Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I speak in support of the Indigenous Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 201l. The shadow minister, the member for Menzies, is correct about the schedule with respect to the delegation of the minister's powers to make acting appointments under certain Indigenous acts having been pulled by the government, but I do not agree with his analysis with respect to closing the gap nor what this government is doing in Indigenous affairs. The previous government did not cover itself with glory in this area and surely governments of all persuasions over many decades could have done better.

This legislation amends the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 to change the title of a number of officeholders from general manager to chief executive officer, ensures information held by Indigenous Business Australia or IBAs will be appropriately protected but capable of being disclosed by that organisation in carrying out its proper functions consistent with the legislation and removes references to the availability of a review under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 for two discontinued Aboriginal Hostels Ltd schemes. I will speak a little more about those matters.

The change of name from general manager to chief executive officer for several agency heads does reflect their responsibilities in this day and age. We often refer to chief executive officers of companies and organisations. We do not generally refer to them as general managers. Also I think there is a greater capacity for better remuneration and opportunity to attract a better calibre of person in terms of their skills, talent and ability for that role if they are called a chief executive officer rather than a general manager, which is quite an archaic expression these days in corporate titling. The agency heads affected will be the heads of Indigenous Business Australia, the Indigenous Land Corporation, Aboriginal Hostels Ltd and the Torres Strait Islander Regional Authority.

These changes in nomenclature bring them in line with other Commonwealth statutory authorities and entities such as the Australian Council for the Arts, Screen Australia, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and the Australian Sports Commission. This is an example of modernisation of the title and is a sensible outcome. I cannot think of many organisations these days in the business world that refer to people as general managers; they tend to refer to them as chief executive officers. This is an important change. Although it is minor, it does have an impact on what people will consider when they actually apply for those jobs.

The second amendment is what I would call the secrecy provision. It is an amendment to the information in handling provisions which will overcome what has been described—and what I have read—as a historical and narrow focus that has prevented IBA from sharing information with other agencies responsible for government programs and practices such as the Privacy Commissioner and the Commonwealth Ombudsman. The old provision that is being done away with prevented information being given to those Commonwealth agencies which happen to work on any initiatives of a joint nature with IBA and the state and territory agencies seeking to work more closely with IBA to achieve better final outcomes for Indigenous peoples across the length and breadth of our country, whether in regional and rural remote areas, rural areas or in metropolitan Australia in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, for example. So the amendment's provisions aim to overcome the previous practical difficulties but with the continued, appropriate protection of sensitive information between agencies. It is in line with what the government has done in relation to other legislation, such as the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010, and so it is a sensible outcome. The amendments, as I understand it, are supported by the IBA Board as well.

The third aspect is in relation to Aboriginal Hostels Ltd. That amendment relates, as I mentioned before, to a provision in respect of the review of a decision under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 and it removes a reference to two discontinued schemes which are unlikely to be resurrected. They are the Community Support Hostel Grants Scheme and the Student Rent Subsidy Scheme. They have not been operating for many years, so this is a sensible outcome to do away with that provision.

Indigenous Business Australia, IBA, is a statutory body established under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005, and its purpose is to create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to build wealth, income and assets. Homeownership is a particularly important aspect of this. People who own homes tend to act more sensibly and responsibly in terms of being good corporate citizens—there is a community aspect to their lives and they see themselves as part of civic society. I think IBA, in providing affordable home loans to eligible Indigenous Australians, has carried out good work.

Since 1975, IBA has assisted over 14,000 Australian families into homeownership. This is estimated to have generated a massive $1.43 billion in Indigenous wealth. It approved 363 new housing loans with a total value of $82.2 million in 2009-10, and 92 per cent of those were for first home owners. I think it is a good outcome to get people into the housing market because, as I say, that is good for community life and it is good for families as well, not just for individuals.

IBA also helps eligible Indigenous Australians to establish, acquire and grow businesses—I think that is particularly important—by providing business support services and finance. In 2009-10, IBA approved 81 business loans to the value of $13.6 million. It does not just provide the funds and leave the business owner to battle on; there is a mentoring aspect, support and advice, and they tailor their loans to help the business get off the ground. It is not just creating Indigenous employment. We have a proposal to create 100,000 jobs in Indigenous employment by the end of this decade. It is not just about Indigenous employees but about empowering our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters to actually get into businesses to create wealth and in that way close the gap and end disadvantage. Some recent analysis by IBA shows that more than 90 per cent of the businesses it supports are still operating after one year. That is a pretty good outcome when you consider the failure rate for small businesses. It is much better than what you might call mainstream business operations' success rates.

I mentioned Aboriginal Hostels Ltd before, which provides temporary hostel accommodation to Indigenous people across the country, enabling them to access education, employment, health and other services. Safe, affordable, culturally appropriate accommodation is particularly important. Aboriginal Hostels Ltd operates 53 company hostels, manages 13 Indigenous Youth Mobility Program hostels and contributes funding for 46 community operated hostels through the Community Hostel Grants Program. Nearly 80 per cent of AHL's 560 staff are Indigenous.

I mentioned before one of the organisations in my electorate which is recognised by IBA and which has played an important role in the community—that is, the Kambu Progress Association, based in Ipswich. There are a number of great organisations in my electorate that have assisted the progress of Indigenous people throughout the Ipswich and West Moreton region. Kambu Progress Association, based in Wharf Street in Ipswich, has helped a lot of people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. There is a large Indigenous community in the western corridor of Brisbane, and Kambu have helped a lot of Indigenous people with rental and other accommodation in Ipswich and surrounding country areas.

They are associated with another organisation that I will mention while I am speaking in this debate, Kambu Medical Centre, which provides medical services in a non-discriminatory way and on an easily accessible basis to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Ipswich and West Moreton region. Along with a number of other great organisations, such as We Care Day Respite Centre and Children of the Dreaming, in the Ipswich and West Moreton area, the Kambu Medical Centre plays a big role in trying to close the gap by providing support for those in need with crisis accommodation, help to get into a house, help with employment, help if your son or daughter is facing a criminal justice charge and all-round support. There are some fantastic people in my community who do a great job.

As I said, one of the IBA's recognised associations is Kambu Progress Association, and I thank them for the great work they do, particularly for those Indigenous people who have been impacted so adversely by the floods in the Ipswich and Somerset region. I know from my discussions with many people that the Indigenous communities have been impacted perhaps in a worse way than other communities, because more people live in suburbs like Booval, East Ipswich, Bundamba, Brassall and other areas around and along the Bremer River which were so impacted. I can still see, as I drive through my electorate, houses in which Indigenous people were living in those suburbs I just mentioned—people who have been assisted by Kambu Progress Association. I see those homes are still not occupied and are still in need of reconstruction and recovery. There is a lot of work to be done to help our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and organisations like Kambu Progress Association, tied up with the IBA, have done a terrific job in my area.

While this piece of legislation is pretty technical and fairly minor, it has the impact of streamlining the whole system. It covers a lot of great community organisations that do a lot of great work, particularly in South-East Queensland and in my electorate of Blair. I support the legislation.

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