Songlines

BY DANIELLE CRONIN Canberra Times
4/07/2009

The Federal Government was rich on rhetoric but failed to take decisive steps to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people, critics said yesterday.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd rejected the suggestion and signed an agreement, which would deliver $195million for health, education and training, social housing, transport and community infrastructure in the East Kimberley. He called for an end to partisanship in the debate over indigenous policy.

”It is time that we put the rancour of the past behind us,” Mr Rudd said.

”It is time that we recognise the things that have not worked in the past, and it’s time we actually marched together towards the future on those things that do work.”

Mr Rudd set targets to close the gap in health, education and life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous people after he made the official apology to the Stolen Generations.

In its new report, the Productivity Commission concluded the gap had widened in some areas including child abuse and incarceration rates.

Full story
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/drop-indigenous-rhetoric-pm-told/1558897.aspx

Australian Human Rights Commission Thursday, 2 July 2009

Today’s Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report shows little progress has been made in closing the gap for Indigenous people but provides the strongest argument yet for the need for a new way of working with Indigenous people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma has said.

“Despite the report showing some absolute gains have been made, things have dramatically worsened in some areas,” Commissioner Calma said.

“The failure of the past 10 years to put a dent in the social and economic inequality that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples highlights that while an increase in resourcing is necessary, it is not in itself enough.

“We need fresh approaches which acknowledge and work from the basis that the answers to many of the long-term problems facing Aboriginal and Torres Trait Islander communities will not come from Canberra, but from those communities themselves,” he said. “National planning that involves Indigenous people, their representative bodies and peak organisations is the only way forward in truly overcoming Indigenous disadvantage.”

Commissioner Calma said he was particularly concerned by the increasing incarceration rates for Indigenous adults and called for alternative measures to be a top priority.

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