D) National Indigenous Reform Agreement

In Western Australia, there were specific issues to be addressed, including systemic discrimination[19] and the issue of imprisonment for unpaid fines. Finally, on 17 June 2020, reforms to the latter`s legislation were adopted. Under the new law, most defaulters will perform community service if they do not pay, with incarceration being a last resort. [Note 1] [20] Megan Davis, deputy vice chancellor of the Indigenous UNSW, criticized some aspects of the agreement, particularly the idea that the participation of the Coalition of Peaks provides a «voice» and thus constitutes self-determination. It points out that those entities are contracted service providers who depend on State resources to operate their organisations. She says: «Unlike the Uluru Dialogues, which invited communities to imagine and shape their future with the Constitutional Change Platform, the Coalition of Peaks process, in which the gap is closing, aims to refresh imperfect politics.» [22] No funds have yet been allocated to support the agreement. Overall, the announcement was well received. Shadow Minister of Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney welcomed the goals and participation of Indigenous representatives, but hoped to work towards increased federal funding and a goal related to family violence. [9] COAG 2012. National Aboriginal Reform Agreement. Canberra: COAG.

Accessed 24. July 2017, www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/health/ _archive/indigenous-reform/national-agreement_sept_12.pdf The Australian government adopted the goals of the Close the Gap campaign in 2008[4] in a strategy known as «Closing the Gap». [5] Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon signed the «Filling the Gap» Memorandum of Understanding to fill this gap. This document has two objectives: first, as a formal agreement between the australian government of the day and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and secondly, as the embodiment of a human right, as a model for achieving equality in health. [6] The strategy was funded by the government to develop a long-term action plan for health services to achieve equality in aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and life expectancy. [7] The new judicial objectives mainly concern the degree of detention of Indigenous peoples (in police custody and in the prison system). This case, along with the deaths of Aborigines in custody, was highlighted at Black Lives Matter rallies across Australia in June 2020. The new CtG plan stipulates that each state and territory commits to reducing the number of indigenous youth detained from 11% to 19% and reducing adult detention by 5%.

Despite the poor track record of achieving the goals in recent years, Indigenous leaders who participated in Closing the Gap believe that the strategies put in place for this round – including implementation plans, accountability and engagement of Indigenous services – are more likely to bring about the necessary changes. Ken Wyatt believes that legislative reforms and attitudes such as unconscious bias are needed to improve relations between police and Indigenous peoples. [18] The draft target for 2019 aimed to address several areas to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples. These were prepared by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 2018 and listed the following areas: families, children and young people; health; education; economic development; Housing; justice (including juvenile justice); land and water («where the land, water and cultural rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are realized»); and inter-ecosystem priorities that «address racism, discrimination and social inclusion, healing and trauma, and the promotion of culture and language for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples». [17] All Australian governments met on September 30. Committed to the 16 new goals in July 2020 and signed the National Gap Reduction Agreement with the Coalition of Peaks, represented by Coordinator Pat Turner AM. In addition, the new framework for the Closing the Gap strategy, supported by both parties, includes a much greater involvement of Indigenous peoples in leading their implementation and measuring their progress, new accountability mechanisms, and a commitment to addressing structural racism in government organizations. [9] According to a 2014 article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, improving diet would help fill this gap. [30] The Closing the Gap 2019 report indicated that of the seven goals, only two – early childhood education and Grade 12 completion – had been achieved.

The goals of halving the infant mortality gap by 2018, closing the school attendance gap by 2018, closing the life expectancy gap by 2031, halving the literacy and numeracy gap by 2018, and halving the unemployment gap by 2018 were not on track. [8] The working-age Indigenous population possesses the depth and breadth of skills and abilities required for the labour market of Indigenous peoples in the 21st century, approved on 21/07/2010 COAG 2015 COAG Communiqué of December 2015. Accessed July 24, 2017, www.coag.gov.au/sites/default/files/communique/ COAG_Communique_20151211.pdf This article contains text from the Commonwealth of Australia. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet available under the CC BY 4.0 license. This article contains text from the Commonwealth of Australia. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet available under the CC BY 4.0 license. In the Prime Minister`s foreword to the 2019 Gap Reduction Report, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that while some improvements have been made, including a stronger year 12 maintenance, successive governments have signaled that they have not met the targets[…]