Closing the gap targets will require 'not just fine words, but fine funding too'
Linda Burney on Sky News Afternoon Agenda with Kieran Gilbert - Thursday, 30 July 2020
KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Linda, Pat Turner, she’s the chair of the coalition of peak groups – Pat Turner says more than 4,000 voices were heard as part of this hard fought process. Have they achieved the right outcome?
LINDA BURNEY, SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Well good afternoon Kieran. I want to congratulate Pat Turner and the Coalition of Peak Aboriginal Organisations, and indeed the Minister on reaching agreement on the 16 new targets. That being said, as Pat has just said on the clip, the real work starts tomorrow. Unless there is a very strong commitment, from both the federal and the state governments – and it has to be financial as well as good intentions – then I think we’re going to struggle to see these targets met. You only need to look Kieran, at the target around housing to understand there is enormous backlog in terms of adequate housing. And that goes to clean water. It goes to affordable food. It goes to connectivity. But yes we welcome, and Labor is committed to these targets. And we will collaborate as much as possible in making these targets a reality. But I want to stress Kieran, that bipartisanship is not about a race to the bottom.
GILBERT: No, indeed. And in terms of some of the changes here, let’s look at some of the key ones. One I know that has been a point of discussion for many years is the percentage of Aboriginal children in care – Indigenous children in care. Is that an important one in your view? I think the target to reduce it by 45 per cent.
BURNEY: That’s correct Kieran. It is a reduction of 45 per cent by I think 2031. The number of Aboriginal children in statutory care has risen exponentially over the past few years. And it has to be arrested because we know that many of the kids that are in care end up going up to juvenile justice and end up in the adult prison system. And of course, the incarceration rates are very important. Labor has been arguing for many many years that the targets have to include justice targets and targets about child removal. I was the Minister for Community Services at one point in the past in New South Wales, and the issue of Aboriginal child removal is a vexed one. It is a complex one. And it’s a critically important target to reduce.
GILBERT: One of the great success stories that we’ve seen, not just through government programs, but many not for profit private programs that supports Indigenous students is education initiatives. And when education is achieved the outcomes are – well they all flow from that don’t they? That’s so pivotal.
BURNEY: You’re absolutely right Kieran, education is pivotal. And so is adequate housing. We know that many Aboriginal people live in incredibly overcrowded conditions. Incredibly poor conditions. And as I said, in some remote communities, not even potable drinking water. Conditions that would not be accepted anywhere else in this country, or for anyone else. So when you combine the issue of adequate housing with good access and equality of outcomes in education, you do put two of the very important spokes together to make the wheel go around. And I can’t stress enough the importance of education. And the importance of housing. I mean, if you get a good education, you’re likely of course to get a reasonable job. If you get a reasonable job – a good job, it leads to better health outcomes. It leads to better self-esteem, and it’s just a really important cycle.
GILBERT: And how important is it that this process has been led by Indigenous Australians?
BURNEY: That has been I think one of the more welcomed things out of this. You know, I think there are targets that could have been more ambitious but the decision has been made and led by the Coalition of Peak Aboriginal Organisations. It is not true to say that this is the first time that this has ever happened. There have been many many strategies put in place that have involved Aboriginal people. But this is different. And Pat Turner is absolutely correct when she says that the shared decision making, the partnership, the accountability, the importance of mainstream organisations containing their effort, also decisions made on good data on evidence, I think will make an enormous difference . The issue but – in my view – is that the states and territories have 12 months to come back with strategic plans. And I think that’s an awful long time. And as I say Kieran, there has to be enough funds – not only to support Aboriginal community based organisations – but to address many of the outrageous disadvantage that still exist – is not only going to require not just fine words but fine funding as well.
GILBERT: Linda Burney, thank you.
LINDA BURNEY
TRANSCRIPT - THURSDAY, 30 JULY 2020