Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I join the debate in relation to the 2016 Closing the Gap report. In doing so, I would like to acknowledge the largely bipartisan manner in which members have made contributions to the issue of closing the gap, not only this year but in previous years. I would like to commend the Prime Minister and also the Leader of the Opposition on their contributions to the House in that regard.

The Australian government—like the opposition, I am sure—is committed to closing the gap. This Closing the Gap report for 2016 shows that some progress has been made on targets, but progress has been mixed. There have been some significant gains in recent decades in some regards but other areas where there is still a lot more work to be done.

This year the report showcases examples of significant success for the Australian government and the Indigenous community in relation to health, education, employment and economic development for people right across the nation. It demonstrates, as the Prime Minister indicated yesterday, that partnerships between government, business, individuals and communities right across Australia are essential to yielding positive results for Indigenous people. For its part, the Australian government will continue to focus on the key areas of health, education, employment, economic development and community safety and will seek to work very closely with our state and territory governments, our local governments and our broader communities on achieving progress in relation to closing the gap.

I would like to go through some of the key targets and report on some of the progress in relation to the Closing the Gap initiatives. The target of halving the gap in Indigenous child mortality by 2018 is on track, which is positive news. The Indigenous infant mortality rate has more than halved over the past 16 years. The actions we are going to see from the government into the future will assist in continuing to achieve that target. We know the best start in life comes from effective prenatal and postnatal care, parent and family programs and support for vulnerable children. The government has invested $94 million over three years from 2015-16 on the Better Start to Life approach, which increases access to child and maternal health services.

Deputy Speaker Irons, as you would know coming from the great state of Western Australia, providing for a healthy start in life is the very first step on the journey to a good education for our young Indigenous people and young Indigenous families. Without a health start in life young people, young Indigenous people in particular, will turn up to our early child care, our early child education or our primary schools unprepared for the education journey. From my own perspective, my wife works as a teachers aid at a primary school in Lakes Entrance where we have many young Indigenous children come to our school. She is constantly working with those children to ensure they are in a position to take full advantage of the education experience which is available to them. Early health education—making sure that children are avoiding ear infections and are treated when required and that any eyesight issues are treated as required—ensures that these young children are in a position to learn when they reach our school classrooms.

The other target I want to mention briefly is the target of 95 per cent of all Indigenous four-year-olds being enrolled in early childhood education by 2025. Since 2008 more than $2.8 billion has been made available to state and territory governments to increase participation in early childhood education programs. Over the next four years the government will invest around $40 billion on childcare support through the Jobs for Families Child Care Package. Obviously, our Indigenous children will share in the benefits of that program.

The closing the gap school attendance target set for 2018 is not on track. That is alarming and should alarm all members of this place. Progress will need to be made to accelerate our efforts in this regard for the target to be met. In my home town the local secondary college has been very creative and innovative in the way it has endeavoured to make sure its secondary school curriculum is relevant and attractive to young Indigenous students. One of the challenges we face is that, for many of our young Indigenous children in the Gippsland region, their own parents' experience of education has not been an enjoyable one. So these young Indigenous children may not necessarily value education themselves, as their parents are not necessarily passing down to their own children any great joy for the education system, and that is a challenge for us. We need to reinvigorate enthusiasm amongst our young Indigenous students—particularly in those early years of secondary college—and make sure that they understand there is a pathway for them through education into further training and into the workforce in the future. While there is a sizable gap remaining in school attendance, there is an enormous challenge for the state and federal governments to continue to work in partnership to reduce that gap.

The target of halving the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020 is actually on track, which is positive news. Over the long term there have been improvements in apparent retention rates to year 12 for Indigenous students, up from 32 per cent in the late 1990s to 60 per cent in 2014, and that is important. We know in the 21st century that young people need to do well at school. They need to get as far as they can with their education, whether it is through the VCAL or the VCE programs in the Victorian education system. As I said earlier, setting them on their education journey begins with getting them ready for preschool and the early years of primary school; supporting not only the young individuals themselves but also their families; and giving them a pathway or a vision of what the future may hold for them—giving them hope that, at the end of this education journey, there is the opportunity for economic independence, and that economic independence comes with the prospect of a job at the end of their education or training. When we talk about employment, the simple fact is that we are not getting enough Indigenous young people into either casual, part-time or full-time employment. The target is not on track.

I would like to talk briefly about the role the Australian Defence Force is playing in helping young Indigenous people achieve employment within the ADF. Indigenous people have a long and proud history of contributing to the defence of Australia. Although often an ignored part of our culture in the past, there are remedies at play at the moment to make sure that the involvement of Indigenous members in the Australian Defence Force is well recognised in all of the events of the Centenary of Anzac and the centenary of World War I. It is such an important part of those commemoratives events.

The Australian Defence Force has made some headway in regard to ADF Indigenous employment. Our numbers are currently 1.5 per cent—up from 1.3 per cent in August 2013. Within the Australian Public Service, Indigenous employment is moving well. It is up from 0.8 per cent in August 2013 to 1.4 per cent.

Defence is working towards an Indigenous workforce employment target of 2.7 per cent, which is higher than that recommended by the Australian Public Service Commission of 2.5 per cent. I have had meetings with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary Alan Tudge, who are both very keen to see how the Australian Defence Force can play a significant role in helping with Indigenous employment issues.

One of the challenges is making sure that young Indigenous people are ready when they turn up to apply to join the Defence Force. I would like to acknowledge the work done by the ADF with its pre-employment courses in making sure Indigenous Australians have a capacity to meet the entry standards of the ADF. The Australian Defence Force cannot lower their standards if someone has a lower education than necessary, but they can work with the young Indigenous person to increase their capacity to meet the ADF standards. These courses focus on some of the key fundamentals, as you would expect, like language, literacy and numeracy skills, fitness, life skills, military skills and both Indigenous and military culture.

There is a very positive story to be told by the Australian Defence Force, and I intend to tell it more often in the future—about the way the ADF is working with Indigenous communities to try and make sure that young Indigenous people have the opportunity to take that first step within the ADF, whether it is in the Army, Navy or Air Force, but then also progress through the ranks and have that opportunity to reach higher ranks and excel in their chosen field.

I would like to congratulate the department's staff and the ADF personnel who are working in this regard and their efforts to support Defence's targets in relation to Indigenous employment with genuine practical activity to achieve the steady growth that is required. There are a number of different programs that have been deployed through the Australian Defence Force, and they will continue to be deployed in the years ahead. I congratulate everyone involved in those programs.

Finally, in my community of Gippsland we are working well in a range of fields to try and close the gap in health, education and employment—and we continue to make progress. But, as I have said before, we in this place need to commit ourselves to always doing better in the future. We need to do better as a parliament, as a nation and as local communities.

Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I represent the land of the Bidjigal and Gadigal people in the south-east of Sydney. I recognise and respect that the land and water around Botany Bay and the beautiful coastline of Sydney's south-east has been their home for tens of thousands of years. The Aboriginal people of our community have had, and continue to have, an enormous influence on our area and community. Their love of, and connection to, that land and sea and the fact that they have cared for and nurtured that environment for tens of thousands of years is really important in our community.

Many of the placenames in our community—beaches like Coogee—derive their name from Aboriginal language. Coogee derives from 'koojah', which in Bidjigal means 'the place of seaweed drying'—a reference to the seaweed that regularly washes up on Coogee Beach even to this day. Maroubra, the famous surfing beach in our area, derives its name from 'Morooberra', the name of an elder who lived in the sand hills around that beach at the time of European colonisation. Botany Bay is also known as Kamay in the area and the surrounding area is known in Bidjigal as Curiwal. This language still is present in the placenames and areas that many in our community love so much.

The Aboriginal people of the community I represent, the Bidjigal and Gadigal people, around Botany Bay were the first Aborigines in Australia to have contact with European settlers—the first to see Captain Cook's vessel the Endeavour sail into Botany Bay; the first to see Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet sail into Botany Bay. I think it is fair to say that, ever since that time, Aboriginal people in our community and no doubt throughout the rest of Australia have had a diminution in their happiness, and have felt a disadvantage that has continued to this day. That disadvantage, that reduction in happiness, manifests itself in the quality of life statistics when we compare Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.

The statistics are quite alarming. When it comes to life expectancy, the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is 10 years. It is a huge chasm that, unfortunately, is not getting any better. When it comes to rates of completion of high school there is still a big gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians. The most shocking of all the statistics, I believe, is in rates of incarceration of Aboriginal men. If you are an Aboriginal man in Australia you are 15 times more likely to go to jail than a non-Aboriginal Australian. In fact, a young Aboriginal man is much more likely to go to jail than to go to university—a shocking statistic in itself that completely explains the disadvantage that Aboriginal people face in Australia.

Each year during NADOC Week I visit Long Bay jail in our community. I can tell you that Aboriginal young men are way over represented in Long Bay jail and every other jail throughout Australia. I see and talk to these Aboriginal men who have been incarcerated and you see this lack of hope in their eyes, this lack of any hope in their lives into the future. It is as if two centuries of discrimination and disadvantage is being carried around on each and every one of their shoulders and it manifests itself in this lack of hope.

This view that they do not fit within our society, despite the fact that this group of people and their ancestors have been here longer than any Europeans, and their ancestors have cared for and nurtured this place for tens of thousands of years and have established a culture and a history that is longer than any other anywhere in the world—is something that we have to change. We have to tackle the shocking rates of incarceration of Aboriginal men in Australia.

I was really proud of Bill Shorten, as the Leader of the Labor Party, for putting this issue on the agenda in his response to the Closing the gap report in the parliament yesterday, for committing to working to campaign and to develop policies to deal with the shocking rates of incarceration and, most importantly, for pointing out that cuts in funding, particularly to Aboriginal legal services do have a dramatic effect on the rates of incarceration of Aboriginal young men in Australia. So full credit to the Leader of the Labor Party, Bill Shorten, for putting this issue on the agenda and saying that we do need to have a target for reducing rates of incarceration of young Aboriginal men as part of the Closing the Gap targets.

The issue is: how do we reduce these gaps in incarceration, in life expectancy, in rates of education, in rates of preventable disease? In my view, it begins with respect: respect for the Aboriginal people and their history and heritage here in Australia; respect for their connection with the land; respect for their culture and the Dreamtime; and respect for our fellow Australians, respect for them as our fellow Australians. And then using that respect, harnessing that respect, to overcome prejudice and to break down some of the barriers of divisions that still do exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Using that respect to work with Aboriginal people to overcome some of the disadvantages they face, to close the gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in this country.

It can be done. It has been proven and shown that it can be done. In a number of the Closing the Gap target areas we are making some progress. In terms of halving the gap in child mortality by 2018, we are on track: Indigenous child mortality rates have fallen by six per cent since 2008, and the gap has narrowed by 34 per cent since 1998. In terms of the target to halve the gap for Aboriginal Australians aged 20 to 24 in year 12 attainment or equivalent by 2020, we are on track: the rates of year 12 attainment for Indigenous students is up from 32 per cent in the 1990s to 60 per cent in 2014. We are making progress in those two areas.

Unfortunately, in other areas we are not on track. In terms of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous kids in school attendance, we are not on track. We are not on track when it comes to halving the gap of employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018. We are not on track when it comes to closing the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation. And we have had mixed progress in halving the gap for Indigenous children in reading, writing and numeracy achievement by 2018. So there is clearly more work to be done, and we do need to add that issue of incarceration to those Closing the Gap targets, because the rates of incarceration of young Indigenous men are simply too horrifying for us as a country to ignore any more.

In conclusion, I pay my respects to the Bidjigal and Gadigal people of our area. I respect you for the contribution you have made, for the nurturing you have given to the land for tens of thousands of years. If we are going to make progress on closing the gap, we need to ensure that we respect the Aboriginal people of Australia and their contribution to our nation, and that we harness that respect to break down prejudice, break down disadvantage and get on with genuinely closing the gap here in Australia.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me start off by, firstly, congratulating the Prime Minister on his remarks yesterday in his Closing the Gap statement. Secondly, I thank opposition leader, Bill Shorten, for his words as well. At this time it is also important to recognise the previous Prime Minister's contribution. Tony Abbott has had a long commitment to advancing the causes of Indigenous Australia.

The Grey electorate covers all the remote Indigenous populations in South Australia, places like the APY Lands, the Ceduna and Flinders communities. There are high populations of Aboriginals in places like Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln, Ceduna and even near Maitland on Yorke Peninsula. We have, in total, an Indigenous population of about eight per cent. No doubt, while there are great success stories we celebrate very loudly, on average Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders suffer an inherent disadvantage. Since the sixties, governments—of all political persuasions, it must be said—have tried but failed pretty dismally in most cases. But they have tried to make a difference.

Sometimes I get complaints from various constituents about the assistance given to Indigenous peoples. It might be complaints about the better consideration they get around schooling or around health access or transport—all kinds of issues. Some are completely untrue, it must be said, and some are based on fact. I say to these people, 'For all these advantages that you see Aboriginal people getting, for all these advantages you say they have over the wider population, would you like your children to be black just so they could access those advantages?' I have never had one respond in the positive. The point I am trying to make here is that, until we get to that point, there remains a disadvantage in Australia. It is an underlying fact that unless you would choose to be Aboriginal for the opportunities it would give your family then there is no advantage at all, despite what Commonwealth governments and other governments might be doing to assist Indigenous peoples.

There is no doubt there is a huge amount of money spent on Indigenous Australia. I do not begrudge a cent of it, but I do say I am quite despondent about the results we get in many cases and what I see as wastage of money. Perhaps they are bad programs. It just seems that they are not giving us the result we need, but we need to continue to make the effort.

Take the case of the APY Lands, for instance. There are more than 100 organisations up there at any given time—some from not-for-profit enterprises; some from governments at two levels, state and federal—most not knowing what the others are doing. Many compete for customers but are convinced of their program's worth. When I get around this country and speak to the people who are working on the programs, most are convinced of the real difference they are making. If I sit in a reasonable conversation with them, I too am convinced. I think: 'That's a good idea. That really seems to be working. That seems to be making a great difference.' But I challenge them. I say: 'You tell me you're making a great difference. The people I met with half an hour ago tell me they're making a great difference. The people I'm going to meet with tomorrow are making a great difference. How come there is not a great difference? How come we are not making advancement? How come things are not so much better than they are?' Most of them have no answers, and perhaps that is how challenging it has been for all of us and for governments.

It is clear from reading the Closing the Gap statement that we are not getting enough children enrolled in preschool activities, and that failure is actually worse in our bigger urban centres. At 67 per cent, this is far short of the desired target of 95 per cent, even though the report does not actually specify what the Australian average is for all populations. But enrolment is one thing; attendance is another, particularly when we get to the school-age years. It is of particular concern to me that this is despite considerable effort, particularly by this government, with the school attendance program.

I have seen it in action, and it can work very, very well. I have seen it in communities at Mimili and Indulkana, where the school attendance program seems to be hitting all the right buttons, but I have also seen places where it is not making a difference at all. We really need to identify why that is, because the program can work, but in some places it is not working. I know that in some cases the school community, led always by the principal, is much more welcoming and much more engaged in working with the school attendance program than others I have seen. And you can be sure that, if there is a divide between the school leadership and the school attendance program, it is not going to work.

That is something that we need to have out with the state governments and their state departments of education. There just cannot be that kind of resistance to what is essentially a good program, because we have seen it work so well where we get that cooperation. We can see from the figures that while urban areas have a way to go, with about a 10-point deficit on school attendance against the non-Indigenous population, it is the remote and very remote regions where the results not only drag down the nationwide average but also present human tragedy for the individuals. A 67 per cent school attendance rate is just nowhere near good enough. In fact, in very remote Australia only 20 per cent of students attend 90 per cent of the time. Despite all this, there is progress in the area of literacy and numeracy skills, and that is encouraging. But, once again, the results away from urban centres are appalling.

Interesting to me is the impact that direct instruction methods are having on Cape York communities. I had the privilege to visit Aurukun and Hopevale in 2012. Coming face-to-face with direct instruction is a bit of a challenge, I must say. It feels like you have wound the clock back 80 years. But I could see the difference, not only in the demand the teachers made of the students for full attention but in the restoration of the type of competition in the classroom where promotion is based on achievement and not on age.

I was given to reflect on this to my wife after my last visit to the APY Lands a few months ago, as we were travelling south and decoding or deciphering what it was we had learnt on that particular trip. When I was a student, we referred to year 5 as grade 5. Somewhere through that period—whether it was the 1970s or 1980s, I do not know—it became year 5. I said to my wife, 'There is an absolute difference in the two descriptors.' One says the student has achieved a level of education; the other one says they have been at school for five years. They are not the same.

Unfortunately, that has gone right through our education system. Now, in broader education platforms, students are promoted based on age. 'You can't deny the fact I've been at school for four years, so I'm in year 4,' and then, 'I've been at school for five years—I'm in year 5.' So they travel with their peer group, if you like. In the direct instruction schools, that is not happening anymore. They must achieve the level.

The feedback we had from the teachers at the time was that when the students identified the fact that they were the biggest kid in the classroom, and their ability to learn was higher than those of the younger students, then they kicked into gear because they wanted to catch up with their peer group. I can reflect on my youth and think of those really big kids who were in our classroom and it was not perfect. But, on the other hand, we see the net results of what we have done since and I think perhaps it is more imperfect. So that was one of the things that really impressed me about direct instruction.

I have a number of other issues I would love to talk about, but I realise we are coming very close to the end of my time. The employment figures are very disappointing but explicitly demonstrate the value of education. It is reported that employment outcomes for highly educated individuals are virtually equal to the national average. If a student reaches the age of 15 and their education level is at the national average, they will have the same kinds of educational outcomes as the broader community. We need to keep concentrating on these factors.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to begin by acknowledging the First Australians as the traditional custodians of this land and paying my respect to their elders, past and present. As Bill Shorten so eloquently said yesterday, this is and always will be Aboriginal land. I would also like to particularly acknowledge the Woiworung, the Wathaurong and the Boonwurrung people, the traditional owners of the land that encompasses our community in Lalor. Our community has a rich Indigenous history. The iconic Werribee River was once a meeting place for Indigenous elders and a border between the estates of Aboriginal clans. The name Werribee is derived from the word 'wirribi', which means 'backbone' and refers to the Werribee River winding its way through the landscape.

Change is often painfully incremental; however, the progress we have made has been diminished by this government's cuts and its lack of genuine engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities when it comes to closing the gap. Just two of the seven targets are on track to be met.

I would like to spend a moment to talk about the importance of closing the gap and having those aspirational targets—having them front of mind as a parliament and as a nation, and then reflecting on where we are in terms of those targets. It is only through setting aspirational targets and monitoring our performance that we will increase that slow incremental pace.

There have been long-term gains made, but the report shows that progress in closing the gap in a number of key areas, including employment, life expectancy, reading and numeracy, has stagnated. There is just one target that Australians can be confident is on track to be met, with progress being made in reducing infant mortality rates by more than 33 per cent. We should pause and acknowledge this. Part of setting targets is establishing a culture where we use and collect the information and reflect. Most importantly, in a process where we are setting targets, it provides us moments to celebrate—to mark improvement. It is important that we mark that most impressive improvement in infant mortality rates. They have been reduced by 33 per cent.

But more needs to be done. The report is a clear warning to this government that continuing on a path of massive cuts and lack of genuine engagement and partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will put at risk the gains we have made in closing the gap. The government must reverse some of its shameful cuts.

As a former teacher I know that education is critical to improving the lives of all Australians. We must change the narrative in schools surrounding our Indigenous students. Labor's 'Your Child. Our Future' will do more to close the gap than any policy or decision in two generations, if it is implemented in full. We must ensure that every child is given the best education opportunities to succeed in later life, and that is why Labor is committed to fairer, needs-based funding for schools, with extra support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Aboriginal students in education is a really important area. Targets around numeracy, literacy and school retention are critical. What many do not understand—and the research bears this out—is that parents' experience of school is the key driver in their attitude to the schooling of their children. The levels they attained at school and their experiences at school colour their interactions with school.

In Victoria we implemented what was called the Wannik strategy, and it had enormous success. This strategy required that every Aboriginal child in a Victorian school had an individual learning plan—not as a stick to hit a family with, but as an engagement tool to get parents through the doors of our schools for a positive conversation about what their child's levels were and what the schools were going to do in partnership with parents to move that forward. It changed the way many parents perceived school. It set schools up as welcoming places focused on the education of every child, including Aboriginal children. It focused the conversations around the child's capacities and needs.

It was a circuit breaker. If your school experience had always been that your parents were called to the school when you were in trouble, and the only conversations that were had with you and your parents were when you were in strife, then every time the phone rang and it was the school on the other end you immediately assumed that there was a problem. This strategy spun that on its head and had families consciously, actively engaged with the school across the year—setting targets for their child's learning, setting targets for attendance. It formed partnerships and it changed lives. I want that on the record in any conversation we have about education and meeting the literacy and numeracy targets.

Another thing that I have seen done very successfully in schools has been introducing cultural programs that make it more welcoming to claim Aboriginal and Torres Strait heritage. I have seen this on the ground and the improvement in those children's self-esteem and their connection with their heritage. It has worked to assist the school in appearing as a welcoming place for them and their families.

There is another thing that I think setting targets does: it shines a light on some of the success stories. When I think about school retention, I can think about Victoria. I have young teacher who has worked in my electorate who is now working in remote Australia—a girl with Indigenous heritage who is now working in a remote school. She comes home back to Lalor for holidays and shares stories with us. The best story I have heard her share is one where she said that the last time she returned to Alice Springs after being home in Melbourne for a break, she found her entire class of students sitting outside her front fence the day before school started, waiting to say hello. The retention in her classroom is high. The attendance is high. She has engaged those students and they are enjoying their learning. So I think it is important that we stop and mark those breakthroughs.

In November last year I attended the address of Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition, to the University of Melbourne detailing Labor's plans to close the justice gap in the Indigenous community. Nowhere is the story of unfairness more conspicuous than in the justice gap between Indigenous Australians and the rest of us. The appalling rate of incarceration among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people demands that we create justice targets. A Shorten Labor government will set justice targets to help close the gap on incarceration rates in Australia. We will work closely with state and local governments and through law enforcement agencies, corrections and community services to establish these targets and work to close the gap. We will work with community leaders, elders and Aboriginal representative organisations.

Through COAG will work with the states to create a national coordinating body for collecting data and measuring progress. Importantly, we will learn from those communities who are already doing this work. Where we find success we should try and grow that success, and that is what a Labor government is committed to. There would be transparency and accountability around those targets and around both monitoring of our progress and also recording and learning from those that have had positive outcomes.

We are a long way down this road. It was in 1992 when Prime Minister Keating made the Redfern speech. There have been many moves towards symbolic recognition. Closing the gap is a very important part of that, because it is not symbolic. It is about practical outcomes on the ground. It is about holding the parliament of Australia to account for how we are progressing against those targets. We talk in the macro in Canberra, but on the ground, with the right attention, we will change individual lives.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak on the 2016 Closing the Gap report and pay my respects to all Indigenous Australians, past and present. I firstly would like to commend the contributions of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition yesterday regarding this report. I take this opportunity to place on record that while I applaud the inroads that we made in the last 12 months—and there have been some—of course more still needs to be done.

Pleasingly, the Prime Minister said yesterday that this government will honour the commitment of not delivering to Indigenous Australians but, rather, working with Indigenous Australians and their communities across Australia. My electorate of Durack has the third highest number of Indigenous Australians per electorate in the country, with at least 28,870 Indigenous Australians calling Durack home, making up over 16 per cent of my electorate, according to the 2011 census. Health, education, employment and economic development are often the four most significant areas for any individual, and I am pleased to say that the report outlines improved outcomes in those areas in the last 12 months. This illustrates that partnerships created and sustained by the Turnbull government with businesses and individuals are starting to pay dividends, but progress is too slow. Success in these areas also illustrates effective engagement with Indigenous Australians, but we all know that we can do better.

One of the targets I am most pleased about is that we are on track to halve the gap in Indigenous child mortality by 2018. This year's report has found that Indigenous infant mortality has more than halved in the last 16 years. This is positive news, but, as I said at the outset, more still needs to be done. The fact that Indigenous child mortality has more than halved in the last 16 years is something that we and previous governments, together with Aboriginal leaders, should be proud of.

Today more Indigenous children are immunised by the age of five than non-Indigenous children, with 92.8 per cent of Indigenous children being immunised, some 1.1 per cent higher than the figure for non-Indigenous children. We know the best start in life comes from quality prenatal and postnatal care, parent and family programs and support for vulnerable children. I am pleased to say that this government has invested some $94 million over three years from 2015-16 in the Better Start to Life approach, which increases access to child and maternal health activities. This funding is particularly important in the rural and remote electorate of Durack, which boasts over 300 towns and communities, where availability of these services has improved.

This year's report also found that halving the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020 is on track. As members of both sides of this chamber will know, I am a fierce advocate for improved education, but particularly in the bush. As Nelson Mandela famously said, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' Retention rates for Indigenous students to year 12 are at 60 per cent, up from 32 per cent in the late 1990s, so it is an improvement, but we must work harder to ensure that all Aboriginal youth complete their education—it is critical. The Indigenous Advancement Strategy Children and Schooling Program is supporting a number of projects, including mentoring activities, intensive school based activities, scholarships and mobility projects.

We are not on track to halve the gap in employment by 2018. There has been a long-term improvement in this area, with Indigenous employment up by a paltry 10 per cent from 1994 to 2012-13. I think this highlights once again how critical education is for young Indigenous people. However, there is some good news beneath the surface that is not reflected in the Closing the Gap report, and I am pleased to say that almost 50 jobs a day are being created for Indigenous people through our employment programs. Additionally, this government has committed real action in this area, having awarded contracts to Indigenous businesses worth around $40 million so far this financial year alone—some six times the value of only a couple of years ago.

I am particularly pleased to see the life expectancy gap close more than any other target. I believe the government's allocation of $3.3 billion to the Indigenous Australians' Health Program for the next four years will contribute to improving the life expectancy gap, as will the implementation of the National Aboriginal And Torres Strait Health Plan 2013-2023, which is underpinned by collaboration across governments, health sectors and Indigenous Australians. Good eyesight, good hearing, improving diabetes: these are just some of the health issues we must focus on.

I am glad to say that locally in Durack I have some fantastic programs and initiatives which are playing their role in closing the gap. Aiming to support, educate and empower young people with the life skills and tools to ensure their future is in their hands, the organisation called SHINE plays a vital role in retaining students—non-Indigenous girls as well—at secondary school in my largest city, Geraldton. SHINE runs its program in an innovative hairdressing salon environment. SHINE was established at John Willcock College in Geraldton in 2010, and over 200 students have been through the program, led by the very enthusiastic, excitable, dedicated, inspirational founder, Mandy Jolley. The program retains and engages students who might not otherwise have continued their schooling education. I just want to make the point that this is a program for young girls, and this is why it is so innovative. Of course, we have heard about other wonderful programs around Australia, but it is certainly something I am focused on in the seat of Durack. This is a fabulous initiative which ensures more Indigenous young girls continue through high school and provides them with practical pathways to continue their education. Very pleasingly, with Indigenous Advancement Strategy funding from the federal government, SHINE has been able to expand its program to Geraldton Senior College for the oldest female students. I managed to get a sneak preview yesterday of what the new salon environment looks like, and it is very impressive.

Also aiding to support improved health for Indigenous people is the work by mental health worker Glen Fleeton. Mr Fleeton has done a sterling job looking after the rural towns in the Mid West through his very effective programs—I might say with minimal financial assistance. This includes organising sport in rural towns like Mount Magnet, Yalgoo, Mingenew, Morawa and Perenjori. He also tailors programs for farmers, getting them to take their mind off their troubles for the day by playing sport amongst other town locals. These are just a few activities that Mr Fleeton runs which go a long way to bridging the gap for Indigenous Australians but, more importantly, bringing Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together. Well done, Glen Fleeton. Mr Deputy Speaker, as you can see, people in Durack are highly innovative and using their creative and bright minds to create headway in my electorate of Durack.

I would now like to conclude my comments here today, and I just wanted to finish off where I started, and that is that there has been some success in closing the gap; however, more needs to be done, and I think there would not be one member in parliament who would not agree with that statement. But only the Turnbull government can truly deliver a better way forward for Indigenous Australians. But I must say that only by working with Indigenous Australians will we actually achieve closing the gap.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I rise to speak on the Closing the gap report and in so doing acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and the continent we share, and thank the elders past, present and future for their continuing stewardship. The place that I call home always was, is now and always will be Aboriginal land, and I acknowledge the keepers of the world's oldest cultures and traditions generally, but I specifically wanted to mention two of my friends that I caught up with out in St George in January: Peter Brown and Wayne Long. I had not caught up with Wayne Long for a while, about 10 years. He took me on a car trip that I think took about 10 years off my life, but I do say a special hello to Wayne and Peter.

Obviously, the Closing the gap report is a very important event for this parliament, as is the work done by many other committees in trying to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. I just wanted to mention two of the reports I have been involved with on committees. One report was by the Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee, which I chaired, looking into foetal alcohol spectrum disorder—the report called FASD: the hidden harm. The other report was by a committee chaired by Shayne Neumann, the member for Blair. It was called Doing time—time for doing and looked at Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system. The reports of those inquiries, along with the current inquiry of the Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs, which is looking into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational opportunities, are very informative.

I started this speech by acknowledging the traditional owners, but I particularly wanted to do that as we come to the 10th anniversary of the Closing the Gap initiative, as that initiative changed the situation from being one of fine words to practical deeds. There has been an enormous amount of work done over the past 10 years to help eliminate Indigenous disadvantage. I acknowledge the work of communities, the private sector and non-government organisations in this endeavour—and both sides of the political spectrum.

The Closing the gap report 2016 was delivered to the parliament by the Prime Minister this week. I particularly note that he delivered his opening remarks in a local Indigenous language. That was a fine choice. Unfortunately, after that, the words he delivered were confronting for Australia. We sadly found out that only two of the seven targets to close the gap are on track. However, focusing on the good news, child mortality declined by 33 per cent between 1998 and 2014. The target is for child mortality to halve by 2018, and we are on our way to achieving that. Obviously, I would like to see us go beyond that target in reducing child mortality of Indigenous Australians.

The target to halve the gap in the attainment of a Year 12 or equivalent education standard in Indigenous Australians aged 20 to 24 years is still on track. However, there is no updated data from the last report, so it is hoped that progress is still continuing on this target. Sadly, with the other five targets, the news is not so good. The target to enrol Indigenous four-year-olds in remote communities in early childhood education has not been met by its expiration, and the new target is to enrol 95 per cent of four-year-olds in early childhood education by 2025. We know as parents how important early childhood education is. This is a very important target, because it will set communities up for years beyond its attainment. I hope these figures improve quickly.

Still on education—something I am passionate about, having been an English teacher for 11 years—an improvement of less than one per cent was recorded in the target for school attendance of Indigenous children. Sadly, this does not come close to meeting the target of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance within five years. So more needs to be done there.

The gap in the reading and numeracy achievements of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students was to be halved by 2018. There has been mixed progress with this target. NAPLAN reports show that students are on track in only four of the eight areas measured. As a former teacher who is particularly passionate about English and reading, I am slightly biased, but I consider that education is the key to future success for all students, so let us hope that we see better results next year.

The next target may be a direct reflection of the slow progress being made in education—that is, the target to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018. I am sorry to report that there has been a decline in employment outcomes since the 2008 baseline.

Finally, there is the horrible statistic with regard to life expectancy. The target to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation is not on track. There has been some longer term progress, but that has been limited.

These are all very important issues for Indigenous Australians. Everyone in the parliament cares about these issues and wants to see an improvement. It is good to see support broadly on both sides of the aisle, though I did note that two-thirds of government members were not able to stay in the chamber for Bill Shorten's speech, in which he put forward some great policy initiatives.

Labor has already announced our new education policy 'Your Child. Our Future' which will guarantee individual attention and targeted programs for all students, particularly Indigenous students, so that they can do their best at school. If rolled out, our education policy will do much to close the gap in education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. It will give every child, in every school, every opportunity they need to succeed.

There is no greater gap in our community than between the incarceration rate of Indigenous men and non-Indigenous men. If you are Indigenous, you are 15 times more likely to be imprisoned than if you are non-Indigenous.

As I mentioned, the report Doing TimeTime For Doing: Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system came out of the inquiry into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system held by the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, chaired by the member for Blair. The inquiry involved going to prisons and interviewing stakeholders. It was quite a moving experience.

For Indigenous women, who now make up 15 per cent of our female prison population, there has been a 74 per cent increase in incarcerations in the past 15 years. They are staggering statistics of the lives that are changed forever, and the effects linger for years and years. The re-imprisonment rate for Indigenous young people is higher than the school retention rate. This is a disgrace and it reflects badly on this parliament and Commonwealth representatives. Labor has committed to set new targets to close the justice gap at the first COAG meeting under a Labor government. These targets will tackle these disgraceful incarceration rates, preventing crime, reducing violence and victimisation and boosting community safety. I want to particularly acknowledge the Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath, who has taken the initiative of reinstating some of the intervention strategies rather than only relying on incarceration for Indigenous Queenslanders.

It is hard to believe that Indigenous Australians are six times more likely to suffer from blindness than non-Indigenous Australians, but this is the sad truth. This is even more shocking when Australia leads the world in eye health. The amazing works of Fred Hollows and Vision 2020 in our country is noted, but we still have Indigenous people who are suffering from preventable or treatable eye conditions and going blind. Trachoma is an infectious and wholly preventable eye disease which only exists among our Indigenous population effectively. It is present in two-thirds of remote communities here in Australia—not overseas but here in Australia. We are the only developed nation in the world where trachoma still exists. That is embarrassing and certainly something we need to do more about. In a nation that prides itself on the health care delivered and universal healthcare access, we need to do more to eliminate trachoma.

To address this issue, Labor has committed to an additional $9 million to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vision loss. When people are able to have productive jobs and, rather than having to care for someone, people are able to return to school or be involved in schools, the economic benefits flow easily through communities. This money committed to by Labor leader Bill Shorten will be invested in optometry and ophthalmology services and prevention activities to close the gap in eye health and eliminate trachoma once and for all in this country.

To completely close the gap we also need to recognise our first Australians in our Constitution. They need to have their names on what is effectively our birthing document. Labor is committed to a referendum on Indigenous recognition within the first year of taking office.

Debate adjourned.