SUNDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2004

COALITION’S INDIGENOUS POLICY LEAVES INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS OUT IN THE COLD

Indigenous Australians will remain the most neglected and disadvantaged sector of Australian society under a future Howard Government, Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) said in response to the launch of the Coalition’s Indigenous affairs policy.

“It is a policy that evades responsibility and denies opportunity”, ANTaR National Vice-President, Roger Cook said at an Indigenous Health Forum in Perth today.

“In one of the wealthiest nation’s on earth, the measly $46.5 million increased expenditure over four years to the most disadvantaged sector of Australian society is a national disgrace”, Mr Cook said.

“In Indigenous health alone it is estimated that there is currently a funding shortfall of $450 million a year.*

“The Coalition’s policies for addressing Indigenous disadvantage have failed.

“The Coalition blames Indigenous bureaucracy for its under performance when eight years of its own ‘practical reconciliation’ policies have seen a widening of the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

“This is scapegoat politics at its worst. 85% of Indigenous funding has been administered by mainstream departments and agencies, not ATSIC. The Coalition is in effect asking us to believe it has not been responsible for Indigenous policy and service delivery over the past eight years.

“Most disturbingly, the Coalition’s policy will deny Indigenous Australians the opportunity to take responsibility for their own futures and to have effective decision-making powers over their lives.

“Of particular concern is the Coalition’s commitment to remove independent Indigenous representation and involvement in decision-making and returning to hand-picked advisers.

“This is a recipe for entrenching dependence by forcing mainstream service delivery on Indigenous communities rather than enabling them to develop their own capacities and governance structures to build strong communities.

“This policy reinforces ANTaR’s unprecedented decision to recommend voters not vote for the Coalition if they are concerned about Indigenous justice and reconciliation.

“It confirms that this election is a critical crossroads for Indigenous Australians” Mr Cook concluded.

Media contacts: Western Australia: National Vice-President, Roger Cook 0400 211892;
Eastern States: National President, Phil Glendenning 0419 013758; 02 94579294

*Access Economics found that Indigenous health is currently under-funded by at least $452.5 million a year, including $400 million in primary health care alone. The report can be found at: http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-63Q9J7
The 2004/05 Commonwealth budget offered only $40 million over four years in additional spending on Indigenous primary health care – or $10 million a year – only 2.5% of what is required.
Current Commonwealth health expenditure on Indigenous Australians is less per capita than for other Australians.

Related media releases:
» 15 Sep 2004: Labor's Indigenous policy falls short of health - says ANTaR
» 10 Sep 2004: Use budget surplus to fix Indigenous health crisis - ANTaR