Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Lines, McLucas, Pratt, Peris and Siewert, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the national framework agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2008 to tackle Indigenous disadvantage and the six priority areas for change identified by COAG;

(b) further notes that there have been five annual reports by the Prime Minister to the Australian Parliament on progress in meeting these Closing the Gap targets;

(c) is of the view That the presentation of these annual reports should be marked by a special parliamentary procedure in recognition of the significance of these initiatives to all Australians;

(d) therefore proposes to the House of Representatives that it consider marking the presentation of the Prime Minister's annual report on Closing the Gap by:

(i) hosting a meeting of the House to which senators are invited in a similar manner as senators are invited to attend addresses by foreign Heads of State, and

(ii) inviting senior Indigenous leaders to be present when the Prime Minister's annual report is presented; and

(e) resolves that, on its presentation to the Senate, the Prime Minister's annual report on Closing the Gap and accompanying ministerial statement be listed for consideration as a government business order of the day, and That the Government undertake to provide for at least 2 hours consideration of the statement during government business time.