Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to spearhead a cultural transformation within government at every level to combat longstanding Indigenous inequality.
The government presented its plan to tackle Indigenous inequality as it presented the Commonwealth’s Closing the Gap annual Report 2023 and the Implementation Plan 2024 to Parliament.
Governments were urged to implement a significant plan as they haven’t fully grasped the extent of their obligations, according to the Productivity Commission’s critical review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
“The price of failure—over successive governments—isn’t just counted in dollars, it’s measured in lives,” Mr. Albanese said on the 16th anniversary of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s official apology to Australia’s Indigenous people.
“That’s a culture change we have to drive—in this building, in the public service and across governments at all levels.”
The prime minister promised to heed the advice of the Productivity Commission and work closely with Indigenous communities and organisations, emphasising the importance of listening to First Nations’ voices to effectively address the Close the Gap initiative.
He announced many new initiatives, such as appointing a national commissioner for First Nations children, launching a Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program, improving Wi-Fi in remote areas, and implementing real-time reporting on deaths in custody.
“The Commissioner will address the unacceptable rates of out-of-home care. What it all comes down to is strengthening families and keeping children safe,” he explained.
Further, he said that the Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program would create genuine employment opportunities with fair pay and good working conditions in collaboration with Indigenous communities.
“Not every community-driven initiative will be an overnight success,” he cautioned.
“But we know that we cannot just keep doing things the same way.”
Only 4 of 19 Targets on Track
Just 11 out of the 19 socio-economic outcomes set in the National Agreement were improving, while four were on track to meet the targets.In 2020, the Commonwealth, all states and territories, and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations signed an agreement to address entrenched inequality.
It focused on four key reforms to improve outcomes by changing how governments work with Indigenous communities.
“What should give us pause is that outcomes have worsened for four critical targets—children’s early development, rates of children in out-of-home care, rates of adult imprisonment, and tragically suicide,” Mr. Albanese said.
“But have shown improvement in some regions and jurisdictions. That’s a positive, albeit a slender one.”
Indigenous Minister Linda Burney added rates of unemployment in remote communities remain “unacceptable.”
Yet, she said the new remote jobs program hands control back to communities, marking a departure from the contentious work-for-the-dole approach.
She said it aims to empower communities to choose job opportunities in hospitality, community services, tourism, horticulture, and retail sectors while bolstering the local workforce and reducing reliance on fly-in and fly-out arrangements.
“People in remote communities should have access to the benefits and dignity of work - for themselves, their families and the next generation.”
Opposition Calls For Funding Clarity
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also weighed in.He argued that failures spanned across parties, governments, and institutions, rejecting the notion of a single decade of failure “as the prime minister put.”
“There has been collective effort across the aisle, across administrations, across levels of government, across NGOs and across communities over the course of that period of time and for many, many decades before that,” he said.
Further, he called for more information about the funding for Indigenous community programs, seeking greater clarity on how the hundreds of millions of dollars would be allocated.
He requested the government address key questions about the $707 million (US$460 million) allocated for remote jobs and questioned whether the target of 3,000 jobs was feasible or just an optimistic goal, noting past prime ministers’ promises to address community needs have often fallen short.
“It’s too important to allow it to be an aspiration not achieved.”
“From which sectors, industries and employers will these jobs come? What infrastructure is, or will be put in place to support these jobs—and will that require additional funding? And, if so, how much?” he asked.
“There are some on the other side who scoff, but these are important questions.”
Meanwhile, Greens’ spokesperson for First Nations people Senator Dorinda Cox appreciated the government’s efforts but said “Australia continues to fail First Nations people.”
“The fact that Medicare is not accessible in custodial settings is dangerous and draconian and directly contributes to the shocking fact that 558 First Nations people have died in custody since the Royal Commission into Indigenous Deaths in Custody,” she said.
She urged Labor to collaborate with states and territories to enable Medicare in prison.
“Children don’t belong in prison, but we are failing on this measure,” she said, noting a need to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 across all jurisdictions.
