A year on from referendum: Three things we achieved, three areas we must keep the heat on

Almost a year on from the Voice referendum, the peak body for Aboriginal community- controlled organisations is highlighting areas of progress towards closing the gap, and areas where governments need to do better. 

The Coalition of Peaks represents organisations working in areas like health, housing and legal services, serving around half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in total.

Lead Convenor and Gudanji-Arrernte woman Patricia Turner said progress was being made under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which the Coalition of Peaks signed along with Federal, State and Territory Governments in 2020.

“The agreement is about recognising that we, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, know what is best for our own communities,” Ms Turner said.

“For too long, governments had made laws and designed programs for us, not with us. There’s been tick-a-box consultation, if any at all.

“The National Agreement on Closing the Gap changes that, and real progress has been made in areas like employment and early childhood education.

“But the changes have to be systemic and they have to be long-term. There’s important work still to do to make sure the rubber’s hitting the road, funding is getting to communities, and governments are truly changing.”

Spotlight on progress from the past year 

These are just a few examples of recent progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. 

Children in care more connected to culture and kin

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more than 11 times as likely to be in out-of-home-care, and the evidence shows they do better when they remain connected to culture and kin. In September of this year, major mainstream out-of-home care providers, under the Allies for Children, announced they would be handing the reins to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. 

“We know that our young ones do better in the care of family and kin who can keep their links to culture and country alive. And Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations are best placed to identify and support these carers,” Ms Turner said. 

Making policy in partnership 

Policy partnerships – where Federal, State or Territory Governments make policies in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups – are a key element of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. There are now federal policy partnerships on justice, early childhood care and development, social and emotional wellbeing, housing, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Another is being established on economic development, as highlighted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his Garma Festival speech. 

“We are currently working with Treasury to look at issues like employment and business growth – looking at where the opportunities are for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and businesses, and how current systems might be holding them back,” Ms Turner said. 

Growing capacity of Aboriginal community-controlled early childhood services

The capacity of Aboriginal community-controlled early childhood services has grown in the past year, with several other positive changes under consideration. Last month’s landmark Productivity Commission report into early education backed many of the sector’s priorities such as a new funding model for Aboriginal community-controlled services, and scrapping the “activity test” – which determines eligibility for the Child Care Subsidy based on parents’ work or study hours – to remove barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

Where genuine shared decision-making is taking place, and our experience and expertise is valued and takes the lead, we are seeing real change. We know closing the gap starts with our children.

Promises governments are yet to make good on

The Coalition of Peaks warns governments must do the following to keep their commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. 

States and territories not listening on youth justice 

In the past year, some State and Territory Governments have made concerning and regressive steps on youth justice. The new Northern Territory Government plans to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to 10, while Victoria has walked back from plans to lift the age to 14 by 2027. This is despite advice from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups that this would disproportionately harm Indigenous children, and despite governments’ commitments, under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities on policy-making that significantly impacts them. 

“Imprisoning vulnerable children, many of whom have developmental delays that make their decision-making capacity that of seven- or eight-year-olds, flies in the face of what State and Territory Governments signed up to under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap,” Ms Turner said. 

Dedicated funding in intergovernmental agreements

The Federal Government’s agreements with the states and territories on funding for things like schools and housing and homelessness must contain dedicated funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations. These agreements represent billions of dollars of investment, and could be a key driver of closing the gap.

“Major national funding agreements must quarantine funds for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, or we will simply see more of the same – money wasted on programs that aren’t designed by us, and don’t work for us,” Ms Turner said. 

Keeping government services accountable 

Too often, government agencies like police, courts and child protection are harming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when they should be helping them. Governments have admitted they have to do better. In 2020, all Australian governments committed to establishing independent, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led bodies to improve the way they work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They committed to doing so by the end of 2023. To date, none of them have.

“All Australian governments have agreed to create these independent bodies, and now it’s time they followed through. Their advice would not only highlight problems, but also identify where things are being done well and getting great outcomes for communities, and help to scale up those approaches,” Ms Turner said.