Minister for Indigenous Australians
Topics: Closing the Gap targets, National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
TONY BUTI, WA MINISTER FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS: Hello, my name's Tony Buti. I'm the West Australia Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and I'd like to welcome all my colleagues from across Australia, my ministerial colleagues from across Australia and also the Coalition of Peaks representatives from across Australia. Can I start by acknowledging that we are on Whadjuk Noongar country and pay my respects to Elders, past and present. So, behind me I have the Co-Chairs of the Coalition of Peaks. This is the Joint Council for Closing the Gap. And I have Pat Turner representing the Coalition of Peaks and I have Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, the Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians. So, we are looking at having a frank discussion today, a very important discussion, on the targets and the reform process for Closing the Gap. We are all committed to ensuring that our First Nations people can take their rightful place in society, that their socioeconomic status and conditions are on par with everyone else. That's what we have a duty to do. That is our responsibility, and today's discussion will be targeted to ensure that we have the priority reforms in place and also the proper implementation plan to ensure that we can close the gap. I'm now going to pass over to Senator McCarthy and then she'll also pass over then to Pat Turner. Thank you very much.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Thank you Minister Buti, and good morning everyone. I too would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this country, the Whadjuk Noongar people, and pay my respects to Elders, past, present and emerging on this very special day. I personally feel it very special because it's my first time as Minister for Indigenous Australians to represent on the Joint Council with my Co-Chair Pat Turner. So, I'm very pleased to be here. I'm also pleased to meet with the Coalition of Peaks who are here behind me but also the Ministers for Indigenous Australia across the states and territories. In particular the new ministers, we have new ministers also from the Northern Territory, from the ACT and also from Tasmania. And we have an apology from the Queensland Minister. But it is wonderful to be able to gather here with most of my colleagues across the state and territory jurisdictions. As I said when I first got into the role as Minister for Indigenous Australians I wanted to focus, as a high priority, the Closing the Gap targets, but in particular, the priority reforms. It is about the structural issues within how we follow through on the National Agreement at a state and territory level. Every state and territory government has agreed to the National Agreement. I've had a thorough look at that and also looking at the policy partnerships across each area, whether it's justice, whether it's housing, early childhood, health - there are critical areas that we still need to keep working on. Today I will be calling on those present in the Joint Council that we do have open and frank conversation. We are deeply concerned about our youth across Australia, and not just in the justice system but what is their future as young Australians. How can we give them hope? How can we expect the country to deliver on making sure our young Australians can have healthy lives, lives with hope for the future, lives where they don't have to be homeless or couch surfing or living in overcrowded situations. This is really going to be very important for us today as we gather, and I do thank my Co-Chair Pat Turner, who I've worked with closely since coming into this role. But also, if I may add, reaching out to parliamentarians at the federal level, the importance of trying not to weaponise Indigenous affairs when we know we have such severe targets which are not being met in the areas of out-of-home-care, in the areas of high incarceration rates, we must surely be able to come together. And I do look forward to this gathering today. I'll hand over now to my Co-Chair, Pat Turner.
PAT TURNER, Joint Council Co-Chair & Lead Convenor, Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations: Thank you very much, Minister. And I'd like to begin also by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land we meet on today - the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation and pay my respects to Elders, past and present. Today marks an important moment as the Joint Council on Closing the Gap meets, including with the new members of Indigenous Affairs from the Northern Territory, Queensland and the ACT. This is the first meeting since Minister McCarthy began her role at the federal level as the new Minister. Our focus today is on how we can better support our young people, their families and communities to prevent involvement in the out-of-home-care and justice systems. As the Coalition of Peaks we represent over 80 peak bodies, collectively representing more than 800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations. These organisations provide essential services to over half a million of our people across the country. We see first-hand the devastating impacts of the current out-of-home and youth justice policies. We are deeply concerned by recent moves in some jurisdictions to lower the age of criminal responsibility, which we believe will only lead to further harm. Currently 84 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged between 10 and 17 in detention are unsentenced. That means they're on remand, spending an average of 55 days in custody, and some are held up to 100 days. This highlights serious issues in the justice system where many young people are detained long before their cases are resolved. It is clear that the current approaches to youth justice are failing. To truly support our young people we must embrace strength-based, culturally safe pathways that focus on healing and rebuilding connections with culture, family and community. Reform must prioritise prevention and support initiatives led by the community. Our Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations play a critical role in developing and delivering programs for youth and families focusing on long-term, sustainable solutions. These organisations keep young people engaged in education, foster a sense of belonging and provide support where it's most needed. Many ACCOs also offer housing support, helping young people to have a safe place to sleep, an essential service for addressing the underlying factors that often lead to homelessness. Housing is more than just a roof; it is a foundation to health, strong families, stable employment and brighter futures. Housing reform must be a core priority for Closing the Gap, recognising its strong links to improve health, educational outcomes and economic participation. The housing and homelessness intergovernmental agreement policies are a clear way to quarantine funding to meet the dire housing needs of our people. A shift to culturally safe, community-driven programs requires governments to follow through on their commitment to redirecting resources. ACCOs run by our people who bring a deep understanding of their communities are essential to real and lasting change. Australia needs to move forward in the transforming of our approach to youth justice and strengthening the wellbeing and safety of our young people. A crucial step towards reform is the upcoming appointment of the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, which will ensure accountability and drive meaningful change for our young people. Another example is the powerful work being led by our people to address community needs in the First Nations Health Worker Traineeships Program and Minister McCarthy has been closely aligned with that, for which we thank you, Minister McCarthy. And I also have been closely involved in my role as the CEO of NACCHO. Several hundred trainees are working towards qualifications in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care in Certificate III and IV levels, and these programs are unique worldwide, containing cultural and clinical training tailored to the specific needs of our communities. These traineeships are making a real difference, ensuring that rural and remote areas have qualified health workers and enabling our people to access healthcare they can trust, knowing that their cultural needs will be respected. These kinds of initiatives are stepping stones for individuals and the seeds for healthy futures through building our nation's health workforce. These initiatives also align with the ambitious vision outlined in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which calls for true partnership, self-determination and culturally-led service delivery. Yet this vision will only become a reality through sustained accountability and tangible action across every jurisdiction. On behalf of the Coalition of Peaks I look forward to working with all ministers, including the new ministers from Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT, as well as Minister McCarthy, to continue advancing the implementation of this agreement across Australia. Thank you.
TONY BUTI: Any questions?
JOURNALIST: A review from earlier this year showed there's still a long way to go for the Close the Gap campaign, and governments have shown and agreed they're not prioritising those priority agreements. Why do you think that's happening?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: You may be referring to the Productivity Commission Report, we're certainly very aware of that. It has been discussed at Joint Council by my predecessor, Linda Burney. We're certainly very conscious of it as the Joint Council. What I will say is that coming into this role I also know that part of that commitment is also about ensuring at the federal level that we have fellow parliamentarians in the Australian Parliament aware that every state and territory has signed up to this Agreement, but also working with each state and territory as to where we can improve. I do want to add, though, that whilst we have the Indigenous Affairs Ministers from around the country here, these targets are not just on the shoulders of Indigenous Affairs Ministers. I need to make this very clear. Every single minister in a cabinet across this country has responsibility to Closing the Gap.
PAT TURNER: Absolutely.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: So, whilst the Indigenous Affairs Ministers are here, they will certainly hear the concerns of the Coalition of Peaks and also their shared concerns by their colleagues, but they are to take that back to their Cabinet and they are, like myself, to express to each Cabinet member of their responsibilities in Closing the Gap.
JOURNALIST: Do you think that would help them in another acknowledged failing of the implementation? Do you think that would help with those kind of aspects as well?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Look I'm a fairly optimistic sort of person. I do believe that we've got at the highest levels in this country Cabinet ministers who are gathering. We have the Coalition of Peaks, Indigenous leaders across this country who are working together. And I am firmly of the view we can close the target. We are doing that in the health space, with trying to improve the employment and the health outcomes. We're certainly doing it in the early childhood and learning space. We can do this. Our country is very capable of closing this gap.
PAT TURNER: I just want to add that the Aboriginal Affairs Ministers are really our champions in Cabinets around the country, and that's why we look to have a strong working relationship with them, where we can have frank discussions and get them hopefully to persuade their colleagues in Cabinet to do the right thing. But the implementation comes down to the bureaucracy, and that's where, you know, being a normal bureaucracy you see a lot of churn, a lot of turnover of senior people in roles. And, you know, a lot of us have been around for a long time in the Coalition of Peaks - "Oh, another new bureaucrat" that you've got to educate every time. So, the bureaucracy has been slow in embracing it. But where we have Premiers' Department driving it, like we do in Western Australia, we have some really good work coming forward. And so as long as the line departments fulfil their responsibilities in getting across their responsibilities in Closing the Gap, we can actually speed it up. Thank you.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Thank you very much, we'll go inside. Thank you.
PAT TURNER: Okay, thank you.
