Although Summit participants discussed issues facing Indigenous women, no specific recommendations for action were made. The Government’s ‘Closing the Gap’ agenda, however, will provide significant improvements to the living circumstances and status of Indigenous women.
Achievements
- Through Caring for our Country, Indigenous Australians support the delivery of natural resource management by helping their communities undertake sustainable NRM practices.
- Caring for our Country also supports Indigenous Australians in decision-making positions on NRM bodies that assist regions to implement sustainable farming practices and repair and restore the natural environment.
- The roles played by Australian Quarantine Inspection Service Indigenous staff in their communities through the Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy are vital to the successful monitoring of Australia’s north coast and Torres Strait for pests and diseases.
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Processes under way
Through the Community Networks and Capacity Building component of the Australia’s Farming Future initiative, the Government is supporting activities to build the leadership and representative capacity of Indigenous women.
In 2007–2008, COAG agreed a number of ambitious targets for closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, access to early childhood education, educational attainment and employment outcomes. These are:
- to close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous people and other Australians within a generation;
- to halve the mortality gap between Indigenous children and other children under age five within a decade;
- to halve the gap in literacy and numeracy achievement between Indigenous students and other students within a decade;
- to halve the gap in employment outcomes for Indigenous people within a decade;
- to at least halve the gap in attainment by Indigenous students at Year 12 schooling (or equivalent level) by 2020; and
- to provide all Indigenous four year olds in remote communities with access to a quality preschool program within five years.
All governments acknowledge that closing the gap in Indigenous disadvantage is an extremely significant undertaking that will require substantial investment. In November 2008, COAG agreed to targeted initiatives for Indigenous Australians of $4.6 billion across early childhood development, health, housing economic development and remote service delivery.
COAG also agreed to a National Indigenous Reform Agreement. This draws together Indigenous related commitments across all National Agreements and National Partnerships as a schedule to the Intergovernmental agreement.
Additionally, COAG agreed to hold a dedicated meeting in 2009 to agree, between all governments, on a national strategy for achieving the six COAG Closing the Gap targets.