Bob Katter (Kennedy, Katter's Australian Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister, surely there's a disconnect between apologies and realities: Australia's population, two per cent Indigenous; prisons, 27 per cent Indigenous; life expectancy, 82, but 71 for Indigenous; house occupancy, three, but 13 for Indigenous. Why? Whitefellas can drink and blackfellas can't. No blue card, so no job. Indigenous house builders are only 12 per cent blackfellas. Aboriginal lands are 21 per cent of Australia—no title deeds, so can't own land, so can't borrow money and so can't have an economy. Prime Minister: racial laws banned, locals build houses, title deeds issued, gap is closed, surely?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on both sides! Just before I call the Prime Minister, which I'm being very generous in doing: I've cautioned the member for Kennedy before about this being question time and not statement time. I'm going to be very lenient and say that I did hear a 'why' in there and I'll ask the Prime Minister to address it.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the words of Tony Jones, I think I should take that as a comment rather than as a question! But let me respond to the honourable member in this way. The gap that we need to close is a very, very substantial one. We know that. We had a Closing the gap report yesterday that shows that three of the targets are on track, but it says something about the challenges we face that having three out of seven on track is the best result we've had since 2011.

We are absolutely committed to ensuring that we work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. In every aspect of our policy we are doing so, I believe, more and more effectively than ever. I thank the honourable member for his observations, and we'll continue our work. I know we have a common commitment, whatever our difference may be on constitutional matters, in respect of the substantive objectives and targets covered by Closing the Gap and the additional targets that will develop out of the Closing the Gap Refresh. I know we're all committed to that, and I look forward to working with the honourable member and all other members towards achieving that goal.