Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

No-one would want to deny the genuine sentiment expressed by the honourable member for Lingiari a moment ago in his speech on the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment (2007 Budget Measures) Bill 2007. I am someone who finds it unacceptable in 2007, after a couple of centuries of European settlement in Australia, that we have Indigenous outcomes that are not anywhere near as good as we would like them to be. I think it is important always to depoliticise the argument in the area of Indigenous affairs, because this government and, I suspect, earlier governments have done the best that they can to improve Indigenous outcomes. This government has focused on practical reconciliation—nuts and bolts matters which will improve things such as housing, water and education. History will record this government as achieving probably more than any other government in the area of Indigenous improvement.

A number of years ago, when I was chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs, I saw a reference from the then Minister for Health and Aged Care, Michael Wooldridge, into Indigenous health. I found it unacceptable that Indigenous men live for close to 20 years less than non-Indigenous men. I found it unacceptable that infant mortality in the Indigenous community was as high as it was. The committee worked in a bipartisan way and, after I ceased to be chairman, brought down a report. No doubt the government has picked up some of the points included in that report but, ultimately, in so many areas, including education, we still have Indigenous disadvantage.

I am a strong believer in the need for a level of accountability with respect to spending on Indigenous programs that is equal with what the community at large expects with respect to spending on non-Indigenous programs or programs affecting the general community. In the past, some of the stories we have heard about the lack of accountability have made it very difficult for governments to get the necessary community support to increase spending on Indigenous affairs to substantially improve Indigenous outcomes.

There has been criticism of the opposition in that, when they have been in office, they seem to have been focused, as far as Indigenous affairs are concerned, too much on process and not on outcomes. They seem to be more determined to ensure that there is Indigenous self-determination rather than looking at the bottom line of what a particular program is achieving. I would hope that, in the future, the Australian Labor Party will become more practical and realise that outcomes are important, and process certainly ought to be looked at, but that one ought not to become focused on process at the expense of positive outcomes concerning Indigenous Australians.

If you walk down the main street of any town in Australia, most people you talk to would agree that Indigenous Australians suffer a wide range of challenges in their everyday lives which other Australians do not face. We all face challenges, but Indigenous Australians seem to face more challenges than most. They range from social challenges through to education, health, employment and crime. These hardships are often unique to Indigenous Australians, and it is pretty clear that the problem cannot be solved solely by government or solely by Indigenous communities. It is important to focus on the need to improve the quality of life and future prospects of Indigenous Australians. That is one of the reasons why I greatly admire Noel Pearson, who has been prepared to break out of the mould. He has been prepared to state some difficult home truths for some Indigenous people and some difficult home truths for those who want to politicise this debate on Indigenous affairs.

All Australians deserve access to quality education. Providing access to quality education and encouraging learning amongst Indigenous Australians are important steps in ensuring the ongoing stability and strengthening of Indigenous opportunities. A quality education, no matter what one’s background happens to be, provides an opportunity for a person to succeed. History will record that there are many Australians who started with nothing, who worked hard, who studied and who have risen to great heights due to their determination and willingness to learn. Importantly, despite the perception that there has been inadequate progress in improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians, there have been very many incremental improvements over the past decade, and the current Australian government is determined that this should continue.

This bill will facilitate changes to the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000, which will add further support to Indigenous Australians determined to make a success of their lives. These initiatives were announced in the budget and include an increase in funding for Indigenous educational programs of some $26.1 million in 2007-08. This government is able to improve spending on Indigenous programs to improve Indigenous outcomes because of our sound economic management since we were entrusted with the keys to office in 1996. We have repaid over $90 billion of Labor debt. Had we not done so, the government of the day would have to spend some $8.5 billion in interest on that federal government debt. If the government is paying $8.5 billion—$8.5 thousand million—in interest payments then it is clear that it does not have the financial wherewithal to improve spending on Indigenous programs and, indeed, on other desirable social outcomes. The initiatives contained in the budget are designed to offer support to Indigenous Australians to help them address the unacceptable issues that are adversely affecting them and preventing them from achieving the success they are capable of.

I believe that we should look outside the square in terms of the way education has been delivered to Indigenous Australians since Australia was discovered by the British. We should consider the Australian government’s responsibility to totally take over the matter of educating Indigenous youth. It is fairly clear that the states and territories of Australia have comprehensively failed. The Australian government provides a lot of the money. They provide the infrastructure, the schools, the teachers, the day-to-day education. Yet, when one looks at the level of educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians, we see they are so much lower than the outcomes for other Australians. Maybe it is time for the Australian government to take over responsibility for Indigenous education.

As I said in a speech recently in parliament, I would extend that to say that the Australian government should become responsible for education generally. We have a difficulty in Australia: we have six states, we have two territories and we have a number of educational systems. These days people are increasingly mobile, and students are often disadvantaged by moving from one state to another state because of different standards, different levels of progress and different curricula. So, while I would support in the first instance the taking over of responsibility for Indigenous education by the federal government, I would extend that to education more generally.

Returning specifically to the bill before the House, the initiatives include increased funding for programs that address the limited secondary and training opportunities in remote Indigenous communities, including an increase of $4 million, to $36 million, for the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program. This will increase the number of scholarship places available from some 250 to 1,000 places. There is also an increase of $2.6 million, to $33.2 million, for the Indigenous Youth Mobility Program, which increases the scholarship places in this program from 640 to 1,500 over a period of four years. Mr Deputy Speaker, you would be interested to be advised that, as a result of these budget initiatives, more Indigenous people from remote and rural areas will have access to opportunities for education and training that will give them a better chance at a good job in the future. These are opportunities that are limited or not currently available to Indigenous people.

This bill also facilitates the allocation of funds for boarding schools to enable them to expand facilities that will help cater for the additional Indigenous students who will come to the schools to extend their education. It does stand to reason that increasing the scholarship places will not help if there are not enough dormitories, beds and facilities for these students to utilise while they are studying. In many cases they will have travelled many hundreds of kilometres away from their families and communities to try to better themselves. They need a place with comfortable surroundings in which to live, as all school boarders do, to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential. We have many good boarding schools in Australia. I think one of the significant changes in Australian education is that more and more boarding schools seem to be closing their boarding houses and becoming day schools. This bill aims to encourage boarding schools and make it possible for these boarding facilities to remain for Indigenous students. Over two years $14.1 million will be spent to help provide this additional infrastructure, while ensuring that those who currently have places are not left out. This type of practical support will have a significant impact on Indigenous students and their families—not only by giving them a place to stay while they improve their education but also by addressing the issue of waiting lists for Indigenous students wanting to access these places.

The bill will also assist in the conversion of a number of Indigenous development employment positions into positions in the education sector. Some $5.3 million will be allocated through this bill in 2007-08 to shift some 200 Community Development Employment Project positions into the education field. Some $15.1 million will be allocated to this issue over four years. It is vital that staff are employed in these developmental positions, and it makes sense that these staff will be used to support Indigenous students to encourage the best possible educational outcomes.

This bill before the House is another step forward. It does not offer a panacea. It will not fix the fact that Indigenous students do not have quite the same opportunities as other Australian students. It will not solve the problem overnight, but it is an important incremental step forward to improve outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous students. I am particularly pleased therefore to commend this bill to the House.

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