Aspirational goals for Indigenous Australians

Last week I received a letter from the Prime Minister, as did 1,000 other Australians, inviting me to attend the Australia 2020 Summit to be held at Parliament House, Canberra on April 19-20.

The 1,000 delegates who will converge on Canberra for the weekend summit will be spread evenly throughout the 10 session topics on offer. I was delighted to receive the official invitation to travel to the nation’s capital and be part of the Options for the Future of Indigenous Australia session.

This session will be attended by 100 Indigenous and non-Indigenous delegates who have been recognised for their contribution in the field of Indigenous engagement and advocacy.

I must say I was somewhat amazed to see non-Indigenous people listed for this session and after viewing their names; Fiona Stanley, Frank Brennan, Jeff McMullen, Bill Moss, Bill Hart, Janina Gawler, Jon Altman and Barbara Livesey to name a few, I now understand and appreciate their inclusion for the leadership and vision they will offer on specific tops at the summit.

Some might argue that these non-Indigenous faces have robbed other Indigenous people of a chance to be present at this once-in-a-lifetime summit. While others, including the selection panel, might contend that knowledge and expertise as an exact attribute is not defined by race alone.

The other big surprise on the Indigenous summit list was the lack of representation from both the old ATSIC and National Indigenous Council (NIC). It would appear that only Rodney Dillon (Tasmania) and Klynton Wanganeen (South Australia) will take their seats at the summit table as former ATSIC Commissioners while Tammy Williams (Queensland) remains the sole representative from the now defunct NIC.

To say I was surprised to be in receipt of formal correspondence with Australia 2020 letterhead would be an understatement as I didn’t consider myself has having much of a chance at being on this hotly contested list. The reason I say that is because I’m not aligned to any particular Indigenous faction, nor am I partial to any specific interest group’s activism.

Perhaps that says more about the even-handedness of how business is done today as opposed to what transpired at Indigenous-specific gatherings in the past. This refreshing approach to Indigenous affairs may well herald a dawning of a new era.

Having said that I am nevertheless excited to be on the list and I look forward to networking with other delegates as well as being proactive in summit deliberations.

In particular I’m eager to meet and hear views from delegates whose names are unfamiliar to me from a national perspective. I’m sure their vision and vitality will resonate with seasoned campaigners like Pat Dodson, Peter Yu, Pat Turner, Shirley McPherson and David Ross as well as with prominent quiet achievers such as Hetti Perkins, Brenda Croft, Wayne Bergman, Megan Davis and Terri Janki.

The more illustrious delegates will undoubtedly revel under the glare of media spotlights but I suspect the new faces won’t be overawed by their presence and will continue to impress at the summit table in much the same fashion as they’ve demonstrated with distinction in their respective communities.

Disappointingly this is not an all-expense paid trip as delegates have been advised, or ought to have known before they were nominated, that they have to make their own way to the summit.

Delegates are expected to pay their return travel costs to Canberra from all parts of the country and cover all accommodation and meals. I note that morning tea and lunch (boxed lunch) will be provided on both days and a bonus on the second day of a boxed breakfast (tea/coffee and a muffin) will be on.

On page 5 of the official handout is a section under the bold heading “Requests for Financial Hardship Allowance” asking those who need financial support to tell them why they should be provided with assistance in 500 words or less. To support their claim delegates are encouraged to attach letters or documentation (for example, from their GP or local MP) to further assist in the assessment process.

I hope that those who have financial concerns still wishing to attend are not put off by the predicament they are placed in of having to argue their case of financial hardship.

One would have thought that a government who boast of projected savings of $20 billion this year could well afford to have a pool of money that needy applicants could access through ways other than bearing their personal circumstances to public servants in Canberra.

I trust that those seeking assistance to attend the summit will gain favourable responses.

The letter of invitation co-signed by Glyn Davis, 2020 Summit Co-Chair said the ideas discussed at the Summit will “drive the national strategies and solutions to tomorrow”.

If the PM and Glyn Davis are true to their words this summit could well present that critical podium Indigenous people have been seeking for so long to have their views recorded and used as a blue print for future policy directions to address the parlous state of Indigenous affairs in this affluent country.

All delegates have been asked to submit issues of concern that they wish to raise in their session prior to the summit.

For what it’s worth I will submit the following in no particular order:

Health

Indigenous health inequality is a national shame with life expectation 17-years lower than other Australians, infant mortality three times higher; and death rates for Indigenous Australians twice as high across all age groups.

Recommendation: we need to set targets and provide significant financial incentives for Indigenous people to become doctors and nurses and get our people to think and act in a healthy manner. Prevention is better than cure.

Incarceration

Indigenous Australians, including youth, are the fastest growing prison population in all states and territories. Indigenous males comprise 46 per cent of the total national male juvenile detention population and Indigenous females comprise 57 per cent of the total national female juvenile detention population. We all know these figures are very conservative.

Recommendation: decriminalise public drunkenness, fine defaulters, obscene language, and a myriad of other minor offences that have been used to incarcerate our mob.

Family violence

In Tjunparni: Family Violence in Indigenous Australia family violence is defined as behaviours and experiences including: beating of a wife or other family members, homicide, suicide and other self-inflicted injury, rape, child abuse and child sexual abuse and physical abuse.

Recommendation: as a preventive measure fund more men’s groups to address this escalating problem. And have a zero tolerance of perpetrators who should be dealt with swiftly by the law.

Native title

Native title is a property right which reflects a relationship to land which is the very foundation of Indigenous religion, culture and well-being.

Recommendation: make Indigenous representative bodies more accountable and less intimidating to traditional owners by reviewing their performance annually. Don’t reward poor performance.

Employment

In the 2001 Census, 52 per cent of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over reported that they were participating in the labour force (meaning that they were engaged in mainstream employment or participating in CDEP). This compares to 53 per cent in 1996. The participation rate was higher for Indigenous men (60 per cent) than Indigenous women (45 per cent). And yet some communities have as high as 90 per cent of their working age population unemployed.

Recommendation: revert back to the 1985 Miller Report and make all public sector organisations set target dates to guarantee Indigenous employment equity (2 per cent of total employment). In instances where work is available for able bodied workers in the mining, agricultural, tourism or pastoral industry and they fail to report they should have their benefits forfeited.

Housing

From the 2001 census 63 per cent of households with Indigenous person(s) were renting (compared with about 27 per cent of other households); 19 per cent were purchasing their home (compared with 27 per cent of other households); and 13 per cent owned their home outright (compared with 40 per cent of other households).

Recommendation: provide first home owners with a higher first home owner’s grant (20 per cent of total value) and lock in fixed term monthly repayments of 5 per cent for the entirety of the loan.

Education

From the 2001 census the retention rate for Indigenous students fell from nearly 90 per cent in year 10 to 67 per cent in year 11. By comparison, the rate for non-Indigenous students falls less dramatically from year 10 to year 11 from 99 per cent to 87 per cent.

Recommendation: cease means testing of Abstudy for all Indigenous people and raise the weekly rate by $100. Increase funding of the tutoring assistance scheme.

National Indigenous representation

With the abolition of ATSIC and the NIC by the Howard government and the new Rudd Government respectively, there is no national Indigenous body currently advising the government on Indigenous specific issues.

Recommendation: delegates at the summit meet in their state or territory group on the second day to elect a representative to an interim national Indigenous advisory body to assist the government in the design and implementation of replacement body for ATSIC that they promised would occur in their first term in office.

The 2020 Indigenous Summit is an excellent opportunity for those invited - and who carry with them the heavy weight of national expectation - to heed the advice of David Lloyd George, who once said: "Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."