More than 47 peak Aboriginal organisations have heaped criticism on the Closing the Gap results released on Wednesday as evidence of a “seemingly endless cycle of failure” that was doomed to fail because it was designed without the input of Aboriginal people.
“These Closing the Gap reports tell the same story of failure every year,” the chair of the coalition of peaks, Pat Turner, said.
“The danger of this is that it breeds complacency and cynicism, while excusing those in power. People begin to believe that meaningful progress is impossible and there is nothing governments can do to improve the lives of our people.
“We know what will work best for our communities and the prime minister even acknowledges in this report that our voice was the missing ingredient,” she said.
Last month, the coalition of peak bodies met with the prime minister to agree on three major reforms to the way the government works with Indigenous communities.
Scott Morrison told parliament “it is a partnership that is generations overdue”.
“In partnership with Indigenous Australians, with respect for their wisdom and capabilities, and appreciation for their grace towards their fellow Australians, we are beginning this next chapter in Closing the Gap,” he said.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (Natsils), a member of the coalition of peaks, said the new partnership “must be taken seriously.”
“We must be the architects of policies that affect our lives and the governments must recognise our right to self-determine,” said the co-chair of Natsils, Cheryl Axleby.
Of the 12 Closing the Gap reports released, not one has ever met more than three of the seven targets. This year, only two of the seven targets are on track: early childhood education and year 12 equivalence.
Labor’s spokeswoman for Indigenous affairs, Linda Burney, said the result was “absolutely dismal”.
“This is a third-term government. This neglect has happened on their watch, including the cutting of over half a billion dollars from the Aboriginal affairs budget and walking away from commonwealth responsibility in the Aboriginal affairs space.
“It’s unacceptable, and the people that suffer are not statistics, they are real people. They are cousins, they are sons and daughters, they are grandmothers, they are aunties. They are people that we know that die far too young in a first world nation as wealthy as Australia.”
Earlier, the minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, told the ABC there were “multiple factors” behind why the targets were still unmet.
“We don’t deliver the services on the ground,” Wyatt said. “We’ve got to work much more closely with states and territories. The Aboriginal communities must be involved in this process.
“Community is important. We don’t engage with them as well as we should.”
In his response, the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, reiterated the ALP’s support for the Uluru statement from the heart and a voice to parliament enshrined in the constitution.
Amid reports that the government had banned its Indigenous advisory group from discussing constitutional reform, Albanese said he was concerned the process adopted by Wyatt “may end in disappointment”.
“The minister and the prime minister have the opportunity to do something that they will be remembered for, and we will support them.
“However … there is a danger that the Uluru statement will end up being remembered as a noble moment, but not as a turning point, and we cannot allow that to happen.
“At its most basic level, the denial of a constitutionally enshrined voice is a denial of the Australian instinct for a fair go.”
Burney said the Liberals “are in absolute disarray about this very important issue. We saw the high court yesterday hand down a significant case reaffirming the Aboriginal people’s identity and connection to country.
“These are important issues for the constitution, and the Liberal party cannot even get themselves together to agree that there should be some sort of referendum and a voice to the parliament,” she said.
