• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• The Policy Challenge
• Addressing Disadvantage in Remote Australia
• Closing the Gap in The Northern Territory
• Resetting the Relationship with Indigenous Australians
• Conclusion
• Appendix A: 2009-10 Indigenous Budget Measures
• Appendix B: Council of Australian Governments Indigenous National Partnerships

Closing the Gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians

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Introduction

The 2009—10 Budget marks another milestone in our commitment to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Australian Government regards closing the gap as an urgent national priority. As the Prime Minister said in his speech to Parliament on 26 February 2009:

… we stand at an extraordinary moment in the history of Indigenous affairs. A time of despair, but also a time of hope. A time of great challenge, and equally a time of great opportunity.

Let us, always, start with hope.

On this occasion the Prime Minister tabled the first annual report on progress in Indigenous affairs following the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, particularly the Stolen Generations, in February 2008.

The Apology created momentum and a sense of hope. This historic event provides a context for our initiatives — initiatives directed at overcoming disadvantage while respecting Indigenous culture and acknowledging Indigenous people’s unique position within Australia.

Closing the gap is necessarily a long-term project — decades of neglect cannot be fixed overnight. We are continuing to put the fundamental building blocks in place so all Indigenous people can have access to the same choices and opportunities as other Australians.

To tackle the unacceptable inequalities that have become entrenched in our society, the 2009—10 Budget provides nearly $1.3 billion to build on substantial reforms and commitments already made by this Government. It provides the strategic investment necessary to establish the appropriate policy and legislative environment, as well as the impetus and determination to meet the targets for closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians agreed by all Commonwealth, State and Territory governments.

The Budget will advance the substantial Indigenous reform agenda led by the Commonwealth through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), aimed at ensuring government interventions are better coordinated and more accountable.

The Budget measures support our reform agenda of:

• making a significant investment and improving the way governments deliver services;
• resetting our relationship with Indigenous people through engagement and new forms of partnership;
• restoring personal responsibility at the individual level and expanding economic opportunities for Indigenous people to stop the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage; and
• intervening when the circumstances demand to protect vulnerable individuals.

The solution to one of the greatest policy challenges in modern Australia does not depend solely on money. Good governance, accountability and genuine engagement with Indigenous people, and input from across the Australian community, are all preconditions for success.

Indigenous people hold the key to their own future — all Australians can and must support and enable this.

We all must work together to close the gap.

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