Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Crossin for her question and also for her commitment to Indigenous people in the Northern Territory. As the senator said, this is NAIDOC Week, which is an opportunity for all Australians to join together to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of Indigenous Australians and their contribution to the nation. There are events taking place across the country to celebrate the week. The national theme of this year's NAIDOC Week is 'Change: the next step is ours'. NAIDOC Week is therefore more than just a reflection on our proud past. The theme also highlights the importance of taking responsibility for the future and taking action to make it happen. It encourages Indigenous Australians to make positive changes in their own lives.

The federal government has set ambitious targets to close the gap and an unprecedented investment of $5.75 billion over three years is beginning to change the lives of Indigenous people by delivering better services, better houses and healthier communities. But we cannot do it alone. Closing the Gap requires a genuine partnership with Indigenous Australians at all levels. In my portfolio alone, meeting the target of halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people means creating and sustaining 100,000 jobs, which is a big task, and personal responsibility in this area is vital. The most impressive and successful projects we are seeing are ones where Indigenous people are leading the way. The work we are doing in stimulating and working with Indigenous businesses con­tinues. Just last week, the Indigenous Opportunities policy was put in place with major changes to the way we undertake procurement in this country, ensuring that if a company—(Time expired)