The government is well behind on Closing the Gap. This is why we needed a Voice to Parliament

Another year, and another Closing the Gap report comes before the parliament and the Australian people.

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https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-well-behind-on-closing-the-gap-this-is-why-we-needed-a-voice-to-parliament-223309https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-well-behind-on-closing-the-gap-this-is-why-we-needed-a-voice-to-parliament-223309
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Tuesday, February 13, 2024
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ACT, Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Human voice, Coalition, UNDRIP, Indigenous peoples, Journalism, Productivity Commission, Government, Constitution, CDP, Gap, Police commissioner, Policy, UN, First Nations, Politics, Parliament, Rights, Aborigine, Longevity, Community, MP, Agreement
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MORRISON
Summary
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  • Another year, and another Closing the Gap report comes before the parliament and the Australian people.
  • The 2024 Closing the Gap report is the first since Australians resoundingly rejected the proposal to enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Constitution.
  • With that in mind, it’s unsurprising that in this year’s Closing the Gap report, the government outlines that just four of the 19 targets are on track to be bridged.
  • It’s also committed to building remote training hubs and improving community wifi services for around 20 remote communities.

‘What’s next?’ is the wrong question to ask

  • This question has become a staple of pundits and commentators trying to look smart following a referendum process during which they fundamentally failed on the civics, the politics and the journalism of Indigenous issues.
  • Before we ask about what comes next though, we must ask what has come already, and whether efforts at closing the gap over the past three years, since the agreement was overhauled by the Morrison government, have worked.
  • The Agreement requires government decision-makers to accept that they do not know what is best for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Closing the Gap in 2024

  • The one thing to understand about the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is that it is not something that ever needed be this way.
  • As the Productivity Commission found, “it is a direct result of the ways in which governments have used their power over many decades”.
  • There is also the National Skills Agreement, which includes a dedicated stream of funding for closing the gap to support community-controlled registered training organisations.
  • Also, next time you run into one of the many MPs and shadow ministers who campaigned against a Voice to Parliament, ask them what their plan is to close the gap and empower Indigenous peoples and communities.


James Blackwell is a Member of the Uluru Dialogue at UNSW.

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