Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to contribute to the debate on the Closing the Gap statement and the Closing the Gap implementation plan that our government is implementing. Before I do that, I want to acknowledge the contributions to this debate from Senators Dodson and Stewart. I associate myself with those comments but extend my respect and thanks to them for being so generous with their contributions and assisting senators, on this side of the chamber, to uniquely understand their perspective and understand how deeply affected this Closing the Gap statement can be for communities, and to understand that this is a time to acknowledge some very difficult outcomes and to really reckon with the fact that we have not closed the gap and that we have a lot of work to do.

When it comes to housing, health, education and employment, the fact is that, year after year, when this statement is made we have to recognise that we are not closing the gap and that there is a lot of work to do and that no government has been able to wrestle with these issues in a way that puts First Nations people at the heart of decision-making. That is something that no government has been able to do and it's something that our government is seeking to do. At the last sitting of parliament, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Indigenous Australians introduced our first Closing the Gap implementation plan. The plan provides details on the next steps the Commonwealth will take towards reaching the targets and priority reforms of the national agreement to closing the gap.

The implementation plan that many have spoken about today commits more than $400 million of additional targeted spending, including investment of $150 million over four years to support First Nations water infrastructure, ensuring that communities have safe and reliable water in remote and Indigenous communities. There's funding for the national strategy of food security, funding for family violence prevention and legal service providers, and extra support for those impacted by family violence. There's also a boost to the on-country education program for remote First Nations students. This includes increased access to Indigenous rangers.

This is a plan with a whole-of-government approach, and that's incredibly important for getting this right. It brings together all of the actions each department and agency is taking to achieve the Closing the Gap outcomes in one place. This plan is a significant step forward in the Albanese Labor government's first set of investments laid out in the 2022 budget, which committed over $1.2 billion over the next six years to these programs.

It's interesting, when we talk about closing the gap, that there are so many different areas of public policy that need investment, that need commitment and that need delivery, whether it's health care, health infrastructure and treatment, improving access to early education for Indigenous families, immediate boosting for housing and essential services or community-led justice reinvestment initiatives. These are all programs that deserve support across the parliament, funding that our government is committing and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of First Nations people.

Finally, I'm incredibly proud and privileged to work with communities in North Queensland, particularly in Cape York and the Torres Strait. We're also delivering a new TAFE Health Hub, on Thursday Island, to make sure that we have skilled healthcare workers in the Torres Strait to deliver those outcomes.

What we know and what I'm being told on the ground by First Nations people in their communities is that, in terms of getting the delivery of these programs right, for too long governments, even those with the best intentions, have made decisions on behalf of First Nations people without asking communities what they need or how best to deliver it. This is why consultation must be at the centre of the approach of every Commonwealth government and it's why a voice for First Nations people matters, directly, in what affects them.