Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

( As the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Ngambri and Ngunawal peoples, and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.

Since 2008 Australian governments have worked to deliver better life expectancy, mortality rate, education and employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Today's report highlights the issues that we've had in closing that gap. We haven't achieved what was expected and we haven't collectively achieved what was needed. Today's update shows Australia is on track to meet only two of the seven set targets—specifically, having 95 per cent of all Indigenous four-year-olds enrolled in early-childhood education by 2025 and halving the gap for Indigenous Australians aged 20 to 24 in year 12 attainment or equivalent attainment rates by 2020.

We note that there have been improved outlooks in some areas, such as education, yet progress in many other areas still lags behind our community's expectations. The target to halve the gap in child mortality rates by 2018 wasn't met, the target to halve the gap for Indigenous children in reading, writing and numeracy within that decade was not met and the target to close the gap in life expectancy by 2031 is not on track. Only by acknowledging our failures can we move forward, make better-informed decisions and make a positive future for all Australians. We must not be afraid to learn from each other. This year, 2020, marks the next stage of Closing The Gap Refresh to deliver shared responsibility and accountability, led by our nation's first Indigenous Minister for Indigenous Australians, Minister Wyatt.

I want to speak tonight specifically on a key indicator that we feel quite strongly about: employment for our Indigenous Australians. No state or territory met the target to halve the gap in employment outcomes within a decade. Employment rates for Indigenous Australians increased, but only in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Job security, meaningful full-time work, provides financial and economic security and helps to open the door to self-determination. Employment status also has associations, as we all know, with outcomes for health, social and emotional wellbeing and living standards. The Nationals welcome the new approach to closing the gap: local people leading local solutions.

As a former teacher, it is great to note that since 2014 we have seen significant investment in Indigenous youth and education initiatives, opening the door to real, secure jobs across rural and regional Australia. There are 45,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth being supported on their education journey through a raft of mentoring scholarships and leadership programs. But there is so much more to do.

Education is the door to better job outcomes. In the past 10 years the number of Indigenous Australians accessing higher education has more than doubled. Currently, almost 20,000 Indigenous Australians are attending university. Young employed Indigenous Australians with year 12 qualifications are more likely than early school leavers to be employed full time and be in a skilled occupation. These outcomes need to be celebrated and used to build momentum for greater improvements from education to health to employment opportunities.

The evidence clearly shows that education is the door to better job outcomes and that, when it comes to employment, gaps exist—a gaping chasm. In 2018 Indigenous employment rates were 49 per cent compared to 75 per cent for non-Indigenous Australians. The target to halve that gap has not been met. Until recently, closing the gap was not a real partnership with Indigenous people. The Community Development Program, though, has supported remote jobseekers into almost 30,000 jobs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities now have greater control over the program, with a focus on flexible, locally led support for jobseekers. We are listening to people in remote communities because they are our communities. The Nationals' focus is on doing what these communities want and need, not what special interest groups want.

Economic empowerment is key, and realised and hoped for in Collinsville, North Queensland, where traditional owners are leading a coal-fired power station project proposal with a focus on Indigenous employment. Australia's first high-efficient, low-emissions, ultra-super-critical coal-fired power plant could mean 2,000 jobs in regional Queensland during the construction phase and 600 regional jobs once operations begin, with, as I said, a focus on Indigenous employment. Including Indigenous Australians in making local decisions to build capacity employment benefits all, economically and socially. Sustainable, ongoing, meaningful employment in regional communities for everyone is a priority for the National Party. Putting Indigenous Australians in the decision-making process as outlined by the Prime Minister will mean a better outcome for all.

This next chapter in closing the gap will be guided by the principles of empowerment and self-determination and will deliver a community-led strategy that enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to move beyond the present into a thriving future. Rewarding careers are what we want to see. Indigenous Australians at local, regional and national levels are embedding knowledge and leadership. They're co-designing the systems, policies and operational frameworks, and are working with governments to make positive change for their families and communities. They're our communities. We're sharing priorities with Indigenous Australians and with state and territory governments, and, for the first time, Indigenous expertise is at the table with government—not to be told what will happen, but the opposite: for the first time, Indigenous expertise will be used to talk, to educate and to inform so that they can have a real and meaningful input into a say around future developments.

We are seeing more Indigenous kids in school by working with the community. Initiatives such as the teacher boost for remote Australia, removing all or part of the HELP debt for over 3,000 students, will encourage more teachers to work and stay in very remote areas. As Senator Dodson raised, basic services being delivered to remote and regional communities means we have to get more teachers, more nurses and more doctors practising in these communities so that Indigenous Australians living there can have the full experience of being a citizen of this country and the services that that should entitle them to.

By discussing and recognising the past and understanding the present, we're better equipped to create positive change to eliminate the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. For 100 years, the National Party has worked to ensure rural and regional Australians have the same opportunities as those in the city. This is our challenge. We know a good education leads to a rewarding long-term career. We want to see partnerships, not paternalism. Only together can we hope to close the gap, so that all Australians enjoy all the benefits of this country that is both young, and infinitely ancient. Thank you.