Emma Husar (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to reflect on the ninth Closing the gap report, which was handed down yesterday. I would like to note and put on the record that there are no government speakers to speak on this important topic—they are probably too busy supporting the cartoonists who choose to depict Aboriginal people in the wrong light. The 2017 report has, yet again, illustrated the need for a more concerted effort by government to address the areas of disadvantage that still shockingly befall Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and an issue that is close to my heart and close to the electorate of Lindsay.

Western Sydney has the highest concentration of Aboriginal people than anywhere else in the country. We are privileged, and I say privileged, to be home to incredible communities of culture and history. During my inaugural address, I gave my commitment to work hard to close the gaps of inequity that exist amongst our Indigenous brothers and sisters. This report shows that progress is being made in one key area is on track: the target to halve the gap in year 12 attainment by 2020. This is such an essential target because we know that completing year 12 opens doors to university, employment and leads to greater opportunities to build a decent life for yourself. But that is where the list of successful targets being reached starts and ends and, as my colleague Meryl Swanson has just pointed out, that is not to be celebrated.

The list of targets which are not on track should fill us all with a sense of deep shame because, simply, we are consistently falling short of the essential benchmarks we have set for ourselves. And we cannot fall into the trap of excusing our failures by amplifying our success because, at this stage and with these results, we have to be honest and hard on ourselves. We are not on track to halve the gap in child mortality by 2018. We are not on track to close the gap in life expectancy by 2031 and we are not on track to have 95 per cent of all Indigenous four-year-olds in early education by 2025. In fact, the government has just made a sweeping cut to those Indigenous education centres. We are not on track to close the gap in school attendance by the end of 2018 and we are not on track to halve the gap in reading and numeracy for Indigenous students by 2018. And we are not on track to halve the gap in employment by 2018. So that one thing that we have been celebrating seems pretty vacuous by now. These are heartbreaking realities and each is a poor reflection on this parliament and the government of the last four years, but these hard truths illustrate why it is so important that the previous Labor government instituted the Closing the Gap strategy and it is why it is so important we have to update parliament every year so we cannot hide behind the ignorance or the indifference that exists. Our failures are there for all to see and I say they are our failures.

As the Leader of the Opposition said yesterday, this is a time for humility and for action. Now is the time to truly commit to working with Indigenous communities and giving power back to the remarkable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are leading and achieving every single day. Labor's support for self-determination is clear. Putting Aboriginal people in control of their own lives and making sure they have every opportunity to fulfil their potential is essential to closing the gap.

The incredible Aboriginal members of parliament—including Linda Burney, the member for Barton, who has joined me now—now make up two per cent of this parliament. Whilst it is a step in the right direction, I would prefer to see more Aboriginal people here. They are leading the way in inspiring an entire generation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We are privileged to serve beside them.

I think it is important to recognise that this past Monday was also the ninth anniversary of the national apology to the stolen generation. I think most people in this chamber would acknowledge that the apology was long overdue and could never make up for the terrible atrocities committed against Australia's first peoples.

I will just take a moment to reflect on part of my upbringing and going to school with a friend who I had known since I was two years old who was Indigenous. Because her family were terrified of her being removed, they did not disclose their Aboriginality until we were well into our late teens. It is something that has continued through the generations and affected people that I went to school with, which was not that long ago.

That apology was a moment in time that we can all remember clearly when an Australian Prime Minister and his government had the humility and humanity to admit to the tragedies that were perpetrated against an innocent people and to apologise for the pain and suffering that was caused. The impact that had on people is still very clear today, as I just alluded to.

But nine years later we still continue to struggle to get it right. In the past two years, we have seen hundreds of millions of dollars shamefully ripped from Indigenous programs by this government. We have seen a reluctance to deal with the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples. We have seen a centralisation of funding, much of which has ended up in the hands of non-Indigenous organisations. So clearly there is a lot this parliament can do better, and there is an awful lot more this government could do better.

First of all, we should push ahead and make sure constitutional recognition becomes a reality. It is ridiculous and absolutely outrageous that our founding document still does not recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as our first people. We are lucky to share a culture and a history which is more than 60,000 years old, and of course our Constitution should reflect that fact and celebrate it. I look forward to doing everything I can to achieve this important and well-overdue recognition.

But I fear that these important debates are too often soft around the edges. There is a reluctance to truly shape up on the failings we see and an overreliance on highlighting an otherwise very small success.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:17 to 11 : 25

It is very difficult to look at the results of this report and not reflect on the decisions this government have made and continue to make. If they are committed to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians and closing the gap, as they say they are, they should: restore the $500 million they cut from Indigenous programs; they should unwind the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, which has been widely condemned by organisations on the ground as well by the National Audit Office; they should re-fund the National Congress of Australia's First People; and they should show respect to the Redfern Statement, which was co-signed by 50 Indigenous organisations and spelled out a range of reforms to address Indigenous health, education, justice and family violence. I truly hope the announcements the Prime Minister made yesterday will lead to a shift in direction for this government, as that is what is clearly needed.

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