Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Evans, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister representing the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Minister Macklin’s budget statement on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians detailed $425 million of new budget measures. Of this amount, $330 million is one year’s spending for the ongoing Northern Territory intervention and the remaining $95 million, spread over four years, is for new Indigenous programs and for Indigenous people across the rest of Australia. Does the minister believe that this small amount is a sufficient base from which to start closing the gap and meeting the laudable goals that the government has set for itself?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bartlett for his question and acknowledge his long-term interest in Indigenous issues. The government has made an enormous contribution to Indigenous disadvantage in this budget. It is, in a sense, a second step, given the funding announcements we made prior to the budget immediately on coming to office. It allocates over $1.2 billion in new funding for Indigenous policy initiatives since we came to office. So, between what we already had announced and the budget, there is $1.2 billion in new funding for Indigenous policy. The senator correctly refers to ambitious targets for improving Indigenous life expectancy, child mortality, educational attainment and employment, but I think it is about time that Australia set ambitious targets in these areas. Without targets we do not measure progress and, while the setting of targets puts huge pressures on the government, on the bureaucracy and on all Australians, unless we set those ambitious targets we will not make progress.

This budget is a big investment in the campaign to close the gap between Indigenous and other Australians. It is a national priority. In 2008-09, we have continued each and every initiative started under the Northern Territory intervention. The funding for the first year of the NTER included initial implementation and logistical costs, which are now complete. We made additional commitments to the Northern Territory since coming to office. We have committed over $660 million to the Northern Territory through our election commitments and initiatives started under the Northern Territory emergency response. These include nearly $100 million to provide 200 new teachers to the Northern Territory, almost $30 million for three Indigenous boarding colleges and almost $70 million to keep rolling out income management across the Northern Territory. We have also committed over $550 million to important programs which will operate across the country, such as over $56 million to improve literacy and numeracy programs for all Indigenous students and over $100 million for child and maternal health initiatives. There has also been $90 million allocated to create 300 jobs for Indigenous rangers in remote and regional Australia.

These are all commitments aimed at the national goal of closing the gap in life expectancy and other key measures between Indigenous Australians and other Australians. This budget reflects that priority of the government. I think it reflects a growing national commitment from all sides of politics, from the community and from business, that we have to do something about the appalling conditions that Indigenous people find themselves in. We have to set ambitious targets and we have to commit wholeheartedly to that. I know that the minister, Ms Jenny Macklin, is the right person for that job. She is enormously committed. She has great energy and she has made a really good start. I do appreciate the support we have had from the opposition and I do appreciate the support we have had from the minor parties because, as I have said for many years now—and I held the portfolio for a while in opposition—unless there is a broad consensus in the Australian community, unless there is a commitment on behalf of all of Australia to addressing Indigenous disadvantage, we will not get there. If it is a partisan political debate, we will not make progress, so I think that it is important that we all get behind the initiatives. This budget is a very good contribution to starting that process. It reflects commitments that we made being honoured, and those commitments will continue to be reflected in further budgets. (Time expired)

Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer and I certainly fully support the government’s decision to set targets and commit itself to targets. The reason I am raising these questions is to question the prospects of meeting them on the basis of the funding that has been provided. Accepting what the minister has said about the pre-budget announcements, is it not the case that the majority of that funding was also dedicated to the Northern Territory intervention? And, without in any way dismissing the importance of increasing resources to the Northern Territory, is it not also the case that the minister’s own document detailed in table 2 that the numbers, both in the rate and in actual numbers of children with substantiated child abuse notifications is dramatically higher in both New South Wales and Victoria? Does the minister believe that there is a case for expanding the resources provided for Indigenous people in communities in those areas as well, rather than have a disproportionate amount of the available extra new funding provided solely to the Territory?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Bartlett, for the supplementary question. First of all, I do not think the figures in Budget Paper No. 2 actually include all the initiatives that have been targeted at Aboriginal disadvantage. As you well know, a whole range of measures come through other programs. It seems to me that your central point is: are we focusing on the Northern Territory to the exclusion of other Indigenous communities? The answer to that is clearly no. A whole range of policies that this government is pursuing go to the heart of Indigenous disadvantage. They include, obviously, a whole range of health initiatives that are being rolled out across Australia, and in my view one of the most fundamental is our commitment to early childhood education, preschool education and child care. I think what we have failed to do in the past was to intervene early in supporting Indigenous families, waiting until kids were at school— (Time expired)

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.