2015-12-03
Failure to meet five out of six Closing the Gap targets shows failed measures of successive Government’s aimed at reducing Aboriginal disadvantage should be abandoned, said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.
“Despite their rhetoric, successive Governments have continued to take a top-down approach to reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples disadvantage.
“The evidence shows the same old same approaches. Start stop programs have not been working, we need community driven approaches that are based on culture, respect and evidence.
“Just recently the Government stripped half a billion dollars from Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander funding, they rolled out the chaotic Indigenous Advancement Strategy. These factors will make Closing the Gap harder moving forward.
“Just this week the Change the Record Coalition released a report calling for justice targets to address appalling incarceration rates of Aboriginal peoples which the Government yet again rejected. Justice targets are strongly supported by the community and should not be ignored by Government.
“The recent AMA indigenous health report card also made very important recommendations on Aboriginal incarceration, emphasising that we must treat high rates of imprisonment as part of fixing the health gap.
“I urge the Government to reinstate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander funding and listen to community groups who are recommending legitimate pathways for Closing the Gap in Australia.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should have the same levels of life expectancy, child mortality, school attendance and employment as non-Indigenous Australians, we need to improve our approach if we are to close the gap by 2031”.