Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Australians. When will the government include justice targets in the Closing the Gap framework?

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Barton for her question. In 2018 we did have two targets in there and they have remained within the Closing the Gap agreement. The discussions around those targets have been the focus of the work of the peak organisations, state and territory jurisdictions and my agency. When the work was done yesterday in finalising much of the detail, I was advised that there are two targets in this agreement as well. The Morrison government is committed to putting into place a partnership agreement that reflects the views of the 51 Indigenous peak bodies. NATSILS and other organisations associated with this work have come forward with that. We will continue to work with the jurisdictions, because there is broad agreement to both targets. The quantum is still being finalised, and that is occurring today.

Once that goes in, we will certainly be working very strongly to ensure that those targets are met within the context of what we have agreed to. It has been co-designed. It's been done in partnership, which is absolutely critical. At a cabinet roundtable with a number of the peaks, the Prime Minister made it very clear that the work we were doing in the partnership would be done together, and, given the continuing issue of incarceration rates, there was always a view that we should have at least one or two that would see the reduction. How we do it once it's in place is certainly a requirement for states and territories to stump up and deliver on. But we've not reconciled from that, because we recognise that that is a contributing factor to unemployment and many other issues that our people face across the socioeconomic conundrum of challenges that exist within their lives. Let me assure you that there are two targets and we will be focusing on them.