Ms ANDERSON - 2006-06-14
Recently, there has been a lot of attention focused on the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians. What do you think is needed to achieve generational change?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for that question, because it is an important one. The issues and the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians have hit the media over the last few weeks. When you look at it, those issues emerge on a regular basis. The last few weeks are just an example of what has happened over many decades in Australia. There is a lot of attention given to the issues when they are raised, whether it is domestic violence, poverty, child sexual abuse or overcrowding in houses. Those issues get a lot of attention when they emerge. There is a lot of emotion attached with that and a lot of discussion then, sadly, the issue moves on. We have seen that happen.
On a national level, the issue has gone from the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians to nuclear reactors. It moves on. This is an opportunity we cannot let get away. This last national debate is one that we have to use to make change. Australia has to do better. We have to do better with our Aboriginal Territorians from a Territory point of view, Aboriginal Australians from an Australian point of view. I do not need to roll out statistics here. Statistics tell the story of what faces many thousands of Aboriginal people in Australia: the life expectancy figures, the hospitalisations, the incarcerations, the lack of jobs, the overcrowding in houses, the abuse and the violence. The statistics tell those stories.
We have to take this opportunity to make a national change. We need a commitment on a national level. We need a strategy for a generational change. There is often discussion about the slide we have seen Aboriginal people facing in many aspects of their lives over a generation. I believe it is going to take a generation to turn that around, but only if we make a national commitment.
I have raised it with the Prime Minister. I met with him on 31 May, and said that not only do we need a national strategy, but the place to discuss that is COAG, which is happening next month. COAG is the highest forum in the country, with the Prime Minister, the Premiers and the Chief Ministers. That is where we can make those commitments and start to see that change made.
It is not as though we do not have other national strategies. We have a range of other national strategies. We have competition policy strategies, water initiative strategies. I went through a lot of the strategies yesterday, that range from cane toads through to marine pollutants. This is one of the major issues facing Australia. There is no reason why we do not have a national strategy for Aboriginal people, changing the way that their lives are at the moment, and also wanting the indicators for Aboriginal people that we accept for our lives. We need to set targets for the national strategy, not just say: ‘Okay let us see what can do in a generation’. We have to have five-, 10-, 15-year strategies and set those targets.
I believe that now is the time to grab that opportunity for change. We can do it through COAG and through national commitment. I believe we can make a real change for Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal Territorians.
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for that question, because it is an important one. The issues and the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians have hit the media over the last few weeks. When you look at it, those issues emerge on a regular basis. The last few weeks are just an example of what has happened over many decades in Australia. There is a lot of attention given to the issues when they are raised, whether it is domestic violence, poverty, child sexual abuse or overcrowding in houses. Those issues get a lot of attention when they emerge. There is a lot of emotion attached with that and a lot of discussion then, sadly, the issue moves on. We have seen that happen.
On a national level, the issue has gone from the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians to nuclear reactors. It moves on. This is an opportunity we cannot let get away. This last national debate is one that we have to use to make change. Australia has to do better. We have to do better with our Aboriginal Territorians from a Territory point of view, Aboriginal Australians from an Australian point of view. I do not need to roll out statistics here. Statistics tell the story of what faces many thousands of Aboriginal people in Australia: the life expectancy figures, the hospitalisations, the incarcerations, the lack of jobs, the overcrowding in houses, the abuse and the violence. The statistics tell those stories.
We have to take this opportunity to make a national change. We need a commitment on a national level. We need a strategy for a generational change. There is often discussion about the slide we have seen Aboriginal people facing in many aspects of their lives over a generation. I believe it is going to take a generation to turn that around, but only if we make a national commitment.
I have raised it with the Prime Minister. I met with him on 31 May, and said that not only do we need a national strategy, but the place to discuss that is COAG, which is happening next month. COAG is the highest forum in the country, with the Prime Minister, the Premiers and the Chief Ministers. That is where we can make those commitments and start to see that change made.
It is not as though we do not have other national strategies. We have a range of other national strategies. We have competition policy strategies, water initiative strategies. I went through a lot of the strategies yesterday, that range from cane toads through to marine pollutants. This is one of the major issues facing Australia. There is no reason why we do not have a national strategy for Aboriginal people, changing the way that their lives are at the moment, and also wanting the indicators for Aboriginal people that we accept for our lives. We need to set targets for the national strategy, not just say: ‘Okay let us see what can do in a generation’. We have to have five-, 10-, 15-year strategies and set those targets.
I believe that now is the time to grab that opportunity for change. We can do it through COAG and through national commitment. I believe we can make a real change for Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016