Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I first want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. I rise today to speak on the Closing the gap annual report and the implementation plan tabled before this House. This report is not simply a collection of statistics; it is a measure of our national character. It asks whether we are prepared to confront hard truths, listen deeply and act with consistency and courage in partnership with First Nations people.

Closing the gap was never meant to be a slogan. It is a commitment born from generations of advocacy by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, communities and organisations who have long demanded that governments move beyond symbolism to structural reform. In 2008, when the National Apology to the Stolen Generations was delivered by then prime minister Kevin Rudd, it marked a watershed moment in our history. Words of apology to the stolen generations were spoken on behalf of this parliament and this nation. But, as powerful as those words were, they were never meant to stand alone. Acknowledgement must always be matched with action.

The annual report makes clear that, while there has been progress in some areas, too many targets remain off track. Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still overrepresented in out-of-home care. Too many families continue to experience preventable health inequities. Too many communities lack access to safe housing, quality education, culturally appropriate services and economic opportunity. These are not failures of community; they are failures of systems—systems designed without First Nations voices at the centre.

The most important reform underpinning the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is the commitment to shared decision-making. Governments alone cannot and should not determine the path forward. The four priority reforms—formal partnerships and shared decision making, building the community controlled sector, transforming government organisations, and improving data and information sharing—exist because First Nations leaders demanded a different way of working. And they were right.

We know that, when programs are designed and delivered by Aboriginal and community controlled organisations, outcomes improve. We know that culturally safe health services lead to better health outcomes. We know that community led education initiatives improve engagement and attendance. We know that justice reinvestment programs reduce the number of people in jail and help communities thrive. So the question before us is not whether the evidence exists; it is whether we have the discipline and political will to follow it.

In the electorate of Melbourne, I see the strength of Aboriginal led organisations every day. I see the power of community, of connection, of culture. I also see the impact of underinvestment and funding models that make long-term planning harder than it needs to be. If we are serious about closing the gap, then short-term pilot programs are not enough. Competitive funding rounds that pit organisations against one another will not suffice. Policy development in isolation from community will not work. What will work is sustained long-term investment in community controlled organisations. What will work is genuine power-sharing, not consultation after the fact but co-designed from the outset. What will work is embedding cultural capability across government so that every department understands its role in advancing equality.

The implementation plan outlines actions across portfolios—that is welcome—but implementation must be more than a document; it must be a living partnership. We must also confront the uncomfortable truth that progress does not occur in a straight line. Some targets have gone backwards. The reality is deeply concerning, but it is not reason for retreat. It is a reason for urgency. Behind every statistic is a child, a parent, a grandparent. Behind every target is a human story.

When we talk about life expectancy, we are talking about years of life lost—years not spent with family, not spent sharing culture, not spent contributing to community. When we talk about early childhood development, we are talking about whether children start school confident in who they are, supported in their language and culture. When we talk about incarceration rates, we are talking about lives disrupted and communities carrying the weight of systematic injustice.

The path forward must be guided by truth-telling. We cannot close the gap without understanding how it was created: through laws that discriminate, forced removals and policies that sought to erase culture. Structural inequity does not dissolve through goodwill alone. It requires structural reform.

That includes reforming how we collect and share data. Too often, data has been extracted from communities without being returned in a useful way. Data sovereignty matters. Communities must have access to, and control over, information about their own people.

It also includes reforming how governments measure success. Success cannot simply be defined by service outputs. It must be defined by whether communities feel heard, respected and empowered. I want to acknowledge the role of organisations, such as the Healing Foundation, which support Stolen Generations survivors and walk alongside them on their healing journeys. Their work reminds us that closing the gap is not only about stats; it's about healing, justice, restoring what was taken and rebuilding trust.

In February, I had the privilege of spending time with Stolen Generations survivors visiting Canberra for the anniversary of the national apology. Listening to their stories reinforced something simple but profound: healing requires more than remembrance; it requires material change. It means ensuring that children grow up strong in culture and community and that families have safe homes. It means making sure that elders are supported to pass on language and knowledge. It means governments honouring their commitment not just in speeches but in budgets and in legislation.

The Closing the Gap framework gives us a road map, but a road map is only useful if we follow it. As legislators, we must hold ourselves accountable. We must scrutinise whether funding aligns with rhetoric, we must ensure that policy settings do not undermine the very outcomes we seek to achieve, and we must be willing to adjust course when communities tell us something is not working.

Importantly, we must approach this work with humility. For too long, former governments assumed that they knew best. The national agreement recognises that expertise resides in community. Our role is not to dictate solutions but to support them.

There is also a broader national conversation to be had about reconciliation and justice. Closing the gap does not exist in isolation from debates about truth and treaty. These are interconnected threads in a larger story about how we all share this country. A nation cannot reach its full potential while leaving part of its population behind. Closing the gap is not about charity; it's about equity. It's about ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have the same opportunities as any other child in Australia and that those opportunities are grounded in pride of culture and identity.

As we consider this annual report, we must resist the temptation to reduce it to a scoreboard. The numbers matter deeply, but they do not tell the whole story. The story is also one of resilience, innovation and strength. Across the country, First Nations leaders are designing solutions in health, education, housing and economic development. Young people are reclaiming language. Elders are guiding cultural renewal. Communities are leading climate adaptation on country. This is extraordinary expertise and leadership to partner with, if we are willing.

The implementation plan sets out actions. Our task now is to ensure those actions translate into measurable change. It means embedding accountability mechanisms. It means transparent reporting. It means ongoing dialogue with the Coalition of Peaks and other First Nation representatives. It means recognising that closing the gap is a long-term endeavour that goes beyond electoral cycles.

Each year, on the anniversary of the national apology, we reflect on the words spoken in the main chamber in 2008. But reflection is not enough. Closing the gap is the work of turning apology into policy and policy into progress. We owe it to the stolen generations, we owe it to children growing up today and we owe it to the integrity of this parliament. Acknowledgement must always be matched with action, and closing the gap is how we make that action real.

Debate adjourned.

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