Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Today I am pleased to report that the 10th Closing the gap report, which was tabled by the Prime Minister in the other place, has shown the most promising results, with three of the seven Closing the Gap targets now on track to be met. Encouragingly, we have seen improvements in health outcomes, with the target to halve child mortality back on track. Education outcomes are also improving. I'm pleased to report that, thanks to the collaborative approach of government service providers in communities, the current early childhood education target is on track for the first time. Year 12 attainment remains on track. Whilst the remaining targets may not be on track, we've achieved solid progress in other target areas compared to a decade ago.

We on this side know that the best form of support we can provide is in the form of a job. Today the Prime Minister announced the first ever comprehensive road map for growing the Indigenous business sector, the Indigenous Business Sector Strategy. The Prime Minister also announced that our game-changing Indigenous Procurement Policy has reached $1 billion in Commonwealth contracts—pretty successful given that in 2012-13 Indigenous businesses were winning only $6.2 million in contracts. The establishment of the Indigenous business hubs, which are going to be anchored in some of the major cities, includes a one-stop shop for business advice and support starting in Western Sydney in partnership with the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. I plead with those on the other side: you should do what you can to ensure that all levels of governments are cooperating in this process. There is the $27 million Indigenous Entrepreneurs Capital Scheme to unlock a range of finance and capital products for Indigenous businesses that are transitioning to mainstream banking. We've also doubled the microfinance footprint across Australia to support more entrepreneurial activity.