Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to speak on the Closing the gap report. I note the historic moment last month when our government stood with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Coalition of Peaks to table the second Closing the Gap implementation plan. This joint tabling shows our commitment to partnering with Aboriginal controlled organisations and our commitment to working with First Peoples for practical action. Closing the gap is as much about how we work together with communities as it is about how much we invest in communities and how those investments are made on the ground in partnership with self-determined Aboriginal organisations and communities.

Last month the Closing the gap joint tabling coincided with the 15th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. Fifteen years ago, Prime Minister Rudd said, 'I am sorry,' on behalf of our nation. This was a significant page of truth-telling in our history as a nation, and it was acknowledged to be a historic moment in which the pain and the burden of members of the stolen generations could be told on the national stage. Of course, the apology was not the end but just a beginning towards a real voice for First Nations, towards treaty and towards truth. We are implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, and we are proud to be doing so.

We're committed to the partnership with the Coalition of Peaks to deliver the Closing the gap implementation plan. Our government's first Closing the gap implementation plan details the steps that we'll take. Closing the gap is not just about making statements. It needs real action, real funding and real links to people on the ground in community. That's why we're investing an additional $424 million in funding towards closing the gap.

It is wholly unacceptable that in Australia today many First Nations communities still don't have access to clean water, and so we will be investing $150 million over four years to support water infrastructure and provide reliable water for remote and regional Indigenous communities. We're also working with the Northern Territory government to build new remote housing, with an investment of over $100 million as a Commonwealth contribution, because, quite frankly, everybody deserves good housing, particularly in a country as rich as ours. Everyone deserves affordable and accessible food; it's an essential right. So for the next two years we're investing in the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities. Tragically, we know that family and domestic violence disproportionately impacts First Nations women and children. So the plan seeks to prevent and respond to family violence in a trauma-aware and culturally responsive manner. The plan includes funding towards supporting families impacted by violence. Education is a pathway to more opportunities, and it should be accessible everywhere. So we'll be investing in boosting on-country education as well, increasing access and providing a choice for culturally appropriate distance learning. We will also invest more to support boarding education for rural and remote students. All of that, of course, is on top of the record $1.2 billion we committed in the October budget.

This plan is about partnership between governments and self-determined Aboriginal communities and organisations. The Uluru Statement from the Heart reflects this sentiment of partnership. It's an offer to bring us closer to reconciliation as a nation. It will lead to better decision-making and it will lead to better outcomes. I have faith in the Australian people to vote yes in the referendum and take our nation forward. All of this work is about enabling self-determination and full participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Closing the gap is a commitment that all of us need to make in this place to work together to respect the voices of First Nations people and to invest in their futures. It's our commitment that we'll do just that.

I conclude by saying that I feel huge pride in serving in the Senate with my friends Senator Jana Stewart from Victoria, who's sitting next to me; Malarndirri McCarthy; and the father of reconciliation, Senator Pat Dodson. We're richer for their contribution.