Foreword
In 2008 the Australian Parliament and the Australian nation came together for an historic moment in our nation’s history, when we formally apologised to the Stolen Generations – those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and their communities through the actions of past governments.
We said sorry for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on our fellow Australians, in particular the Stolen Generations – those who suffered the hurt, the humiliation, the cruelty and the sheer brutality of being taken away, often forever, from their mothers and their fathers, their families and their people.
The Apology was about acknowledging a dark chapter in our nation’s history. It was also about recognising past wrongdoings and in a modest way righting the wrongs of the past. The Apology is only the first step.
If we are to move forward together as a nation, and build a stronger and fairer Australia in the twenty-first century, we must address the appalling gap between the life opportunities enjoyed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Throughout the history of European settlement, a baby born to an Indigenous family in Australia has had far more limited opportunities than a baby born to a non-Indigenous family. The Australian Government is resolutely determined to change this reality.
Closing the Gap is fundamentally important to building a fairer Australia. In the later decades of the twentieth century, our nation implemented the important legal reforms that recognised the equality of Indigenous Australians before the law. While legal rights are essential for overcoming entrenched disadvantage, rights alone cannot close the gap. They only establish a foundation for making progress.
The challenge we now confront is to work together to close the gap in real life outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This is the objective to which the Australian Government is committed, but cannot achieve on its own. As a nation, we must come together around this vision and take substantive action – Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, Commonwealth, state and territory governments, business and the wider community.
The Australian Government is committed to this national effort in cooperation with other governments. In 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to six ambitious targets relating to Indigenous life expectancy, health, education and employment.
We have already begun to put in place the measures that will help to achieve these six targets. The COAG commitment of $4.6 billion in 2008 provides a framework to mobilise investment in basic health, education and other services needed to put Indigenous Australians on an equal footing with other Australians. This is an historic agreement. It is the first time that a truly national commitment – encompassing all governments – has been made that aims to ensure that Indigenous Australians have an equitable share in the opportunities which our nation offers.
At the same time we must be realistic and acknowledge the size of the task ahead of us. Meeting our targets will not be easy, and at times may be controversial, but we must not be deflected from our goals.
This statement outlines the Australian Government’s approach to Closing the Gap. It describes progress in our first year, and sets out our priorities for the future. There is much to be done, and it will require patience, perseverance and a sustained national effort from every part of the Australian community. In the years ahead, we aim to report annually on the progress Australia is making towards this national objective.
Kevin Rudd
Prime Minister