Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion, and I detect it's going to be a busy day. Can the minister update the Senate on progress against the Closing the Gap targets and how the government is working to support jobs and business development for Indigenous Australians?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I am pleased to report that the 10th Closing the gap report, which was tabled by the Prime Minister in the other place, has shown the most promising results, with three of the seven Closing the Gap targets now on track to be met. Encouragingly, we have seen improvements in health outcomes, with the target to halve child mortality back on track. Education outcomes are also improving. I'm pleased to report that, thanks to the collaborative approach of government service providers in communities, the current early childhood education target is on track for the first time. Year 12 attainment remains on track. Whilst the remaining targets may not be on track, we've achieved solid progress in other target areas compared to a decade ago.

We on this side know that the best form of support we can provide is in the form of a job. Today the Prime Minister announced the first ever comprehensive road map for growing the Indigenous business sector, the Indigenous Business Sector Strategy. The Prime Minister also announced that our game-changing Indigenous Procurement Policy has reached $1 billion in Commonwealth contracts—pretty successful given that in 2012-13 Indigenous businesses were winning only $6.2 million in contracts. The establishment of the Indigenous business hubs, which are going to be anchored in some of the major cities, includes a one-stop shop for business advice and support starting in Western Sydney in partnership with the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. I plead with those on the other side: you should do what you can to ensure that all levels of governments are cooperating in this process. There is the $27 million Indigenous Entrepreneurs Capital Scheme to unlock a range of finance and capital products for Indigenous businesses that are transitioning to mainstream banking. We've also doubled the microfinance footprint across Australia to support more entrepreneurial activity.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a supplementary question.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, why is it important that we work with Indigenous Australians and state and territory governments to ensure the Closing the Gap agenda is delivering better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is committed to the Closing the Gap agenda, but, with the expiry of four of the seven targets, there is an opportunity to refresh targets to ensure they are focused on delivering the change that we know we need. We need targets to be developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and not by government alone, but we also need the state and territory governments to be at the table, because we know that, while the Commonwealth can do a great deal, many of the levers of change are in fact held by the states and other jurisdictions. In the area of justice, the practical reality is that the state and territory governments have the responsibility for the justice system and for the corrections system. The custody notification service is a state and territory responsibility, and, because we know it saves lives, I have offered to every state and territory to fund it for three years. We made this offer on 31 August 2017. I'm disappointed that none of the states are yet to take up this offer. I call on everyone here to support this.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brockman, a final supplementary question.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, why is it important that evidence-based policy is used to progress the Closing the Gap agenda?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are absolutely committed to continuing the bipartisan focus on the Closing the Gap agenda, but with four of the seven targets expiring there's an opportunity to refresh these. We need to use the best evidence in how we go about doing that. We'll be ensuring that our targets are specific, measurable, agreed on, realistic, and time framed. That's smart targeting. That's international best practice with targets. This is the principle across our work. That's why we're working in partnership with the Healing Foundation to complete a detailed analysis to inform our future actions to support the surviving members of the stolen generations. That's why we'd encourage those opposite to better consider its approach when it would only appear to support around 106 of the surviving members of the stolen generations—well below initial estimates, which indicate the number might be as high at 500.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I ask my question, I'd like to acknowledge the Northern Territory housing minister, Gerry McCarthy, in the audience here today. My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. The minister's Remote housing review found that since the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing commenced in 2008, overcrowding amongst Indigenous households has fallen from 52.1 per cent to 37.4 per cent—a reduction of 28 per cent. The review also found that Queensland, WA and South Australia exceeded their targets for Indigenous housing refurbishments by 23 per cent, 35 per cent and 60 per cent respectively. Minister, given the findings of your own Remote housing review, why are you withdrawing Indigenous housing assistance from those states?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps that's one of the challenges with question time: you're stuck with the same question. I provided the answer to that before, in my first answer to Senator Dodson. I'm not moving away from any of those things. If we're going to stop overcrowding, the refurbishment of a couch doesn't provide an additional bedroom or more houses. The only things that provide that are a rebuild or a new house.

Can I make it absolutely clear: we're not moving away from this, but we want to hold the states and territories to account. In the first five years of the program, under programs like CHIP, it was an absolute outrage, with jurisdictions taking 15 per cent and not putting a single cent into the process. So, yes, we have used our independent review into housing to look very carefully at those processes. I'll tell you what it means when a state says, 'Oh, we've exceeded our number.' That means: 'I didn't build a house because it was too hard. I took the money for that and I painted up a couple of others.' I can give you heaps of examples of the disingenuous approaches from the remainder of the jurisdictions of all political persuasions. I can promise you we are engaging, but we're ensuring that the states actually have funds on the table—rather than us just putting money into their budgets and the outcomes turning up in a whole variety of places, but not necessarily in remote communities—and are actually putting it towards reducing the number, which means investing in houses and in rebuilds. The refurbishments are a very small part of this, and they are far easier to do than going out and building a new house or rebuilding a house on a new site.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McCarthy, a supplementary question?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given that in Queensland alone the NPRH has supported 2,640 jobs over the past 10 years and currently supports a growing number of Indigenous businesses, along with more than 850 Indigenous apprentices and trainees, why are you withdrawing Indigenous housing support as a result of these?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If I can just clarify again, I am not withdrawing from this process.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well how much money are you putting in? The funding is ending. How much are you putting in?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have indicated that we've undertaken in the Northern Territory, because that's the only bilateral that's been finished, to put in $120 million a year and that the Northern Territory would be matching it. So, that is the way it's going. We are looking to the states and territories, who I suspect actually withdrew. So in the places where we're requiring NPRH to be built, there was a decision by those jurisdictions to act by not spending a cent of the funds that the Commonwealth invests and that they should invest in remote communities. We've yet to find out if that is the case. I hope I'm wrong, but I have seen absolutely no evidence to demonstrate that they have taken any other course. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McCarthy, a final supplementary question?

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The remote housing review states:

This achievement of increasing housing supply and amenity, and the resulting benefits of reduced overcrowding, should be celebrated …

Why, Minister, are you celebrating this achievement and yet walking away from funding remote housing?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, we're certainly not walking away from funding remote housing. And can I say that there is another issue about jurisdiction. They are now being required to put this in a fund that is managed between the state, the Commonwealth and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Now, I guess that hasn't been accepted well. We're just supposed to put it straight into the coffers.

In the Northern Territory context, you will be pleased to know, Senator, that the Northern Land Council, the Central Land Council and representatives from the Northern Territory government and the Commonwealth government will manage that fund to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will get real jobs, instead of being given lip-service for 10 years. So, instead of saying, 'Oh, I know somebody who owns an Indigenous business,' we will be buying bricks and mortar and we will be ensuring that Indigenous businesses are out there building those homes, because that's how we have to value-add to it. There is no point just saying, 'Oh, we're doing things with Aboriginal people,' instead of to them. You've got to actually do that. And this is another example of how this government has delivered on that promise.