Standing Committee on Social Issues

The Hon. Ian West, as Chair, tabled report No. 41, entitled "Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage in New South Wales—Final Report", dated November 2008, together with transcripts of evidence, tabled documents, correspondence, submissions and answers to questions taken on notice.

Report ordered to be printed on motion by the Hon. Ian West.

The Hon. IAN WEST [11.03 a.m.]: I move:

That the House take note of the report.

I am pleased to present the final report of the Standing Committee on Social Issues inquiry into overcoming indigenous disadvantage in New South Wales. This report is the culmination of an 18-month inquiry during which the committee received 105 submissions, conducted 13 public hearings, and held two public forums, three roundtable discussions and three informal discussion sessions. In order to hear from a wide range of people, the committee visited Redfern and Bidwill in Sydney, Kempsey, Dubbo, Nowra, Griffith, Armidale and Broken Hill. On behalf of the committee, I thank all of the people across the State who gave their time and energy to this inquiry.

As committee members we feel inspired and humbled by the strength and commitment of the inquiry participants with whom we came in contact. So much of the current language about Aboriginal Australia is negative—even the title of this inquiry is negative. The inquiry heard a lot about the problems in Aboriginal communities. No-one denies that serious problems exist; the 17-year life expectancy gap is testimony to that. But we also heard tremendous stories of personal pride and strength in the face of adversity and cultural resilience. However, the attitude of indigenous and non-indigenous people who shared with the committee their passion for Aboriginal culture and community is anything but negative.

Throughout the inquiry the committee was told repeatedly that there is no silver bullet to overcome indigenous disadvantage. The issues the committee has addressed in the interim report and the final report are not new. The solutions to them also are not new: they take hard work, sincere commitment and a long-term approach. The committee has made 23 recommendations that, if adopted and properly implemented by current and future governments that are politically and financially committed, will bring indigenous issues into sharper focus and bring meaning to the term "genuine partnership". This is the committee's second report as part of this inquiry. The first, an interim report, was tabled in June and raised 45 issues for further consideration.

This final report addresses the themes underlying those issues for consideration. The main themes address the questions of accountability and responsibility, genuine partnerships, service delivery and cultural resilience. The report reflects on the Murdi Paaki Council of Australian Governments [COAG] trial, the Northern Territory Emergency Response, and the relevance of international programs and initiatives in considering these things. While this final report has mostly been about what governments can do—which is the nature of committee reports—all of us have a responsibility to make changes to the way in which we respect and work with each other and view the Australia we live in and share.

Long-term change in the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people is everyone's responsibility and challenge. Governments at all levels have the primary responsibility to make sure that things happen, and that policy and programs are financed and implemented. However, governments must not allow political or economic cycles to be the excuse for nice words but little or no implementation. The central recommendations in this report aim to elevate Aboriginal affairs to the core business of all government agencies, and to increase the authority of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to facilitate between agencies and ensure that targets and objectives are met.

The New South Wales State Plan is the master document guiding the future of the State. Government departments structure their actions and policies toward satisfying the targets in the State Plan. Including in the State Plan Aboriginal-specific targets currently in the Two Ways Together plan makes these targets the core responsibility of all government departments at the highest level of accountability in the public sector, and empowers the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to facilitate the driving of change. Aboriginal people, service providers working in Aboriginal communities, academics, and even people from government departments all told the committee the same thing: when there are problems in Aboriginal communities, government must listen to those communities and work with them to come up with and implement appropriate solutions. The recommendations of the report respond to that message.

Genuine partnership between government and Aboriginal communities is fundamental to addressing that approach. However, the committee heard from Aboriginal communities that they do not consider themselves to be genuine, equal partners in the design and delivery of programs and services to Aboriginal communities. Evidence has shown that localised solutions are the most appropriate and have the greatest chance of making an impact on indigenous disadvantage in a community. Coordination of services at the local level brings multiple benefits. For example, when there is a more culturally appropriate approach to indigenous communities there is less chance of duplication of services, and indigenous ownership of the process will be heightened.

Therefore, the committee recommends that New South Wales Government agencies engage Aboriginal communities to identify local problems and solutions, and to tailor accordingly the programs that are delivered in a community. Aboriginal communities should be asked what they need, or be able to say what they need, knowing that they will be listened to. They should have ownership of the strategies put in place to address disadvantage. They should be offered assistance in meeting need, rather than being offered tokenistic consultation after plans have been made. Community involvement in determining measures of success is fundamental to an equal partnership. Success is measured on multiple levels. Recurrent throughout the inquiry was a view that ultimately the community should determine the measure of success that should be applied to programs in Aboriginal communities.

If Aboriginal communities are to be responsible for meeting the objectives they set, they must be supported by government and provided with relevant training and infrastructure so that they have the resources to achieve the outcomes. Being able to demonstrate success is important for a program to receive ongoing funding. However, there is tension between traditional measures of success and flexibility in measuring the outcomes that programs in Aboriginal communities are hoping to achieve. The committee urges government agencies to adopt a more flexible approach to outcomes measurement, and believes that this can be achieved by working closely with Aboriginal communities to determine measures of success.

The effect of short-term funding associated with pilot programs leads to uncertainty and inefficiency as communities and organisations spend a significant amount of time attempting to meet accountability requirements and to identify new sources of funding. The committee therefore recommends that to militate against the effects of short-term funding, the Government should commit to funding programs that have successfully completed a pilot for a minimum of five years. Constantly applying for funding is a considerable drain on the already stretched resources of both government departments and applicants. To facilitate the communities' sourcing of funds, the committee recommends that the Government develop a whole-of-government website containing comprehensive information on the funding sources that are available.

The criteria under which funding is available also can be a problem for some Aboriginal service providers. Strict criteria that are not sufficiently flexible to enable Aboriginal communities to address self-identified need for programs within their communities are an impediment to a true and equal partnership between communities and government. The committee therefore recommends that the Government, in consultation with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal communities, review funding criteria for services to Aboriginal communities to provide greater flexibility and promote programs that focus on Aboriginal communities' identified needs. To halt the cycle of over-consultation and consultation fatigue that is felt by Aboriginal communities, the committee recommends that the Government require government departments and agencies that are involved in the delivery of services to Aboriginal communities to use representative structures that have been established by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs Two Ways Together partnership community program and engagement strategy.

The regional presence of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs will be critical to the success or failure of the Two Ways Together partnership community program and engagement structure. The committee is concerned that the 40 part-time partnership community officer positions that were announced during the inquiry will not be sufficient, and recommends that the number of positions be increased to adequately support the new structure. The committee also recommends that the New South Wales Government should provide additional funding to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to implement this recommendation. While government cannot dispense resilience, the way in which government uses its resources can make a difference to cultural resilience. The goal of promoting resilience through projects that demonstrate and promote understanding and respect for culture is as meaningful and important as are other more tangible goals, such as the provision of a building for dispensing medical services.

The apology by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Australian Government to the indigenous people of Australia is evidence of the recognition of the importance of Aboriginal culture and the role that non-indigenous Australians played in diminishing respect for that culture. It has raised the awareness of most Australians about the plight of the First Australians, colonisation's responsibility for fracturing indigenous communities, and the loss of Aboriginal cultural practices. The damage to the cultural underpinning of indigenous society is a major factor that has contributed to the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous circumstances in Australia.

The committee recommends that New South Wales should follow the Prime Minister's lead. The Premier should report to Parliament on the first sitting day of each parliamentary year on the progress that the New South Wales Government has made in closing the gap. The views of Aboriginal communities in relation to the Government's success or failure to address indigenous disadvantage must be a key component of the Premier's report to Parliament. The committee also believes that an ongoing review of progress, based on the Premier's annual report, will keep politicians and bureaucrats focused on achieving real improvements in Aboriginal communities. The review can be undertaken by the Standing Committee on Social Issues. I commend the report to the Government.

Debate adjourned on motion by the Hon. Greg Donnelly and set down as an order of the day for a future day.