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

As Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, I'd like to associate the Nationals with a lot of the commentary here this morning—particularly the proposal and comments of Senator Birmingham. I rise to comment briefly on the Closing the Gap Commonwealth implementation plan. That will make a genuine difference in the outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and, for the National Party, for those over half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live and work in rural, regional and remote Australia, because the facts are: despite having the will—irrespective of the colour of government—and despite having the best of intentions, no matter what level of government, the statistics don't lie and none of us have done well enough, over a long period of time, to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can reach, as Senator Thorpe made mention of in her contribution, their potential.

So it is up to us—all of us—as leaders in this place and in state and territory parliaments and local governments, and in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community more broadly, to come together in partnership to make a real, credible difference, using evidence. Yes, it has taken a little longer than people might have liked, but the implementation plan that we have before us really clearly sets out targets, goals, programs and initiatives that, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, will make a difference and close the gap, which is what we all want to see.

It is a new chapter of change, and it won't happen overnight. We won't be reporting groundbreaking changes in stats this time next year. But hopefully, over time, over years, over decades, with a shared commitment and a dedication to staying the course, we will turn that around.

It's a completely different way of doing things that we've done before. We've co-designed this, in collaboration across governments and peaks and bodies, in terms of not just the economic and social data for health but the cultural determinants of health, in recognition of the importance of identity, and that is a first.

We have piloted these sorts of three-levels-of-government approaches before. I was privileged to be the minister who signed off on the Barkly Regional Deal, a few years ago in 2019, which wanted to improve the productivity and livability of the Barkly through improved economic growth, social outcomes and culture and place-making. It was the first regional deal in Australia—a 10-year commitment of over $78 million—and my advice is that those 26 projects are proceeding incredibly well, which is fantastic.

Last week, the Prime Minister rightfully said that closing the gap is, at its core, about children. Whether it is about child safety, better education outcomes, better health and maternal outcomes or justice targets, it is absolutely putting children at the heart and centre of what we're trying to achieve. Quality education and quality teachers have the ability to enrich a child's life and have a profound and meaningful impact on a child's sense of place in the world, and these perceptions and connections are formed very, very early. If we want to close the gap, we've got to close it at the beginning—at the very beginning, right from those early years. It doesn't stop there. We need to continue those efforts, right throughout a child's schooling, and to give them the opportunities to participate in tertiary education that they need and deserve. We know that Indigenous kids, particularly those from remote and regional areas, are more likely to start school behind, with the gap only increasing through their schooling life, and, if you start behind, it is very, very hard to catch up. It is an additional obstacle during key formative and exploratory years. We must do better for these students and we can.

Last week our government announced a quarter of a million dollars to boost quality early childhood and school education for Indigenous kids. But it's not just about the amount of funding; it's about how that investment is focused. So we're targeting initiatives that improve literacy, because you can't really learn if you can't read and if you don't get those fundamental building blocks right at the start. Using evidence based approaches that we can scale up through communities, ensuring more Indigenous Australian children can participate in these programs, is at the very heart of our initiatives. We know that developing strong literacy skills from an early age supports that right throughout a student's schooling, so we've put $25 million into grants to scale up those evidence based programs. They'll be delivered in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with a focus on maximising student engagement.

We're also delivering a range of measures to support different elements of digital inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I will be working with the Minister for Indigenous Australians to that end to make sure that connectivity is experienced right throughout rural, regional and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Future actions will promote community led responses to build on outcomes that are designed and delivered in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and will be targeted to address any gaps in existing measures. The Indigenous Advancement Strategy will manage 245 community payphones and 301 wi-fi satellite phones in remote Indigenous communities. Indigenous media activities are also funded under the strategy, primarily through Indigenous broadcasting. Access to fixed-broadband voice services is provided to all Australians through our USG and USO arrangements, and the $380 million co-investment with states and territories on the Mobile Black Spot Program will continue to connect communities.

We have been specifically funding telecommunications infrastructure across northern Australia, with $68.5 million in dedicated funding for those projects. We also have a regional telecommunications review currently under way which is engaging with rural, regional and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities so that we can make sure our next tranche of policy initiatives meets their needs. As a former teacher, I know the impact that a quality education can have on a young person's life, and the doors that it opens are immense. We also need the basic infrastructure that underpins that, which isn't just physical but also digital. It's also about capacity, and the teachers that we'll be sending into those classrooms.

I'm proud the Nationals will be championing these measures that invest in children and provide the stepping stones required for a prosperous and equitable future where they will be able to walk in two worlds. We all need to assist that outcome. We must make a difference, and we can only do that with evidence and will, which I believe we have finally got to the table in what has sometimes been a difficult national conversation. We're all in this together. It's essential that we continue to put our shoulder to the wheel to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their children have a bright, prosperous and sustainable future.