Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the National Party to associate my remarks with those of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Michaelia Cash, on the presentation of Labor's third Closing the Gap statement—an occasion for assessing our nation's progress, or lack thereof, in improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

I know I am incredibly proud to be here in our nation's parliament where all sides of politics have very strong Indigenous women representing territories and states and, indeed, local communities. That was not the case—and couldn't have even been envisaged—when I first arrived nearly 15 years ago. What that tells me is that Australians, no matter where they live, absolutely understand and appreciate the need to send Indigenous Australians to our nation's decision-making body, and that is absolutely how it should be. But I think it is concerning that we have fake fights about flags from Senator Cox and talk of record funding deals, when the lived experience in regional and remote communities for Aboriginal Australians is incredibly difficult. It's shameful. It is something that I, in former ministerial roles, have done my best to overcome, yet it is still here. It is a scourge on all of us, on all sides of politics. Women and children in particular are living in situations that would not be acceptable anywhere else in this country.

The Closing the Gap statement is made in this period of our parliamentary year when we come from all different political persuasions to discuss and debate how this needs to be addressed. I think the way Australians expect us to tackle disadvantage and to address the most vulnerable in our communities so that they get a better go—and they showed this through the Voice referendum—is to do that together so that Indigenous Australians can participate fully in all the opportunities that this great nation of ours can provide. That means addressing the fundamentals: health, education, economic empowerment and safety. If we cannot get the basics right, I'm not sure, Senator Wong, what use there is for an Indigenous ambassador swanning around the Pacific. I can tell you—and I'm sure Senator Nampijinpa Price will go into more detail—that, on the ground, regional and remote communities would like running water, thank you very much! I don't think that's too much to ask in a modern Australia. I apologise to my staff because I have completely gone off my speech.

We've seen another year of division and distraction around Indigenous policy, following the failed Voice referendum from the Albanese government. It failed to unite a nation on something we all agree on: ensuring that disadvantaged and vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders get a fair go in a 21st century Australia. The National Party was the first party to oppose the Voice with a very respectful 'no' because we knew this would just be another bureaucratic advisory body. Thankfully—and thanks to the work of so many, particularly Senator Nampijinpa Price and Warren Mundine—60 per cent of Australians agreed with us. It was actually a distraction from the real issues: economic development, community safety, health, education and accountability. Senator Nampijinpa Price has been an unwavering advocate for Indigenous Australians and a powerful voice for real change. Jacinta, your work in exposing the Voice referendum and championing practical solutions is commendable because that's what closing the gap is supposed to be about: actual practical change to the everyday lives of those in our community. I want to mention a quote from Senator Nampijinpa Price: 'Indigenous Australians have repeatedly demonstrated our strength, resilience and ability to determine our own futures.' I think that is something we can all agree on working together on.

Since the referendum, what's been most appalling is that the symbolism of it all was exposed. Labor's lack of a plan to actually deal with the very poor outcomes on the ground for remote Indigenous Australians was exposed—no plan, no bold vision. We saw the landslide election of the Country Liberal Party in the Territory because those communities in the Territory want change. They want crime in Indigenous communities dealt with. They want to ensure that locals are involved in decision-making. They want to make sure that private enterprise is at the heart of economic empowerment for Aboriginal Australians in the Northern Territory. I know that is something that the CLP is absolutely committed to seeing happen, as is Lisa Siebert, the CLP candidate for Lingiari at the federal election. The Prime Minister's statement points to throwing more money at the same problem, and, as we know in this place time and time again, record funding does not shift the dial on this issue. We need a completely new way of looking at it, and we actually have to have a hard, honest conversation with ourselves about how we can do this better, because throwing money and using the same ideas are not actually going to change things.

The National Party have long championed an approach that empowers local Indigenous communities, rather than imposing top-down solutions from Canberra. We believe that regional and remote Indigenous Australians deserve real economic opportunities, not just more government handouts. It is because the National Party, like the Country Liberal Party, actually represents rural and remote Aboriginal Australians. Mark Coulton's electorate, the seat of Parkes, is 16 per cent Indigenous Australians, and so it's not from a lack of experience, understanding or engagement with rural and remote Aboriginal Australians that we come to this place.

I was very proud to be minister that signed the Barkly Regional Deal, but I'm profoundly disappointed that, over five years later, the Barkly deal has been bogged down in bureaucracy, much of the agreement has been delayed, costs are continuing to rise and not enough is happening on the ground. But that was not entirely unique to remote Indigenous programs, and so while time marches on, more remote communities fall behind. The facts now speak for themselves, with only five of the 19 Closing the Gap targets on track. That's not progress; it's actually failure. In remote communities, children are still going to school hungry, if at all. Health outcomes remain dire, and violence continues to plague too many families and communities. We've seen the violence escalating over the past three years, particularly in the NT, in Queensland and in WA.

The government has no opportunity and does not seem to want to actually address this, because it does come down to economic empowerment. Indigenous Australians need jobs, not just welfare. We must support businesses and industries to take real economic opportunities for regional and remote Indigenous communities. We need to talk about royalties in a new, practical way and address law and order. Every dollar needs to be accounted for, and I know Senator Nampijinpa Price, if she gets the great honour to be Minister for Indigenous Affairs in a Dutton-Littleproud government, will absolutely go line by line through this to make sure the taxpayer dollar goes where it is needed and where it is going to affect change and change lives, not just in the present but for generations to come. That is the challenge for each and every single one of us.

The coalition stands ready to work with Indigenous communities. We don't need another advisory body. The time for symbolism is over. We need real solutions and outcomes. The National Party proudly wants to see change, and we hope that a future coalition government will be able to deliver that with Minister Nampijinpa Price at its helm.