfelt commitment to the Aboriginal community. Surely even his fiercest critics have no choice but to endorse this.

The Prime Minister has also moved away from a range of issues in the Aboriginal engagement. By personal demonstration, Tony Abbott has demonstrated his long-term commitment to improving outcomes for Aboriginal people. I am looking forward to seeing what the Prime Minister will do in this area over the coming years, because this new focus on personal empowerment has so much potential. It was good to hear in his statement that Australia is on track to achieve some of the Closing the Gap targets. It is a good thing that the target to halve the gap in child mortality within a decade is on track to be met.

On a personal level, I was pleased to be informed that we are already close to meeting the target to have 95 per cent of remote children enrolled for preschool. In this, as in so many other areas, the work continues. Surely the first step is to know what percentage is actually attending as well as just enrolled. Again, this knowledge should soon become available. Of course, getting Aboriginal children to start their education journey is important—but, surely, our target is to get them to the end of it. To this end, to be told that the target to halve the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020 is also on track to be met is great and welcome news.

I, like I am sure all members, am saddened that Indigenous employment has not progressed and may, in fact, have worsened. This needs to change, but surely education is the key to better employment outcomes. So it is my fervent hope that the small but stepped changes we are seeing in education will bear fruit in employment. It may well be a slow process and perhaps a generational change, but we start by getting children into school and we address the outcomes of schooling. To date, there has been very little improvement towards halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy and this needs to change as quickly as possible. In his address, the Prime Minister said:

We are all passionate to close the gap, but we may, I fear, be doomed to fail until we achieve the most basic target of all: the expectation that every child will attend school every day.

These are wise words, but we need to go further. School attendance is not enough by itself because it is the outcome of learning that is the key. This is the true measure, as the Prime Minister has said: how many Aboriginal people graduate from high school and tertiary courses as individuals with high levels of literacy and numeracy skills, because this will lead to employment and from employment should stem a range of other benefits.

To date there has been almost no progress in closing the life-expectancy gap between Aboriginal and other Australians, which is still about a decade. In my view education outcomes lead to employment outcomes, which lead to self-esteem outcomes, which lead to health outcomes. As the report on Closing the Gap shows, there is no quick fix by jumping straight to health without addressing the things that impact on it.

The coalition government proposes to add a new target to Closing the Gap targets to end the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance within five years. Right around the country, it should be possible to be proudly Aboriginal and a full participant in modern Australia. I want to commend a little school in my electorate, Harvey Primary School, that has really made an improvement in its attendance, in the past 12 months in particular, through its own resources.

Every state and territory has agreed with the Commonwealth on the need to publish attendance data for every school. At 40 remote schools, the Commonwealth is already funding new anti-truancy measures that, on day one of the 2014 school year in some communities, seem to have boosted attendance from under 60 per cent to over 90 per cent.

It has often been repeated that history judges a nation by how it treats its most vulnerable members, and history is watching our actions closely. Let us let self-empowerment through education be the legacy we leave on this issue.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to begin by acknowledge the first Australians as the traditional custodians of this land and pay my respects to their elders, past and present. I would also like to particularly acknowledge the Woiwurung and Wathawurung people, the traditional owners of the land that encompasses the electorate of Lalor, and I acknowledge the presence of the member for Hasluck this morning.

The last time this parliament sat, I was pleased to be in the House and see the bipartisan recognition of the importance of the sixth Closing the Gap report. To see both sides of parliament commit to better outcomes for Indigenous people, not only in terms of numbers on a page but in terms of real and tangible improvements, shows how far we have come when these sorts of aims are shared and are no longer a source of conflict or debate.

When we established the Closing the Gap targets in 2008, we did so with a long-term view: to end the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We pledged this not only on behalf of ourselves but also on behalf of those who would come after us—years and decades after us—because this is not a problem that can be fixed in an instant. It requires our time, resources and, most importantly, our commitment. So, while I am pleased to see this new era of bipartisan support, I am at the same time worried that some of the former Labor government's policies and reforms in this area are being undone—in health, in justice and in education.

For example, the reduction in funding to health programs and infrastructure, particularly in rural and remote areas, can only hurt Indigenous people. Same, too, with the $13.4 million cut to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal aid, an incredibly short-sighted move, in my humble opinion, and one which I know is already causing great concern in my community. As a former educator, it concerns me that one of the first acts of the Abbott government was to cut all funding to the First Peoples Education Advisory Group. The group, a cross-sector expert panel that sought to provide education advice to the government, was working on the very issues we are addressing here today—closing the gap. It is therefore very disappointing that the Abbott government has walked away from continuing this important work.

It is also very concerning that the government has refused to fully commit to additional financial loadings for students under the Better Schools plan. The loadings seek to address disadvantage head-on and, importantly, recognise the continuing disparity by providing extra assistance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It is about targeting funding to targeted needs.

These cuts to health, justice and education services are short-sighted and raise questions about the government's real commitment to closing the gap, because, as the report shows, while we certainly have had some success, we still have such a long way to go in ending the gulf between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We are not there. In abolishing the gap in employment outcomes, we are not there. In terms of halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy for Indigenous children, we are not even close. The most recent NAPLAN results support this finding and show that, despite some encouraging gains in literacy, Indigenous students continue to be left behind. This is not good enough. As my colleague Senator Peris said in her speech on closing the gap, equality in education is essential. It is the great equaliser. And it is the government's responsibility to ensure that every Australian child has access to a quality education regardless of background or bank balance.

Without adequate commitment from government to improving outcomes in education, in health, in employment and in justice, we will not meet the most important target of all: life expectancy. This gap is estimated to be about a decade between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and represents the years of inequality in services, in health and in education that Indigenous communities have faced and continue to face. I think there is always a risk that when we talk about these sorts of things in such dry and removed language we can forget what we are really talking about. We need to remind ourselves that, when we are talking about life expectancy gaps, what we are really talking about is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being denied the chance to grow old. It is unfair. It is appalling. It is heartbreaking. So, when we say we need to do better and we need to do more, let us not forget what we are really talking about here. Real people in real communities have been left too far behind for too long. By being better, by doing more, we can create better outcomes and create more opportunities. We can change lives.

While it is so important that we acknowledge the work still to be done, we do need to acknowledge and celebrate some of the successes in the report. We need to recognise that we are on track to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five. If improvements continue at the same rate, this will be achieved by 2018. We need to recognise that we are on track to ensure access to early childhood education for every Indigenous child living in a remote community, with 88 per cent of Indigenous children in 2012 enrolled in preschool. This is an encouraging result. And we need to recognise that we are on track to halve the gap in the number of Indigenous kids completing year 12.

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association recently celebrated the achievements of the 384 Koori students who completed their VCE, VCAL or VET in 2013. This is up from 257 students just three years before. And not only are more Indigenous students completing year 12 studies in Victoria but more are going on to tertiary studies. The percentage of Aboriginal students going from year 12 to university has increased from 22 per cent to 40 per cent over the past five years. This is a momentous leap and a profoundly life-changing outcome for these students.

In acknowledging these successes, we also need to recognise the people whose work, day by day, is closing that gap inch by inch: the teachers, the nurses, the doctors, the community workers, those in the not-for-profit sector and, most importantly, people in Indigenous communities themselves. In my own community, I would like to recognise the work of the Gathering Place; the South Western Melbourne Medicare Local; the Western Region Health Centre; the schools that have embraced the Wannik individual education plans for Indigenous students, which have led to such great outcomes; and other local agencies who are deeply committed to closing the gap within our community. Without the efforts of these people, without their dedication, we would not have much to celebrate.

But they do need our support. In particular, they need those things I mentioned earlier: our time, our resources and our commitment. So I would like to take this opportunity to ask of the government, the opposition and every single parliamentarian in this place that we continue to hold ourselves to account, that we continue to always aim high and that we never forget our role in ensuring that every Australian gets a fair go.

That is why I am particularly proud to be a member of a party and a member of a parliament that is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a place of honour in the Australian Constitution. It is the next important step in a long road of reconciliation for our parliament. In 1963, Indigenous Australians were able to vote in a national election for the first time. In 1975, Prime Minister Whitlam acknowledged the rights of Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji people and poured that profound handful of sand.

As Mr Abbott noted some weeks ago, it was 1992 when Prime Minister Keating made the Redfern speech, a watershed moment which acknowledged the pain of our past and committed our nation to doing better. It was 2007 when Prime Minister Rudd said sorry and reminded us that both symbolism and actions have a role to play in achieving true reconciliation. It was in 2013 that under Prime Minister Gillard parliament passed the act of recognition, the fruition of years of work that have in turn led us to our next step.

The next step of constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is more than words on a page. It is about acknowledgement and recognition and it serves as a permanent reminder as to what has been and what should be. The referendum is our next opportunity to bring every Australian with us on that long road to true reconciliation.

Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great pleasure to follow the member for Lalor in this debate. I am sure she will make as great an impact on public life as the woman she succeeded in that seat. I also acknowledge the member for Hasluck, who is in the chamber today, and the work that he is doing on the important select committee dealing with constitutional recognition. That is a matter that I will have something more to say about throughout the course of my remarks.

It is important that we acknowledge the traditional owners of this land—the Ngambri people and the Ngunnawal people—and I pay my respects to elders past and present. As a representative of the Throsby electorate, I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the Dharawal people of the Illawarra and the Gundungurra people of the Southern Highlands.

On 13 February 2008, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered an apology to the stolen generations. I suspect everybody in this chamber would be able to recite exactly where they were on that morning when the Prime Minister delivered that historic address. I was with a group of friends in Federation Square in Victoria. It was broadcast on a large television screen. I was not alone; there were several thousand people who turned out in Melbourne's streets that morning to come together and share as one that important acknowledgement from the parliament, from the leader of the parliament and from the leader of the Australian people.

Prime Minister Rudd also outlined a new future for Australia, one where:

… we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

He then went on to lead COAG to agree with Indigenous communities to achieve the target of closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and, notably, the 17-year gap in life expectancy within one generation.

I will now talk about some of the other closing-the-gap targets. In the area of health, it is an unfortunate reality that a high proportion of Aboriginal Australians still live below the poverty line and suffer from preventable chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, at a greater rate than the rest of the population. Since 2006, Australia's peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous health bodies, NGOs and human rights organisations have been working together to achieve health and life expectation equality for Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It cannot happen overnight. As the member for Lalor has observed, once chronic diseases like diabetes, liver disease and kidney disease take hold, they can be managed but not cured. So the challenge is to ensure that we do not continuously increase the stock of the population who suffer from these diseases.

In my electorate, there are many community organisations that are already working to address Indigenous health epidemics such as I have mentioned. They work in public health. One such organisation is the Koori Men's Support Group. It is a non-profit organisation led by a dynamic and charismatic individual who everyone knows as Uncle G or Uncle Gerald. As an Aboriginal elder within his community, he focuses on young men and ensures that they are provided with the sort of mentorship, leadership and healthy life examples that perhaps were not available to him. They are making a difference in many, many ways.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work that Uncle G and his men's group do out at Albion Park. Much of their discussions revolve around getting kids to make responsible lifestyle decisions—to eat healthy, to get moving and to steer clear of drugs, alcohol and smoking. The goal is to intervene at a young age to try to address the soaring hospitalisation rates of local Indigenous people, which is much higher than the non-Indigenous population. It is especially about those choices that contribute to alcohol abuse and injury, respiratory disease and kidney disease. A staggering one-third or more of Aboriginal hospitalisation admissions in the Illawarra are for dialysis, which is more than double the non-Indigenous rates. So, if we are going to make a difference, we have got a pretty clear understanding of some of the areas which we have to focus on. You would associate these health crises with an impoverished nation but it is actually happening in a very wealthy nation—one of the most wealthy nations in the world. So we have got a lot of work to do and, as a nation, we can do much better in this area.

When we talk about education, we are still way off the pace in achieving the majority of our Closing the Gap education targets. We have not yet halved the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Aboriginal children and we have not yet halved the gap for Aboriginal students in year 12 or equivalent attainment rates. I am pleased to say—and there was a little bit of celebration throughout the chamber—that the Prime Minister has advised us that we have met our first Closing the Gap target in that every preschooler living in a remote community now has access to early childhood education. We are set to have 95 per cent of children in remote areas enrolled in preschool within a decade.

This is important. There have been Nobel Prize winning economists that have demonstrated that every $1 invested in early childhood in nought to six-year-old education has a return of between $6 and $10 over the lifetime. We should do it because it is the right thing to do, but if we need to make an economic argument then an economic argument can be made. A $1 investment with a $10 return is a good investment in anybody's language, and it comes in many forms like sources of tax revenue, reduced remedial help and health costs and lower criminal justice costs. Getting this right is very important. I think it will have a flow-on effect to other education target areas—obviously literacy and numeracy rates, but also completion of year 12 or equivalent attainment. Without early childhood education opportunities, Aboriginal children start their very first day of school socially and intellectually behind non-Indigenous kids who have engaged in early learning programs. So it is clearly an area where we know that we can make a difference.

I now turn to employment. It is a national shame that Aboriginal people in the Illawarra and right across the country continue to experience higher rates of unemployment than non-Aboriginal people. Employment rates for Indigenous people in Wollongong is at 46.1 per cent. This is well below the average rates for the rest of the population, which is hovering at around 66 per cent. So we know what we have got to do in this area. There are some terrific programs that are making a difference in this area, but I have to say that some of these programs are currently labouring under funding uncertainty. We know that we have got to invest the money to get the return and we know that a number of the programs have a big axe over their head. So I call upon people of good will all across the parliament to ensure, as the member for Lalor has set out, that these programs continue to be funded. There are programs like Better Futures, which I am very pleased to say that the Shellharbour LGA is one of only 10 areas throughout the country that was identified by the previous government for special attention. We knew that if we were going to get high at-risk groups back into the workforce then we had to make an investment.

Focusing on the Aboriginal unemployed population or at-risk population in Shellharbour was a key objective of the money that has been spent in the Illawarra. As an example, the Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation is running the What a Man project, which engages Aboriginal fathers from jobless families and develops the skills that many of us take for granted, to ensure they get their lives back on track and that they can also provide leadership to the young boys and kids within their care.

I want to say something about constitutional recognition before I sit down. Our national anthem includes the words:

For those who've come across the seas

We've boundless plains to share …

The plains were not empty when the white people got here. They were occupied for over 30,000 years. That is something we should be proud of and which we are proud of. We acknowledge it at every civic ceremony and at many more ceremonies throughout the country. We have one more step to take. We have to remove the last vestiges of racism from our Constitution. That should be the work of this parliament, as well.

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's Report 2014. I enjoyed listening to the speeches of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition because the bipartisan commitment is strong and is aimed towards the targets that have been established through the Closing the Gap COAG work. But there were two lines in the Prime Minister's speech that resonated and stuck with me. One was:

Many of us have been on a long journey.

If we look at the context of that long journey then, depending on which side you stand, that journey is very different—particular for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities over that period of time.

The second sentence that stayed with me was:

The challenge is to turn good intentions into better outcomes.

That is the challenge in this process. I have always been of the view that we will not close the gap unless we focus on the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia—that is, urban communities, rural, remote and regional centres. That is because three-quarters—75 per cent—of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in major cities or regional areas, with the remaining 25 per cent living in remote and very remote areas. So whilst the targets apply equally, the challenge is in the programs and the types of initiatives that you put into place that will be effective within those locations.

The challenges faced in these different environments are very similar. We make assumptions about the overarching issues of high Indigenous infant mortality rates, the extraordinary prevalence rates of otitis media and the other health problems that prevail and the need to address the social determinants which impact on every facet of the goals that we have set ourselves. And we need to look at appropriately negotiated services, because they remain critical in the way that we achieve an outcome.

All of us, when we are involved in determining our own destinies—we look at what it is that we should improve or how to add to the quality of our lives—generally expect and want to have the capacity to participate in those negotiations. It does not matter whether those negotiations are with our GP or whether they are with the local shopkeeper. Transcend that model into the way in which governments deliver services to Aboriginal communities: we should be doing exactly the same there. Because if we are doing to people the things that we want to implement then they will not be effective unless they are owned.

Leaders of change must ensure that the status quo is not retained or justified, because we will not see the shift in the outcomes that we seek. We know that change is inevitable and that there is a need to take strong action to eliminate the high levels of disparity that prevail within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In the new and emerging directions, Indigenous affairs will experience unprecedented change. Those working in the area will be required to adapt, adjust and work to achieve the directions set out by all levels in government. That includes doing things in concert with Aboriginal people—working with them to determine what is an achievable outcome.

In the forward of a book I read recently, the former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, wrote:

Recent governments have failed to consult closely with Indigenous communities in various parts of Australia. Two or three years ago when I was travelling through the Kimberley, I spoke with Indigenous people and asked them how they saw this consultation. In simple terms they said: "Well, Canberra makes up its mind what is good for us, and consultation consists of trying to persuade us what Canberra has decided is indeed good for us."

Above all, Australian governments must learn to treat Indigenous Australians with respect and work on programs with Indigenous leadership, but equally we need to be mindful that there are people within the Aboriginal industry who rely on the incomes that they receive for the work that they do—and sometimes change is not advantageous. It is interesting when I walk into a community and the CEO of an organisation says. 'We have achieved our goals; we have achieved the targets that the Commonwealth and the state have set for us.' When I walk around that community I see the reality of what impacts on a family. I see a family that is troubled by health problems, a house that I do not consider habitable, or a family that does not benefit from the food availability we take for granted in capital cities. But I see the same in capital cities. In my own electorate, Aboriginal families do not access mainstream services—we should not use the term 'mainstream services', because they are government services for all Australians. That is the challenge we have to get our mind around. If we shape the services then we have to link with those who are affected, and the immediate beneficiaries of that are families.

In my 60 years of living I have noticed that every layer of government picks identified leadership that it negotiates with only. Each and every state, territory and Commonwealth government tends to hand pick leaders that they consult with to give them the solutions for families on the ground, yet their connection is not with those families. Even I as an Indigenous Australian do not connect with every Nyungar family in the south-west, so I cannot and never will represent them all. That is why I have said in this chamber on many occasions that every federal member should get out and meet every Aboriginal organisation to find out what the gap is in their electorate. It is through that process that we can collectively bring about the change that the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Greens have committed to—set aside the politics; we are leaders in our communities and electorates so let us go out there and demonstrate practically how we can engage, how we can acknowledge. We might not agree with the views presented to us; we may not agree that a community wants to bury the guidelines because it would better suit them, but let us try it. Often I hear from Indigenous leaders at the community level, including urban, who say they want to do something this way but the bureaucrat they deal with is insisting they have to continue doing it another way. They take the view that Malcolm Fraser expressed to the Kimberley people—they are being told how to do things.

I remain optimistic that the changes that we have in mind collectively out of both chambers of this parliament will make a difference, but they will only make a difference when we walk with people. There are individuals from the past like Fred Chaney and Ian Viner who started the journey long ago and then were joined certainly by Kevin Rudd, and I was there for Paul Keating's famous address in Redfern. It was a powerful delivery of a commitment but the trouble is that commitments have to be implemented; change has to occur in concert with the very communities we talk about. The aggregation of national data should not be seen as a mark of improvement if we have families that live in abject poverty and struggle. Even the truancy program has merit, but if you bring kids back into a classroom—I know this as a former teacher—who have not been engaged then you have to re-teach. You have to teach them to catch up, and that is challenging. Every idea on merit is good; what we have to do is think about how we implement those ideas. I have been critical recently of the public service, and they have to change the way they engage. That is not to say there are not good people working in those agencies.

I would also encourage us, with current employment and incarceration rates, to undertake a concerted effort to close the gap and reduce the number of kids in incarceration. Let us build a pathway that gives the hope and aspirations that we expect and provide to all Australians. But sometimes we need to nurture pathways for people who come out of disadvantaged families—and I am talking of all families in this instance—and give them that level of intervention and support that will enable them to be people who will make a difference in the future for this nation, for this country and for the people who live here.

I have always said that the capability that we have as parliamentarians to make a difference is there, but it is whether we have the will and desire to do it at the tangible level, at the electorate level, and by meeting Aboriginal organisations and communities. It is my intention to start talking to all Aboriginal organisations and communities and asking them if they have invited their local member, including senators, to come to their communities and to come to their organisations and see what the gaps are and then champion for them on their behalf within government, government agencies and within this House.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I start my contribution by acknowledging the Ngunawal and Ngambri people, the traditional owners of this land, and pay my respects to their elders past and present. It was a great privilege to be in the parliament when the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition made their contributions in this debate. It is also my privilege to have been here for almost all of the contribution of the member for Hasluck, which I found inspiring. I hope that I, as a local member, can rise to some of the challenges he has posed for all of us in this place.

Although the electorate of Scullin has a relatively small Indigenous population, I believe that closing the gap is an important matter for all Australians—and I know that it is an important matter for many of my non-Indigenous constituents. I want to thank all of those who have spoken already on this motion and those yet to speak. That our parliament continues to recognise the need to act in a bipartisan manner on this matter is very, very important.

I am pleased at a local level that, in October 2009, the then Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, the member for Adelaide, was able to announce with my predecessor, Harry Jenkins, funding for the Bubup Wilam Early Learning Aboriginal Children and Family Centre. 'Bubup Wilam' means 'children's place' in Woi Wurrung language and was opened in February 2012. It is the first and, for now, only Aboriginal early years centre in the City of Whittlesea. I am pleased to say—continuing the broad spirit of bipartisanship that I touched on earlier—that every level of government contributed something to this project—with the federal government contributing $8.2 million; the former state Labor government contributing half a million dollars; and the City of Whittlesea providing the land itself. It is a beautiful as well as functional space.

I am very, very indebted to Marcus Stewart, the former CEO, for taking the time to lend to me a deep understanding of the work that is done there and its status as a focus for community activity. I was particularly taken by its connection to primary schooling in bridging the gap from the early years into formal education for Aboriginal children in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The ethos of this centre is one that seeks to instil and strengthen children's strong sense of Aboriginal identity and personal self-esteem as their foundation for lifelong learning, health and wellbeing. It seems to me that it is doing a tremendous job in that job. This equates to children, and with the support of their parents and extended family, taking the lead responsibility in owning and developing their play, their space, their interaction, their learning and their engagement with others in a confident but supported way.

I just mentioned the contribution by the City of Whittlesea to the Bubup Wilam project, and I should also mention their other ongoing efforts in this area. In particular, I draw the parliament's attention to the Whittlesea Reconciliation Group. The Whittlesea Reconciliation Group is a community-based committee that meets regularly to discuss issues, opportunities, initiatives and programs that impact Aboriginal people living in the City of Whittlesea. The Whittlesea Reconciliation Group is a key reference group to council and in 2012 the council and the group adopted a reconciliation action plan outlining 18 measurable outcomes that will be implemented in our community over three years.

This is reconciliation in action. It shows that the criticisms of reconciliation that used to be so prevalent have faded away in the face of the practical steps at a community level that have been taken once real steps to reconciliation had been taken.

The now famous apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples by former Prime Minister Rudd in 2008 set the bar high. I am glad it did so, because there is much to do. We must aim high. The former Prime Minister invoked:

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

Arising out of this, the Council of Australian Governments agreed to six ambitious targets to address the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians in life expectancy, child mortality, education and employment: to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031; to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five by 2018; to ensure access to early childhood education, such as through centres like Bubup Wilam, for all Indigenous four-year-olds in remote communities by 2013; to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for children by 2018; to halve the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 or equivalent attainment rates by 2020; and to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and other Australians by 2018.

The recently released Closing the Gap report shows that there is still much work to be done. Disturbingly, the report found: 'no improvement in Indigenous school attendance over five years,' and that 'existing strategies are having no overall impact on school attendance.' The report also found no progress on the employment target, and that, while Indigenous life expectancy has improved, the pace of change is far too slow to close the gap by 2031.

As it stands, in 2010 to 2012 Indigenous life expectancy was estimated to be 69.1 years for males and 73.7 years for females. The gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people was 10.6 years for males and 9.5 years for females.

There were signs of hope amongst this gloom, including that the target of halving the gap in child mortality within a decade is on track to be met, as is the target to halve the gap for Indigenous people aged 20 to 24 in year 12 or equivalent attainment rates by 2020. The NAPLAN results indicated that progress is being made in the area of education, although the lack of progress in remote areas remains concerning.

We know how important the early years are in childhood education, and, to the extent that early learning centres like Bubup Wilam in the Scullin electorate contribute to advancing the worthy goals of the original COAG targets, I welcome them and urge this and future governments to emulate their success around Australia.

As I started my contribution I said that closing the gap is important for all Australians. This is because the true test of whether we have in fact closed the gap is whether we, non-Indigenous Australians, would accept the conditions and standards currently experienced by so many Indigenous Australians for ourselves and our loved ones. Clearly, much has to change before we could honestly say that we would. And, while the statistical measures are all important, as an echo of the contribution of the member for Hasluck, our ability to empathise and act purposefully on these sentiments is the real marker of our progress as a nation.

Closing the gap is all of our business, but those of us here have a great opportunity to effect change. We also have an obligation to lead. I pledge to do all that I can to make a difference to closing the gap in my community and more generally, and I hope that I can be seen as taking up the challenge posed so eloquently by the member for Hasluck a few moments ago.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to also speak on closing the gap today—something important, obviously, to the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, as a strong advocate of Indigenous issues, hoping to be known as the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs. It is also an issue which is very important to me.

Recently, the Prime Minister spoke about three key areas in his speech on closing the gap. They are: school attendance and educational results, employment opportunities, and justice and a fair go for all. The Clontarf Academy led by Gerard Neesham addresses all of these three target and key areas that the Prime Minister has outlined. As a former school teacher like the member for Hasluck, I understand that kids in difficult circumstances or in low socioeconomic areas need and deserve opportunities to be supported to excel and to be the very best that they can and wish to be. This is why I have always fully supported the Clontarf Foundation and its academy program seems its inception in 2000. To quote from the foundation's website:

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.

The work of the Clontarf Foundation and its academies fit the three key areas that the Prime Minister has outlined. With the backing of then Prime Minister John Howard and then Minister for Education, Science and Training, Brendan Nelson, the first Clontarf academy opened in Western Australia in 2000, with 25 boys participating. In 2002, when I first spoke of Clontarf and its vision in this place, the academy had 171 students. The academy has now grown to in excess of 3,000 students in 54 schools across four states—Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and New South Wales—and I am proud to say that Coodanup Community College in my electorate of Canning is one of these schools. I understand that Cecil Andrews Senior High School is about to become one. Clontarf would like to expand from 3,000 students across these states and territories to 9,000, and this is why I am supporting this initiative today.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A good initiative.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, member for Boothby. More recently, the Clontarf Foundation and its academies have continued to be supported by all sides of politics—under former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and now under our Prime Minister Tony Abbott, with funding for the foundation's program. This program receives its funding in three equal parts: one-third from the federal government, one-third from the state or territory government and one-third from the private sector. The cost of sustaining the program is $7,000 per boy, a small amount of money when you consider the outcomes achieved and the ongoing contribution students make to our society. Compare that with the $250,000 a year that boy costs if he is incarcerated in one of our prisons.

Boys are first attracted to the academies through the Australian rules and, now, the Rugby League programs in partnerships with local schools. But it then becomes much more. Last year, 250 boys completed year 12 through these academies. Eighty per cent of them will be in jobs, assisted by the Clontarf Foundation as part of its charter. Next year, 480 boys will complete year 12 with no new academies having been created—all within the current program framework. They too will gain a pathway to employment. Year-to-year retention is not less than 90 per cent and school attendance rates are greater than 80 per cent. That needs to be understood when we are talking about retaining these young Aboriginal boys in school: not less than 90 per cent and greater than 80 per cent. School attendance and performance is key to Clontarf's success. Nationwide statistics tell us that between 2011 and 2018, approximately 122,000 young Indigenous people will leave school. The 55,000 will leave before year 10 and another 26,000 will leave before completing year 11. While at school, most will have attended less than 60 per cent of the time.

In areas where Clontarf academies exist there has been evidence of a decrease in crime. For example, in Carnarvon in Western Australia, which is located in the Coral Coast region of our state, in the short time that the Carnarvon Clontarf Academy has been running, the community of Carnarvon has witnessed significant reductions in serious criminal offences such as burglary and theft. This information is provided not by Clontarf but by the detectives in Carnarvon. The police say that, against the five-year average in Carnarvon for these offences, they have seen an 83 per cent reduction in burglaries and an 80 per cent reduction in motor vehicle theft. These reductions in criminal activity are directly in line with the commencement of the Carnarvon Clontarf Academy.

The Clontarf academy program's performance and success is measurable and I have detailed the attendance rates, graduate employability and the reduction in crime rates today. It has also been recognised that the academies play a role in the reconciliation process by providing real football skills. That is the hook that gets the kids to school: they think they are going there to play football but they actually get educated and get a job. The academies have produced some of the top footballing talent in the nation including Hawthorn star Mark Williams, Richmond's goal sneak Andrew Krakouer, former Docker Dion Woods, Fremantle defender Michael Johnson and Essendon ruckman Paddy Ryder. At the 2006 AFL draft, the academy produced a stunning six AFL draft picks: Leroy Jetta, Nathan Krakouer, Calib Mourish, Brennan Stack, Brad Dick and Carl Peterson. This year's Australian of the year, Sydney footballer Adam Goodes, should also serve as an inspiration for antiracism advocacy and youth work.

The academy is in its 15th year of existence and would not continue to be around today if it were not genuinely beneficial to young Indigenous men. Relatively short-term mentoring programs do not address the majority of reasons for Aboriginal people not completing or furthering their education, or remaining unemployed. I have spoken about this before. Money thrown at short-term, casual programs are a waste when you have a template like this, which works. That is why Clontarf's academies and programs are so effective and work so well.

The academy believes the main problem is supply, not demand. There are not enough job-ready Aboriginal people to fill vacancies that have been created or identified for them. Most Aboriginal people who are qualified and want a job can get a job, but there is a lack of the support networks which are needed to sustain them in employment, particularly during the initial stages. Again, this is where Clontarf excels. They do not just say goodbye at the end of year 12; they continued to mentor students and see them into a job.

However, there is still more to do. That is the important message that I have for this House today. There is a need for the program to continue to grow and for more kids to be involved. The gap is now 10 per cent wider than it was in 2006. Indigenous unemployment is up 1.2 per cent and Indigenous participation—it is lack of participation, really—is up 1.8 per cent. I have raised the success of the Clontarf Foundation in this House before a number of times and I will continue to do so. As the Prime Minister said, closing the gap is no less serious than stopping the boats, fixing the budget or building the roads of the 21st century. I reiterate that Clontarf does provide a proven template towards successful outcomes in the closing of the gap and the targets that not only the Prime Minister but all those who serve in this House wish to achieve. To do so, we need to continue to ensure that it is properly funded through our federal government.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In beginning my remarks on this important statement, I think it is appropriate to first acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their elders, past and present. I also want to do something which is probably quite unusual of late in commencing speeches in this parliament—that is, to commend the government. I do, however, commend the government for keeping these annual statements going. It is incredibly important that we make real progress in this area and I know that real progress is best made when we have accountability, when we have clear targets and when we have transparency about the progress we are making. I commend the government both for continuing these annual statements, which commenced under our Labor government, and also for not dismissing the targets that have been set and for ensuring that as a parliament we strive to do much, much better and indeed close the gap in all of these areas.

As the shadow minister for education and for early childhood, I am incredibly well aware of the unacceptable gaps in early childhood education and care and, particularly, in education results. Whilst, when we have these annual statements, we see the areas where we still have so very far to go, we do also see the areas where there is progress, and I think it is important to note this progress—to note that it is not all hopeless and that real changes and real progress can be achieved. I am incredibly proud that when we look at the targets that have been set in this parliament, which we are getting towards meeting, we can see that huge progress has been achieved, particularly when it comes to access to early childhood education. I am also really aware of the fact that early childhood is the key time when we can make a huge impact in closing the gap, and I would urge the Prime Minister to keep his bipartisan commitment and to continue the programs and the funding that were established by the previous, Labor government to close this gap.

Importantly, we know that we cannot use progress as a reason for complacency. We cannot take our foot off the pedal. We need to recognise that there is so much more to do. In the very first sitting week of parliament for 2014, many members and senators met with members of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care. We attended a moving breakfast meeting, where we heard firsthand about the absolutely huge difference that proper funding of early childhood education and care can make in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

We know that these Children and Family Centres not only provide a safe and loving environment where qualified educators provide a culturally appropriate education. The centres have also become a community hub for parents and carers who want to access services and advice for their family. When a parent is dropping off their child, they can feel comfortable talking about the family situation or about where they might be able to find suitable health services, get counselling for the family or maybe just get some great parenting ideas. So not only are the children getting a quality early childhood education to set them up for their school years, to set them up for their futures, but the families are getting extra support that they may need to make sure that these children thrive. This is the key to closing the gap in education and to making sure that every child has the best start in life.

We know that the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development is due to expire in June this year and that this just compounds the uncertainty that is being felt by Indigenous childcare services. Responsibility for this agreement now sits with the Prime Minister and his department. We know that this national partnership was established under Labor to fund 38 Indigenous Children and Family Centres; antenatal, sexual and reproductive health services; and maternal and child health programs. The 38 Indigenous Children and Family Centres provide practical and daily support to parents, as well as working in partnership with communities to provide high-quality preschool in a trusted environment.

We know that these have been significant in improving access to early childhood education for Indigenous children across the country. We know that closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage means keeping open the doors of childcare centres, preschools and health services that provide support to children and families. And closing the gap is not just about continuing what we started. It is also about starting new services, more services, and opening more doors. We need to keep funding the Budget Based Funded Program, which looks at providing childcare services in communities where they may not be otherwise financially viable.

As minister, I initiated a review of the BBF services to look at how the funding had changed and how the needs for funding had changed and to ensure that we could make sure that there is support across the board where it is needed the most. I would urge the government to quickly complete this review and respond to this review and to ensure that they roll out more funding for Budget Based Funded Program services.

We know that it is really important that the BBF Program continue and that the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development with states and territories needs to be upheld to ensure efficient delivery of services. Finally, it is essential that the coalition respect the individuality of each community, that they respect the decision making of community members and that they continue to provide these essential early learning services and provide certainty about them to these communities, who are incredibly anxious, as soon as possible. This national partnership must continue.

We know that education is the silver bullet of society. Evidence shows that high-standard early childhood education and school education lead to better outcomes in life: greater job opportunities, health and life expectancy. Yet we also know, when we look at our Indigenous population, that we have been letting them down when it comes to education and that there are still far too many dismal statistics. That is why it is no coincidence that three of the six Closing the Gap targets relate to education.

This year's Closing the gap report shows our progress against the targets. It shows that, in 2012, 88 per cent of Indigenous children in remote areas were enrolled in a preschool program. Data for 2013 to show whether the 95 per cent benchmark for this target has been met will be available later this year. We also know that progress against the target to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade has been disappointing. I welcome the addition of a new target relating to school attendance. Whilst in itself it will not guarantee a world-class learning environment or huge improvements in outcomes, it is of course an important step in ensuring that these students receive a good education.

In government, Labor made significant improvements. From the 2006 census to the 2011 census, we saw an increase in year 12 attainment for Indigenous students. It improved from 6.5 per cent to 53.9 per cent. The proportion of total Indigenous population aged 15 years and over who had attained a year 12 or certificate II or higher qualification increased from 30 per cent to 37 per cent between 2006 and 2011.

There are a range of new initiatives and bright solutions in Indigenous education. But significantly we know that Labor's Gonski plan, which is now in jeopardy, includes clauses that prevent cuts to education budgets by state governments. This would mean cuts like that made by the Northern Territory government in their 2013-14 budget of $47 million in real terms would be a thing of the past. On the ground, that meant a cut of 130 teachers, increasing class sizes and a cut of total pay for teachers and support staff by $34 million.

Labor's Gonski plan also includes additional funding for loading for Indigenous students to make sure that every school can provide dedicated and focused programs to make sure that no child slips through the gap. Gonski provides up to 100 per cent of the funding for Indigenous schools that have been established outside the state sector, such as community schools. I was very pleased when the Prime Minister committed in the parliament last year to the continuation of that Indigenous Gonski loading when he said on 3 December:

We are delivering the money that will enable the loading to be delivered.

Stability is the key. Just weeks away from the budget, we look forward to seeing this funding being presented so that the Prime Minister does not break yet another promise when it comes to education and we can see this loading delivered in full. It is very hard to see how that is possible now that they have opened the door for cuts in state budgets and have said goodbye to state co-contributions, but we hope that the Prime Minister will live up to his promise to the parliament and the Australian public and that we can make real strides ahead when it comes to advancing the cause of Indigenous education.

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on the Closing the Gap statement. It has now been six years since Prime Minister Rudd made the apology and began the Closing the Gap program. It is a good time to do a stock take to see how we are doing on the goals that were set at that time. I think it is well known that, for Prime Minister Abbott, Indigenous affairs is something that is very close to his heart. He has said that he wants to spend a week each year in a remote community. He will be doing that in Arnhem Land this year. He has taken time off to work in communities in Cape York to get a real sense of what sort of problems those communities are dealing with.

I want to speak specifically about the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. While it is true that it is improving in many areas, there is still a long way to go. One of the goals of Closing the Gap is improving the health of Indigenous Australians. One area where for limited cost we could see large improvements that will last over lifetimes is making sure that all Indigenous Australians get the type of antenatal care that every Australian should expect. We know that problems later in life, such as the higher prevalence of diabetes and problems with general health, relate very much to the antenatal environment that people had before they were born. If we do not address having good antenatal care for Indigenous Australians then these problems will continue throughout their lives.

The government is working with the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and state and territory governments to create a 10-year National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. A comprehensive approach to chronic disease management is being undertaken through local health services, encouraging people in communities to undergo health checks and ensuring systematic follow-ups.

One of the parts of Closing the Gap which was good was the recognition that you had to do a lot through primary care, to do it through general practices, because while a lot of Indigenous people use the NACCHOs, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, something like 50 per cent will go to a GP who is not a NACCHO. There were incentives on the MBS for people to give Indigenous health checks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

On the most recent figures, the life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is 10.6 years lower than that of the non-Indigenous population for males. That is, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander born between 2010 and 2012 can expect to live to 69.1 years. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women it is 73.7 years. Life expectancy is about a decade less than the non-Indigenous population. One of the goals of Closing the Gap was to reduce the gap in life expectancy within a decade. The report card shows that only the Northern Territory is on track to meet this target.

Since 2005-2007, Indigenous life expectancy at birth for boys has increased by 1.6 years and by 0.6 years for girls. Over the same period, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy narrowed by 0.8 years for males and 0.1 years for females. So there have been small improvements in Indigenous life expectancy, but a lot more needs to be done for the future of Indigenous Australia.

It is clear that we are failing to make progress in many areas. Twice as many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants as non-Indigenous infants are born of low birth weight. Only one per cent of people working in the health workforce are Indigenous. Indigenous death rates are highest, compared with non-Indigenous rates, between the ages 25 and 64. The causes of death with the largest contribution to excess mortality are circulatory diseases, external causes, neoplasms, respiratory diseases and endocrine, metabolic and nutritional disorders such as diabetes. There are a lot of risk factors that lead to excess Indigenous mortality. They have much higher rates of tobacco smoking, much higher rates of excessive alcohol consumption and higher rates of overweight and obesity. They have poor nutrition and they use health services less.

There is encouraging news on mortality rates for Indigenous children. One of the goals was to halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade. If the trend over the last 15 years continues we should achieve that target by 2018.

This Closing the Gap statement is an interim report card. It shows that the Northern Territory, for example, is doing very well in closing the gap in life expectancy and that there has been improvement in reducing mortality rates for Indigenous children. But there is still a lot more to be done.

Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's report2014.

(Quorum formed) Closing the Gap is not a mere slogan; it is a bi-partisan commitment to change lives for the better, and we owe this to generations of Indigenous people. Closing the Gap is about life over death, hope over hopelessness, resilience over ruin. It is an expectation that all Australians should flourish. Being an Indigenous Australian should not mean being marked by disadvantage. We are learning more all the time about the challenges and barriers facing Indigenous Australians. We are making some progress on overcoming them, but there is much more to be done. All of us in this House can make a difference in improving the poor health of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when compared to that of the non-Indigenous population.

Since 2006 governments, Australia's peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous health bodies, NGOs and human rights organisations have worked together to achieve health and life expectancy equality for Australia's Aboriginal and Tones Strait Islander peoples. This is known as the Close the Gap campaign. Many of its targets were set to be reached by 2031. Seven years ago the Council of Australian Governments agreed to hold each other accountable for reaching a number of goals. They set out six specific targets for the Closing the Gap campaign: closing the life expectancy gap within a generation; halving the mortality rate for children under five within a decade; ensuring access to early childhood education for all Indigenous children in remote communities within five years; halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for children within a decade; halving the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020; and halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade

The most recent Closing the Gap report indicates mixed results on the goals articulated by COAG in 2008. Unfortunately, there has been little progress in closing the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The gap remains at 10.6 years for men and 9.5 years for women. Over the past five years the rate has dropped 0.8 years for men and 0.1 years for women. Currently the Northern Territory is the only state or territory on track to meet its 2031 target.

The goal of halving the mortality rate for Indigenous children under five is on track to be reached. From 1998 to 2012 the Indigenous child mortality rate dropped by 32 per cent, and, if this trend continues, the target for 2018 will be achieved. We are also on track in ensuring access to early childhood education within five years for all Indigenous children in remote communities—88 per cent of indigenous children were enrolled in pre-school in 2012, and the 2013 target is 95 per cent. Conversely, there has been very little improvement in halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy in a decade. Between 2008 and 2013, only two out of the eight categories showed significant improvement, namely reading in years 3 and 5. The goal of halving the gap in Indigenous year 12 attainment by 2020 is on track to be met. In 2011, 54 per cent of Indigenous Australians aged 20-24 had attained a year 12 certificate. This is a significant improvement from 2006, when the rate was at 47 per cent.

Sixthly, the target of halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018 has shown no noteworthy improvement. In fact, data provided by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey indicates that the proportion of Indigenous Australians aged 15-64 who are employed fell from 54 per cent in 2008 to 48 per cent in 2013. Moreover, there has been a statistically significant fall in CDEP participant levels from 2008 to 2013.

Education is our best antipoverty vaccine. Education helps an individual to become a valued member of the community who can participate and who has the self-esteem that comes from a great education. Meeting Indigenous targets is achieved through genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, working with them as equals with compassion and a desire to understand conditions on the ground. I am proud to represent Jervis Bay Territory, which includes the community of Wreck Bay. In my first speech I spoke about its kangaroos grazing on an oval overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most picturesque parts of my electorate. I have the founders in Canberra to thank for the notion that no capital city is complete without a port. In socioeconomic terms, the Wreck Bay community is the most disadvantaged part of my electorate. I want to speak in particular about Jervis Bay Primary School and the Indigenous learning centre. Jervis Bay Primary has the lowest ICSEA score of any school in my electorate, but on a like-schools comparison it is one of the top-performing schools, if not the top performing school, in the ACT system.

I want to pay tribute to Principal Bob Pastor, who sets high expectations and is universally well spoken of throughout the community. Through the Learning 4 Life program he has engaged representatives from nearby Vincentia High School, the University of Wollongong, Noah's Ark, Booderee National Park and local preschools and childcare centres. This year I want to commend Bob Pastor for his reporting of school attendance rates, which are very much in line with the government's new Closing the Gap target for school attendance. Bob has made a commitment to publicly present his school's attendance record every week and see how it compares with the national average. For the first time in the school's 100 year history the year 5/6 attendance rate is at nearly 100 per cent, and many other classes are not far behind. On recent numbers, year 3/4 is tracking at 95 per cent, above the national average. I congratulate the Jervis Bay School for setting these high standards, and I commend them for their multifaceted educational experience, including an AFL Auskick program and visits from NRL club the St George Illawarra Dragons, who facilitate anti-bullying and rugby league skills sessions.

Also part of the Wreck Bay community is the Gudjahgahmiamia Early Learning Centre. 'Gudjahga' means child and 'miamia' means shelter. The Gudjahgahmiamia early learning hub is a vital part of closing the gaps in Wreck Bay. This centre ensures that children are based in friendly educational surroundings, and it is a centre which is absolutely vital to the educational performance of children in Wreck Bay and indeed to attaining Closing the Gap targets. The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care has spoken to me about the importance of this kind of early learning centre. However, the centre faces an uncertain future beyond June 2014 because its funding comes out of the Australian government's budget based funding model. The Gudjahgahmiamia MACS Early Learning Centre is one of 38 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and family centres set up across Australia.

If the Prime Minister is serious about closing the gap, I call on him to confirm funding for the 38 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and family centres beyond the expiry of the national partnership agreement in June 2014. I am told by experts in the field that, without that budget based funding, falling back onto the funding approach which characterises most other early learning centres in Australia risks a high level of drop-out if families are unable to transition from the budget based funding model through to the childcare benefit and childcare rebate system. If children drop out of the early learning centre, it is going to make it more difficult for Jervis Bay Primary School to do the good work it needs to do. So it is absolutely fundamental that the government commits to funding the early learning centre in Wreck Bay. It is part of closing the gap.

I share the passion that was felt across the parliament when the Closing the Gap statements were delivered in the House. But passion is not enough. We need results and we need commitment to funding. The government must fund the early learning centre at Wreck Bay under a budget based model.

Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the Close the Gap Indigenous health campaign and to promote the importance of Indigenous health equality in Macarthur. As the proud representative and advocate for the Macarthur region, it is my job to represent and invest equally in each and every constituents' health and wellbeing. It is my wish that every member of my community has the same opportunity to live a long, healthy and happy life.

Sadly, that is not necessarily the case. Statistics show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher rates of preventable illnesses, such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes, and a far lower life expectancy than other Australians—up to twenty years less in some cases, according to Oxfam. Improving the health and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is critical across this country and in my very own electorate. As the member for Macarthur, I would like to see an end to the existing disparity between the health and wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in my electorate by 2030. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Macarthur are working towards this target by complementing national campaigns such as Close the Gap with local community initiatives.

In Macarthur we have an Indigenous population that is proud of its culture and heritage. The suburb of Campbelltown is home to one of the largest populations in New South Wales of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. I have been very proud of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in my electorate and of the great work they are doing to maintain their strong ties to the land and to close the gap between the many cultures in Macarthur.

Nationally, peak Indigenous and non-Indigenous bodies, NGOs and the federal government are taking important steps towards closing the gap. More specifically, I am proud to acknowledge the variety of community programs, individual projects and council initiatives in the Macarthur community that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. One program in particular is the Young Spirit Mentoring Program in Airds. The program is for children of all different backgrounds and encourages social inclusion, hard work, fitness, wellbeing and respect. At 5am, three days a week, cars are deployed all over Campbelltown to pick up 50 children and take them to Airds. From 6am these children are put through their paces by local mentors and fitness instructors. At 7am a healthy breakfast is provided by parents and at 8am the kids are all off to school. This program is teaching young children of all cultures the importance of good health and wellbeing from a young age. Spirit stands for 'special, potential, integrity, respectful, inspiration and together'. It is all part of a fitness and wellbeing plan that has been running in my electorate for three years and has helped over 150 kids. This program is run by Uncle Dave Bell and a team of dedicated mentors who aim to help children concentrate on their schooling and inspire a healthier lifestyle by leading them in fitness routines and boxing drills. It has had a profound impact on the lives of many young people. The kids who take part in the program are more focused at school, are losing weight, exercising more, eating healthily, and developing important social skills.

Another important program in my electorate is called Murrubin, a KU Macarthur parent program. This is a supported playgroup program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with young children in my electorate. The play based program provides children with opportunities to play together while developing their individual skills and interests. The highly qualified and experienced staff at KU also offer support for parents, including information about the wide range of community services and resources available to children and their families. The parents also regularly engage in cooking activities and read stories with the children.

Aboriginal parents and carers also attend family meetings at KU and are involved in the decision-making about their children's progress, development and educational outcomes. Having an interest in their children's learning encourages their participation in the program. KU Macarthur has seen positive outcomes from these projects. There has been an increase in children attending the KU Macquarie Fields Preschool program, and both the preschool and the playgroup have become a referral pathway for other agencies.

We have many support groups, clinics, health and counselling services in Macarthur that support Indigenous Australians in my community. Another is the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation which has a women's health program, hearing program, eye health program, paediatric clinic, a dental service, diabetes education and many more services for local Indigenous people.

Individual members of the Macarthur community have also shown a serious commitment to closing the gap. Last year, Dr Michael Bonning took part in the Gold Coast half marathon to raise money for the Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service in Airds. His passion to help close the gap in Indigenous health spurred Michael Bonning to complete the marathon. Dr Bonning was joined by more than 100 medical students from across Australia who raised thousands of dollars for the medical service. The students, who connected through the Run for a Reason initiative, decided money raised through last year's marathon should help improve Aboriginal health care in Campbelltown.

Dr Bonning, who treats patients at the centre two days a week, said the money raised would support an Indigenous children's health project to boost health outcomes in the community. This includes improving vaccination levels, promoting school attendance and encouraging regular health checks for children just to make sure everything is okay. Dr Bonning said the foundations for a healthy lifestyle are laid in childhood, and motivating families to encourage regular school attendance and medical check-ups was vital. These foundations work together to produce happy, healthy adolescents and young people.

The NRL also plays a role in closing the gap in my electorate. Last year the NRL backed a very successful Learn Earn Legend school-to-work program in Macarthur. The program was assisted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and by NRL clubs, including the Wests Tigers. It aims to provide employment and further education pathways for Indigenous students after high school.

Our local councils are also doing their bit to close the gap. Feeling Alive and Looking Deadly is the title of a workout DVD developed specifically for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Campbelltown. The DVD aims to make exercise convenient, fun and easy to do, and help close the gap in life expectancy for the Indigenous population. The DVD has been filmed with members of the local Aboriginal community to demonstrate how to exercise at home every day. It includes a three-level strength program, cardiovascular exercise and other useful information to help Aboriginal people in our community achieve their fitness and health goals.

The DVD has been produced by members of the local Aboriginal community along with the Campbelltown City Council in partnership with NSW Health; health promotion of South West Sydney and Sydney local health districts, the Local Government and Shires Association of New South Wales, the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, and Short Black Films. The DVD was launched at local Close the Gap Day celebrations in 2012 and was sent out to local Indigenous groups to promote the benefits of active and healthy lifestyles.

I believe it is important that these local initiatives work in union with national strategies. That is why I will continue to support the federal government's commitment to work with the Close the Cap campaign to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality.

To achieve significant improvements in the health status of Indigenous Australians by 2030, we need to work together as a nation to meet important targets, such as reducing the gap in life expectancy, preventable diseases, unemployment and education standards, halving the child mortality rate, enrolling 95 per cent of remote Indigenous children in preschool and assisting as many Indigenous youth as possible to reach year 12.

In a country that proudly promotes benchmarks of equality and a 'fair go', the campaign to close the gap is vital to addressing the health needs of the most vulnerable members of our community. I am proud of the work my community is doing to close the gap in Macarthur, and I encourage those involved to keep up the good work. That is why I stand here today to encourage all residents in Macarthur and across Australia to support these vital programs and join this country's largest campaign to improve Indigenous health at both a local and a national level. For the sake of our future generations of Indigenous Australians, we must all play our part in closing the gap. We all know that we need to do more.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the annual statement on Closing the Gap and, in doing so, I commend the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for the manner in which they have contributed to this debate. I also commend other members who have already spoken to the statement. The speeches in the House and in the Federation Chamber have demonstrated that there is bipartisan support to work with all levels of government and the community to address Aboriginal disadvantage in our nation.

It is worth noting this is the first time that Tony Abbott, as Prime Minister, has had the chance to report to parliament on the progress on achieving key targets relating to issues of life expectancy, mortality rates, early childhood education, reading, numeracy and writing, year 12 achievement and employment outcomes. In his speech, the Prime Minister indicated that the target to halve the gap in child mortality within a decade is on track to be met and that the target to have 95 per cent of remote children enrolled in preschool is already close to being met. We should soon know what percentage of preschoolers are actually attending as well as being just enrolled. The target to halve the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020 is also on track. This is the good news, as the Prime Minister reported to the House.

The bad news is that there has been almost no progress in closing the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and other Australians, which still stands at about a decade. There has been very little improvement towards halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy. As for Indigenous employment, the Prime Minister reported that, if anything, it had slipped backwards over the past few years. We are not on track to achieve the more important and meaningful targets.

I recognise during the Prime Minister's speech that he went on to propose a new target for our existing Closing the Gap targets, which is to help end the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance within five years. This is a good initiative and it sends an important message to our community—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:37 to 11:44

We need to improve the school attendance rate for Aboriginal children because we know that a good education is the key to a good job, and a good job is the key to economic independence and the freedom that it brings to our communities. As I have said before in this place, this is not the responsibility of governments alone. If the burden falls solely on the shoulders of MPs and public servants, it will surely end in failure. This is the joint responsibility of us all—black and white, young and old, schoolteachers, students and parents. From my personal experience, I fear that some parents in my community do not value education enough and their attitude flows through to their children. It is not just a problem for our Aboriginal children in Gippsland—we need to keep working to raise the aspirations of all children, particularly those from lower socioeconomic or disadvantaged backgrounds, and instil in them the importance of a good education.

Some of our schools, it must be said, are already working very hard and they are outstanding teachers who are making progress in embracing the Aboriginal students in our community, but I do believe others could do more. It is not always easy because some of the students do have significant behavioural issues which makes it easier for teachers if they actually do not attend and disrupt the class. I acknowledge that, but in the longer term we need to keep improving the attendance rate to give all students the opportunity to achieve their full potential. As the Prime Minister himself noted, there is enormous goodwill across the nation to achieve positive changes among our Indigenous communities.

There is no question there will be setbacks on the journey, and I would like to briefly mention one such setback today. In recent weeks in my community of Lakes Entrance there have been several incidents which are now in the hands of the local police. I will not speak on the details of the alleged assaults and thefts but I will acknowledge they have led to increased tension between some members of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in my town. But I believe we have the capacity to overcome these challenges. So much good work has already been done in recent times by our sporting and community groups to bring our communities together that we cannot allow isolated incidents like these to stop that progress. People have every right to be angry when crimes are committed, but I urge the community to let the police carry out their investigations and deal with any offenders. It is a difficult time for our community but we need to keep working together. There are many Aboriginal families who are equally hurt and frustrated by the alleged crimes and who do not deserve to be tarnished by the actions of others. We must not allow an even bigger gap to develop between Indigenous and non-Indigenous families in our community.

When I spoke on the Closing the Gap progress last year, I talked about the need to make a real difference in the lives of Aboriginal people throughout Australia, and I endorse the building blocks of Closing the Gap which have been supported through the COAG process. They are about early childhood development, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy homes, safe communities, and governance and leadership. We need to make sure that Aboriginal children are healthy from an early age to give them a good start in life so that, when they reach school, they are ready to learn. We need to help them and their families to value that education with the real prospect of a job at the end of their education and training pathways. As much as is humanly possible, we need to make sure that young people growing up in Aboriginal homes have a safe living environment, and there is a shared responsibility in providing such an environment. Governments cannot control what goes on in every home, every day and every night. Individuals need to take responsibility for their own actions and, in my community, I see many young and old leaders in the Aboriginal community who are leading by example. They are providing a safe home environment for their children and valuing education. They are keeping their families healthy and participating in community life. They are protecting and preserving their cultural heritage at the same time. There are so many success stories, and we need to reach out to those families and encourage them while also developing strategies and programs to help those who are not capable, for whatever reason, of caring for themselves.

I have spoken before about the gap in Aboriginal participation in the social and civic life of our communities. I fear that many white Australians would hardly know any Aboriginal people at all. Most of them would not have sat down and had a cup of coffee or shared a meal with an Aboriginal person. Most of us would claim to care about outcomes for Aboriginal people but, in our busy lives, I believe that most of us have never had the opportunity to really engage at a social level. We need to do more to break down those barriers which exist between black and white in our nation. It is terrific that we cheer for our Aboriginal athletes like Cathy Freeman and the new Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes, but we need to do more in our daily lives to build strong relationships which can overcome setbacks, like the one I mentioned earlier in my own community.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have very close relationships with some Aboriginal people through my family ties. That has helped me to be better informed on issues and shaped my attitude towards public policies in this area. The grand speeches are undoubtedly important because they send the message that the government and the nation is keen to help and cares about these issues, but I still believe it is the little things—the practical steps on the ground in our communities—that will make a real difference in the longer term. For example, I hade the opportunity last year of coaching an under-13 football team in Lakes Entrance. As a football coach, I am a true member of parliament—I think we won one game for the year. But it was good to have the opportunity to have several Aboriginal boys in our team. It was good for them, because they got to be involved, and also good for the other boys in the team to play alongside them because it helped break down some of the social barriers which exist. Now when I see those boys down the street in Lakes Entrance I can say g'day to them and ask them about their day, and I hope they do not see a white bloke in a suit asking them questions, giving them a hard time or checking up on them. I hope they see a dad who has boys the same age and who is actually interested in them and their lives. It is little things like that which can help break down the barriers I refer to. I am looking forward to watching those young boys progress in our community not just in sport but also in their education, and in their community and working lives. This is a gap I believe we can all help to address in our daily lives through friendship and goodwill, and I am convinced that every small step along this path will pay huge dividends in the future. By building up mutual respect and encouraging greater participation in all aspects of community life, we can make a real difference in the outcomes for Aboriginal children.

In closing, I want to briefly touch on my role as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and highlight the efforts that have been made in Defence to support Indigenous communities. I believe there are huge opportunities within Defence to improve employment outcomes, in particular, for Indigenous Australians. As one of the largest employers in the nation, with 100,000 personnel in the Australian Defence Force and associated Public Service roles, Defence has a target of increasing its Indigenous representation from the current 1.2 per cent to 2.7 per cent. The former government's Defence white paper identified Indigenous affairs as an area of focus for Defence, and in my meetings with Defence personnel over the last six months I have continually reminded them of the need to achieve those employment targets. Senior Indigenous advisers have been appointed and efforts are being made to market Defence as an employer of choice among Indigenous communities. But, as we have Indigenous representation of 1.2 per cent currently, in comparison to the Indigenous community of 2.4 per cent of the total Australian population, you can see we still have a long way to go in achieving those targets. The engagement which is occurring now is important, along with recognising the often underrated role Indigenous people have played in the ADF throughout its history.

I believe there are real opportunities for Defence. Defence has come a long way in working to recognise the role of Indigenous people in the Australian Defence Force history, through participation now in Anzac Day ceremonies, through NAIDOC Week and through other dates of local and national significance. In Northern Australia, in particular, the Army's Regional Force Surveillance Units are engaging with remote Indigenous communities. As a side issue, I note that many members of this House have volunteered to participate in the Indigenous elements of this year's Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. Announcements in relation to those deployments will be made in the near future. It is very pleasing to see the number of members and senators who chose to participate in either the community program or the Regional Force Surveillance Units. Again, it is a small step but it is a practical step towards improving our understanding as MPs. It also helps to build respect in those communities and respect among MPs. I am also looking forward to participating in the Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program later in the year, around September.

Our nation is on a journey when it comes to Closing the Gap initiatives. For as long as we continue to experience unacceptable rates of violence and substance abuse or poor participation rates in paid employment and health outcomes, which are still well below the national standard, we know we still have a long way to go on this journey. But progress is being made, and there are people in this place, on both sides of the chamber, who are working very constructively on these issues. We must continue to strive to work together at all times for the benefit of current and future generations.

I thank the House.

Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am certainly pleased to rise today to associate myself with the annual statement on Closing the Gap. Leichhardt is an electorate that has a very large Indigenous constituency, with the homelands of the Torres Strait, many Cape York communities and of course large Indigenous populations in its main towns. I have been the member for Leichhardt for most of the last 17 years and a resident of Cape York for many years before that, and I have come across a number of programs aimed at reducing the gaps in education, health, employment and the standard of living between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Many of these programs started with the best of intentions but have failed for any number of reasons, with outcomes and, sometimes, millions of dollars going by the wayside. Sometimes it has been hard not to get jaded, hearing about another new initiative and wondering if we would ever see a real difference in our lifetime. But standing here today, as part of this government, I truly feel that there is a change in the air.

Listening to our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, make the annual Closing the Gap statement to the House, it was clear to me that when he says Aboriginal policy must become personal rather than political he clearly means it. I have never, in my time in this place, seen such meaningful actions being taken. Note that I said actions, not dialogue. These actions include the focus on amending the Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a joint select committee chaired and deputy chaired by my good friend Kenny Wyatt and Senator Nova Peris; the moving of the Indigenous Affairs portfolio into the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; the establishment of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council, chaired by Warren Mundine; and the focus on investment in Indigenous employment, driven by Andrew Forrest and others.

That feeling was reinforced over the course of four days recently, when I attended four events in my region. Last Wednesday, I witnessed the emotional handover of the Bilwon Training Farm from the ILC to a group called Indigenous Job Connections, who have shown a level of commitment to good governance that blew me away. Back in 2011, I presented board members with their Certificate IV in Governance. At the handover, I was honoured to be asked, as a non-Indigenous person, to read the national apology on the anniversary. And I think it was very appropriate that the land was divested from ILC to Indigenous Job Connections on that anniversary.

On the Tuesday, I attended the graduation of 11 young Indigenous people through the Shangri-La Deadly Success program; not training for training's sake, but training with a guaranteed job and a one-year mentorship at the end. Jeremy Donovan from Generation One told his incredibly inspiring story; and congratulations to Nic O'Donnell from the Shangri-La, to Sue and Bronwyn from Deadly Success, and of course to the Deadly trainees, all 11 of them who were successful in this program.

On Monday, I spoke at the opening of the Australian Red Cross Pat Gosper Place, a new model in accommodation that will significantly improve the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who stay in Cairns for long-term medical treatment.

And on the Friday before, I went to the road show launch of the IDEAS van. This particular initiative has really shown me a practical way to close both the remoteness gap and the health gap. The acronym IDEAS stands for Indigenous Diabetes Eyes and Screening. Parked at the Wuchopperen Health Service, there it was: a huge, brand-spanking new semitrailer, painted with beautiful Indigenous artwork. I was met by Lyndall De Marco, the Executive Director of Diamond Jubilee Partnerships. It was an absolute pleasure to meet someone so brimming with enthusiasm. Lyndall gave me a guided tour through the IDEAS van, which has to be seen to be believed. It contains everything you need to diagnose and treat eye problems in diabetics who have suffered visual impairment from refractive change, cataract and diabetic retinopathy. It has three rooms—one for the optometrist, one for the ophthalmologist and one for imaging—each filled with pristine, state-of-the-art medical equipment.

So what is it all about? Most Australians would be aware that diabetes is a huge problem for our Indigenous peoples. One in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland over the age of 40 are affected by diabetes, and almost 10 per cent of these have some form of vision impairment. Most blindness caused by diabetes can be prevented by managing glucose levels, getting regular eye checks and early treatment. The IDEAS initiative aims to help reduce incidences of blindness by providing education, equipment and specialist clinical support to 27 Aboriginal Medical Services in Queensland. It has been funded initially by the Queensland government, which donated $5 million to the Diamond Jubilee Partnerships for the innovative two-year pilot project.

Nine AMS centres, including Cairns, will become regional hubs to serve 16 communities. The Royal Flying Doctor Service partnership will expand the scope of care and tap into 32 communities. The van will visit each of the nine hubs every four and a half weeks, spending ten months solid on the road this year. The regularity is really important; it meets the time frames for people who need to have regular injections and, if someone misses an appointment, the van will be around again soon.

Telemedicine facilities will be set up in 27 communities, giving people instant access to some of the best specialists from around the country at no cost. The program will generate a rich data set of information: every retinal scan will be sent to Professor Paul Mitchell of Sydney University to be graded, before local GPs are advised on the next course of action—an operation, six-monthly monitoring, or investigation.

As Lyndall said to me, the incredible work of people such as Fred Hollows, Bill Glasson and Mark Lone was unfortunately limited by the amount of equipment they could carry. Here, the van is bringing the equipment. Lyndall says she gets asked all the time, 'How on earth did you get this world-class facility—the machinery, the staff and the supplies for a two-year program—into regional communities of 100,000 people for $5 million?' The answer comes down to three things: the cause the project is working for, the people who are driving the project and the alliances the project has created through an ideal public-private partnership.

Twenty organisations have come on board with Diamond Jubilee Partnerships, and experts have given freely of their time to add value and to guide the project. The organisations include: the Queensland Eye Institute; the Optometrists Association of Australia in Queensland and Northern Territory; the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists; Diabetes Queensland; the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners; and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Ellex gave a $150,000 discount on the eye equipment. Volvo provided the use of a brand new prime mover, which they are committed to servicing and replacing every year. JJ Richards will take care of medical waste and grey water. Professional services have been provided pro bono through Minter Ellison Lawyers and BDO. Kurtz Transport will supply at cost the drivers who will steer the vehicle around Queensland. The artist who painted the colourful mural on the van's exterior donated the work. Perhaps most importantly, the project is not being foisted on the Indigenous communities. One of the most significant partnerships is with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council and its CEO Selwyn Button, who will drive the project through the council's 27 medical centres.

The assistance of the 20 assisting organisations enabled 94 per cent of the funding to be spent on infrastructure, equipment and running costs—Lyndall does not even have an office. This Monday, 3 March, the IDEAS Van will see its first clients in Toowoomba, and it is full steam ahead from there. I think that this is an absolutely incredible initiative; I am very excited by it. So much money has been spent on bringing people to cities for medical treatment—paying for hotels, meals and transport—and it is revolutionary to instead bring specialist facilities to people in a cultural environment that is familiar to them.

The project is about building a sustainable model which someone can take on, once the pilot ends, for about $500,000 a year. As Lyndall said, the project is not about giving money; it is about providing tools and support to build the capacity of and give ownership to Indigenous health services. Projects such as this are exactly what will help to achieve our Closing the Gap targets. I hope that that similar vans can be used to bring health services to communities in remote areas. If this happens, will see some serious, tangible differences—and we will close the gap.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Talk about timely! To begin this important address, I would like to repeat words from my maiden speech:

There is a belief in my community that there is enough money in the system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, that there is enough money in the system to house them and that there is enough money for the education of their children but it is just that it does not get through to the people who need it the most. My community is telling me that there is a consultant class of government and non-government people taking too much on the way through. They need two things: the opportunity to do it themselves and the understanding that some will fail. My community is no different to any other and I take it as my solemn pledge that I will not leave anyone behind. We are one team … They need a hand and they need us to give them the whip handle.

I, like the Prime Minister, lament the lack of progress in this field. This is again, just as the Prime Minister said, not due to any bad intentions. In fact, I believe the complete opposite occurs in this field. We are all full of good intentions; it is the experience on the ground which needs to be addressed. It is the experience of those people who are dying too young, who do not have a job, who are being incarcerated for crimes where poverty is a primary factor—it is these people who understand our intentions. But intentions do not matter if you are 19 years old and strapped onto a dialysis machine or have a nappy soaked in Rexona planted on your face. Those are the people who are dying, or going to jail, too young and too often.

During NAIDOC Week, I attended a flag-raising ceremony at the old Thuringowa council chambers. I was asked if I wanted to say something, so I stood up there and told them that the decision to be made must be made by them, the people concerned. I told them that although I have an opinion, I have no real personal perspective. My perspective as a middle-aged, fat, white guy means nothing to the 12-year-old trying to understand why he or she must work hard at school to get a job when no-one in his or her family has ever had one. That is the issue. That is what we have to get around. As Senator Nigel Scullion always says, 'This is not a black problem; it is a poverty problem.' No matter where you go in the world, where there is poverty there will be disengagement from the education system and bad health outcomes. All these things come from poverty. So what we have to do is address the basic question: how do we get people out of poverty?

I am a great fan of Kevin Andrews, our Minister for Social Services. His statement was that the best form of social security we can give anyone is a job. That is the key here.

We have some real issues to confront, but we can only do so much. We need to provide, as my good friend the member for Longman always says, 'a hand up; not a hand out'. We need to understand that people have been hurt by processes for over 200 years. We have to know that commitment to change is a two-way street and that we will see failure. We have to see failure in order to succeed. Failure is, by nature, proof positive that someone is trying something with which they are not comfortable. We need to get people to step out of their comfort zones and be supported in doing so. We need to challenge but we need to support. Everyone can master turning the TV on and watching day-time television. For those people who have never been engaged it is very hard to master getting out of bed and going to work.

Again, as the Prime Minister stated, education is the key. I am convinced of that. He said, in his speech, that we need full participation in education in modern Australia. 'That does not mean,' he said, 'access to a good education. It means actually going to school.' I would take it a step further. We need people to commit, from as early an age as possible, to full participation in education—in learning to learn, and understanding that sometimes learning is plain hard work. Only then will we have the means to address the wrongs we are seeing in our cities, towns, and remote communities.

Recently, we saw the death of a young girl in Townsville. She was 18. She stole a car and went for a joy ride, crashed, and was killed. She had a mum and two sisters pleading with her not to do it. But she saw this as something she just wanted to do. It was fun. The dead girl was 18 years old. She had two children of her own. I do not know her circumstances, but she fits the basic model of the accident waiting to happen. She had a mum who loved her but could not stop her. There is a sense of inevitability and hopelessness in her Facebook posts from that night. She had a lot to live for but chose a course of action which was at best reckless and at worst suicidal. She is now, sadly, a statistic.

That there is a sense of hopelessness in so many people today goes to the way we roll out programs, ask people to commit 100 per cent to them, and then defund them. You can only maintain your resolve for so long here before you must throw up your hands and ask, 'What is the use?' That is the issue here. We continue to tell people that this is a real problem. We continue to tell people that they have to commit. They commit, and then six months later we tell them that there is no money for the program.

We are a great country. We have great people who make up our community. We have great people in Townsville and North Queensland who care deeply. We all need to be responsible for this—not just government, ACOSS or the churches. All of us must do our bit to assist our first peoples in living a full, happy, engaged life of purpose. We must close the gap and we must do it as a nation.

In the time I have left I would like to address an issue of youth justice in Townsville. In Townsville there is a group of Aboriginal elders trying to start an outstation where we can take the at-risk kids. In my discussions with Townsville police they have stated their frustration when they knock on a door to arrest a young offender. When they take charge of the young offender they will see three or four kids—cousins, brothers and sisters—standing there. The question is: as a society, do we just let the police go back one at a time and keep on picking them up and putting them into this system? Or is there some way that the police can access the system and say to Centrelink or to Wayne Parker or to child support, 'Here is a group of people who may be in need. We need to get to these kids before they start disengaging from primary school, before they hit high school, and put them into something'?

I said to people in Townsville last weekend that it costs a lot of money to bring kids up, and today's society cannot just let them walk everywhere. If we want kids to engage, we have to do it at a basic level and we have to do it at a level with which they are comfortable. We say a lot about getting kids to engage in education, but our education system is becoming deskbound, even in prep. It is becoming book learning. We talk to Aboriginal kids about coming into school. We talk to them about music, dance and sport, and as soon as we get them into a school we sit them down at a desk to tell them just how stupid they are. We have demonstrated that they are struggling with this. We have to change that basic proposition and allow teachers to teach, to display their art and their skill in bringing the best out in every child. If it takes a little bit longer, we have to have the courage to sit there and say, 'Look, you have to do this again.' We have to get through the basic message that it is okay to fail, as long as you try. That is a big one. At the moment we are simply not closing the gap. Something that will haunt us all as we leave this place—and we all leave it eventually—is that one thing we did not do was assist in this process.

I thank the House for the opportunity to talk to this statement. It is one of the most worthy things we have done here. I stood and watched then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd give the apology, and it was a truly great moment. But it has not kept one person out of jail and it has not stopped one person getting out of the system. We must have very concrete things. We must make sure that we have very tacit and tangible outcomes.

I thank the House.

Debate adjourned.