Albanese Declares Unwavering Commitment to Closing the Gap Targets
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a resolute pledge to never abandon the national plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a comprehensive initiative valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap, endorsed by all Australian governments, seeks to narrow the socio-economic disparities between Indigenous Australians and the broader population across 19 specific targets by the year 2031.
Prime Minister Rejects Notions of Failure
With merely five years remaining to achieve critical objectives in areas such as life expectancy, education, employment, and housing, Albanese is set to address parliament on Thursday, firmly stating he is 'not contemplating failure' in delivering the agreed outcomes. 'We must guard against talk of failure, because talk of failure dismisses the aspirations and achievements of Indigenous Australians,' he will assert. 'I make this clear today: I am not contemplating failure. Our government is not contemplating failure.'
Substantial New Funding Allocations
The Albanese government will allocate an additional $144 million to enhance over 100 health services, ranging from maternal to mental health support, and to refurbish community-controlled health clinics and buildings. 'Many of these clinics had not seen a dollar of new investment for decades,' Albanese will highlight in his parliamentary address.
Further financial commitments include:
- $32.7 million towards food storage infrastructure to assist 75 additional remote stores in managing extreme weather events.
- $44.4 million directed to maternal care programs.
- $48.3 million for short-term accommodation solutions.
- $13.9 million for the mental health support service 13YARN, extending its operating hours and establishing a text message service for Indigenous Australians experiencing violence.
Progress and Challenges in Meeting Targets
Recent data indicates that while Indigenous incarceration rates are deteriorating, with only four out of the 19 targets currently on track for 2031, Albanese is expected to emphasise that six targets are showing improvement. Notably, the goal of achieving 95 percent enrollment of Indigenous children in pre-school is advancing positively.
Albanese will also promote initiatives to lower the cost of essential services in remote regions. Building on last year's promise to reduce prices for 30 items at 76 remote stores, an extra $27.4 million has been earmarked to expand subsidies to 225 remote stores nationwide. Essential items such as flour, cereal, pasta, nappies, and toothpaste will benefit from these price reductions, which aim to align costs more closely with city prices.
Economic Development and Job Creation
A significant investment of $299 million into the Remote Jobs and Economic Development program is projected to double employment opportunities to over 1,500 by 2027. 'And by 2030 we will double it again,' Albanese will announce. 'Six thousand new jobs, paying real wages and bringing new pride and purpose to people's lives.'
Political Criticism and Broader Context
Despite these funding announcements, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Kerrynne Liddle has criticised the Labor government, arguing that it is not prioritising the correct issues. 'Closing the Gap targets continue to worsen under the Albanese Labor government and the indicator for family violence remains void of data on which to assess progress,' Liddle told the ABC.
The funding revelations follow an alleged terrorist incident in Perth on January 26, where a bomb was reportedly thrown at a rally but failed to detonate. Albanese expressed solidarity with Indigenous Australians in the wake of this event, stating, 'I want to reaffirm what I said here last week, on behalf of the government and the people of Australia, we see you, we stand with you. The danger of that alleged attack was real – and so was the racism and hatred behind it, motivated by a white supremacy ideology.'
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe previously cautioned that Australia risks 'losing another generation' of First Nations people to the criminal justice system without immediate governmental action, echoing concerns from many who argue and protest that the Closing the Gap agreement is not yielding sufficient results.
