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Bill Shorten calls for commonwealth lead on reparation for stolen generations – politics live Bill Shorten calls for commonwealth lead on reparation for stolen generations – politics live
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Lunchtime politics
Nick Xenophon has said nyet to supporting the omnibus savings/childcare bill, sending the social services minister, Christian Porter, back to the drawing board. The Coalition will continue negotiating with the crossbench, given Labor and the Greens have also ruled out support. Barnaby Joyce says notwithstanding Xenophon’s decision, the Turnbull iteration has got more through than the Abbott iteration.
Malcolm Turnbull has presented the Closing the Gap report. The target to improve life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by 2031 is not on track to be met. The target to halve the gap in child mortality by 2018 is also not on track, despite longer-term improvements in child mortality rates between 1998 and 2015. Just one of the seven Closing the Gap targets – halving the gap in Year 12 attainment by 2020 – is on track to be met.
Turnbull also committed to an Indigenous commissioner in the Productivity Commission and $50m to assess and research Indigenous policy.
Bill Shorten has called for the commonwealth to take the lead on reparation for the stolen generations of Indigenous children removed from their families under government policy. His senator Pat Dodson has addressed the Labor caucus and Labor has added the Indigenous flag and a welcome to country into their party room process.
Cory Bernardi’s new Australian Conservatives party could win support from 18% of Coalition voters according to the latest Guardian Essential Report, which also shows the two major party leaders in the doldrums with voters.
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Gareth Hutchens
Meanwhile, in the Senate the Greens have ambushed the Coalition over its refusal to produce documents into a commonwealth investment in the Roe Highway.
The Roe Highway is looming as a key issue in the Western Australian state election.
The federal government has a policy that for any commonwealth investment of more than $100m they need to produce a business case and a full cost-benefit analysis.
The Greens want the analysis of this road project but the government have refused even though the Senate has ordered the Coalition (on the numbers) to produce the documents.
$1.2bn of your funds are going to fund this environmental obscenity, says Greens senator Scott Ludlam.
The Greens “stopped the clock” at 12.30pm, and Senate business has been given over to a statement by the finance minister, Mathias Cormann.
(Stopping the clock means the Senate won’t be dealing with government business or anything else from 12.30pm at least until they hit the question time marker at 2pm.)
The government has said it is a matter of commercial in confidence.
Ludlam says bollocks. Just redact any sensitive bits so we can see the rest.
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Bill Shorten:Bill Shorten:
It’s time for truth-telling. Our ancestors drove the First Peoples of this nation from their Bora Ring. We scattered the ashes of their camp fires. We fenced the hunting grounds, we poisoned the water holes. We distributed blankets infected with diseases we knew would kill. And there has been plenty of damage done in different ways, with better intentions. By the belief that forced assimilation was the only way to achieve equality. It’s time for truth-telling. Our ancestors drove the First Peoples of this nation from their Bora Ring. We scattered the ashes of their campfires. We fenced the hunting grounds, we poisoned the water holes. We distributed blankets infected with diseases we knew would kill. And there has been plenty of damage done in different ways, with better intentions. By the belief that forced assimilation was the only way to achieve equality.
It’s time to write a new story. And it is a story of belonging. Because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people belong to a proud tradition, to nations who fought the invaders, brave people who fought and died for their country as Passchendaele, Kokoda and Long Tan, now in the Middle East and Afghanistan, who have fought and continued to fight for justice, for land, for an apology, for recognition.It’s time to write a new story. And it is a story of belonging. Because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people belong to a proud tradition, to nations who fought the invaders, brave people who fought and died for their country as Passchendaele, Kokoda and Long Tan, now in the Middle East and Afghanistan, who have fought and continued to fight for justice, for land, for an apology, for recognition.
You belong to a tradition of sporting brilliance in the face of racism from opponents, teammates, administration and even spectators. You belong to humanity’s oldest and most continuous culture. You do not belong in a jail cell for an offence that carries an $80 fine. You do not belong strapped into a chair with a hood on your head. You do not belong on the back of a windowless van away from your family and loved ones. You do not belong in a bureaucrat’s office, begging for money. You do not belong on the streets with nowhere to go. You belong here. As members of Parliament, as leaders of this nation, you belong in the Constitution, recognised at last. You belong to a tradition of sporting brilliance in the face of racism from opponents, teammates, administration and even spectators. You belong to humanity’s oldest and most continuous culture. You do not belong in a jail cell for an offence that carries an $80 fine. You do not belong strapped into a chair with a hood on your head. You do not belong on the back of a windowless van away from your family and loved ones. You do not belong in a bureaucrat’s office, begging for money. You do not belong on the streets with nowhere to go. You belong here. As members of parliament, as leaders of this nation, you belong in the constitution, recognised at last.
You belong in schools, teaching and learning. You belong on construction sites, building homes, gaining skills. You belong on country, caring for land. You belong here, growing up, healthy, raising your children in safety, growing old with security. You belong here,strong in your culture and kinship and language and country. You belong here, equal citizens in this great country, equal partners in our common endeavour. This is your place. This is our place. You belong in schools, teaching and learning. You belong on construction sites, building homes, gaining skills. You belong on country, caring for land. You belong here, growing up, healthy, raising your children in safety, growing old with security. You belong here, strong in your culture and kinship and language and country. You belong here, equal citizens in this great country, equal partners in our common endeavour. This is your place. This is our place.
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Bill Shorten wants a justice target included in the Close the Gap report and a new priority on stronger families, adding a target for reducing the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.Bill Shorten wants a justice target included in the Close the Gap report and a new priority on stronger families, adding a target for reducing the number of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
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Bill Shorten calls for commonwealth lead on reparation for stolen generationBill Shorten calls for commonwealth lead on reparation for stolen generation
Shorten references Paul Keating’s Redfern speech, when he asked, how would we feel if it were done to us?Shorten references Paul Keating’s Redfern speech, when he asked, how would we feel if it were done to us?
Shorten also pays tribute to Kevin Rudd, who is in the gallery, for his apology.Shorten also pays tribute to Kevin Rudd, who is in the gallery, for his apology.
And he raises the prospect of reparation to the children who were removed from their homes, known as the stolen generations.And he raises the prospect of reparation to the children who were removed from their homes, known as the stolen generations.
We know that many members of the stolen generation are still living with the pain of their removal, the harm done by years of having their story rejected and denied. It was why I applaud the state governments of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, already taking steps towards providing reparations to families torn apart by the discrimination of those times. Decency demands that we now have a conversation at the commonwealth level about the need for the commonwealth to follow the lead on reparations. This is the right thing to do. It’s at the heart of reconciliation, telling the truth, saying sorry, and making good.We know that many members of the stolen generation are still living with the pain of their removal, the harm done by years of having their story rejected and denied. It was why I applaud the state governments of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, already taking steps towards providing reparations to families torn apart by the discrimination of those times. Decency demands that we now have a conversation at the commonwealth level about the need for the commonwealth to follow the lead on reparations. This is the right thing to do. It’s at the heart of reconciliation, telling the truth, saying sorry, and making good.
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Bill Shorten calls for a cross-cultural approach such as the use of Aboriginal healers for health assessments or the Koori court in Parramatta which uses diversionary sentencing as an alternative to jail.Bill Shorten calls for a cross-cultural approach such as the use of Aboriginal healers for health assessments or the Koori court in Parramatta which uses diversionary sentencing as an alternative to jail.
And if these young people muck up, the elders address them with that straight-talking freedom of family and culture, a frankness and reassurance that even the judge can learn from. There at this court, the police, the prosecution and defence show sensitivity to culture, yet still deal with a young person who has behaved in an antisocial way. This cross-cultural approach enhances the system. Bringing Aboriginal cultures to the centre, allowing justice to be done without diminishing the individual or denying identity,And if these young people muck up, the elders address them with that straight-talking freedom of family and culture, a frankness and reassurance that even the judge can learn from. There at this court, the police, the prosecution and defence show sensitivity to culture, yet still deal with a young person who has behaved in an antisocial way. This cross-cultural approach enhances the system. Bringing Aboriginal cultures to the centre, allowing justice to be done without diminishing the individual or denying identity,
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Bill Shorten takes up a similar theme, listening to Indigenous communities and recognising the value of role models. He looks forward to the day when “one of our First Australians is our prime minister or, indeed, our head of state”.
I believe in a new approach. We must forget the insulting fiction that the First Australians are a problem to be solved. And instead, a new approach, to listen to people who stand on the other side of the gap.
A new approach that, from now on, the First Australians must have first say in the decisions that shape their lives. A new approach that means a stronger voice for the National Congress of Australia’s First People and the resources to make it happen.
A new approach to extend ourselves beyond hand-picked sources of advice. A new approach to be in the places where our First Australians live and work and play. From Mount Druitt to Logan, in the APY Lands and East Arnhem. Not treating local consultation as a box to be ticked but applying the wisdom of people who know. Understanding and recognising there are many Aboriginal nations across this country.
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The Liberal/National benches look half empty during the prime minister's #closingthegap speech. pic.twitter.com/LeX6etxTyk
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Turnbull pays tribute to the Indigenous people who are working in the frontline services. He says the government will embark on a new approach using the knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous people.
My government will not shy away from our responsibility. And we will uphold the priorities of education, employment, health and the right of all people to be safe from family violence. We’ll not waver in our quest to achieve these outcomes but we will have the humility to admit that we must travel this road together, with open hearts, and a determination to ensure that our First Australians and all Australians will be able here, more than anywhere, to be their best and realise their dreams.
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The prime minister says the government is changing the way the Indigenous affairs portfolio operates:
From transactional government to enablement, from paying for services to linking funding to outcomes, and from a one-size-fits-all mindset for program design to local solutions.
The Productivity Commission will have a new Indigenous commissioner to assess Indigenous policy and $50m for policy research and implementation with the guidance of the Indigenous Advisory Council.
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Turnbull says Indigenous life expectancy is increasing over the longer term, babies are being born healthier, more people are studying and gaining post-school qualifications, and those adults are participating in work.
But he says incarceration rates and rates of child protection remain too high with 63% of Indigenous people incarcerated last year in prison for violent offences and offences that cause harm.
Central to reducing incarceration is reducing the violence and, of course, protecting the victims of violence.
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Malcolm Turnbull again balances the acknowledgement of progress in the last 50 years with the need for further improvement in Closing the Gap. He says:
This report demonstrates that all Australian governments have much more work to do. The proportion of Indigenous 20-to 24-year-olds who have achieved Year 1 or equivalent is 61.5%, up from 45.4% in 2008. This target is on track to halve the gap. A new target for Indigenous four-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education is 95% by 2025...
We’ve seen improvements in reading and numeracy for Indigenous students, but this target is not on track. Last year, 640 more children needed to read at the Year 3 benchmark to halve the gap. This year, that figure is around 440...
Around 20% of the gap in school performance between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students can be explained by poor attendance. But there are examples of real progress with families and communities.
I’m very saddened and disappointed that the target to halve the gap in Indigenous child mortality is not on track. With the 2015 data being just outside the target. We must redouble our efforts to reduce smoking rates during pregnancy, continue to improve immunisation rates, lift rates of anti-natal care, reduce foetal trauma and keep our children safe.
We’ve seen improvements in reducing mortality from chronic diseases, however the mortality rates from cancer are rising. The overall mortality rate has declined by 15% since 1998. And life expectancy is increasing. However, it is not accelerating at the pace it should.
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Malcolm Turnbull starts his speech with Indigenous language. And then:
We’re meeting together on the land and we acknowledge and pay our respects to their elders, past and present. And we pay our deep respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gathered here today, including our Aboriginal members of parliament and all across Australia who have been the custodians of these lands and whose elders hold the knowledge of their rich and diverse cultures.
He is introducing the Closing the Gap report. He acknowledges Kevin Rudd in the House.
Nothing brought a quiet moment of humanity to the 2016 election campaign more than the handing of the title deeds to the elder Raelene Singh, 37 years after the Larakiya people submitted a claim to what had always been theirs. For families like Raelene’s, despite their old people passing on before the Kenbi land claim was settled, the past continues to live in the present. And acknowledging past wrongs enables healing to begin. And we saw that with the national apology to the stolen generations, delivered by prime minister Rudd, who also joins us today.
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On this day.
February 14, 1966: Australia changed to a decimal currency, replacing pounds, shillings and pence. pic.twitter.com/2Xv1Hiu5yp
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Closing the Gap statement by Malcolm Turnbull coming up at midday.
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The other eventful part of the Hadley-Brandis exchange was about the Liberal-One Nation preferencing deal in Western Australia.
It gave Ray Hadley a chance to agree with the government line that the Greens were also an extremist party and Labor was prepared to trade preferences with them.
To which Brandis replied:
Sure, I mean [Greens senator] Lee Rhiannon is an old commo and you scratch the surface …
Hadley laughed.Brandis:
Well she is.
Hadley:
Well she may take offence to the old part but she’s certainly a commo.
Brandis:
Well a lifelong commo.
Then Brandis criticised Labor Senate leader Penny Wong for not being able to open her mouth without insulting Pauline Hanson. Brandis says:
She’s an extremely pleasant person. She’s very polite. All she wants, as everyone is entitled to, is to be treated with professional courtesy but that’s what the Labor party refuses to do.
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