INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS

STATEMENT BY
THE HONOURABLE PHILIP RUDDOCK, MP
MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURAL AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
MINISTER ASSISTING THE PRIME MINISTER FOR RECONCILIATION

14 MAY 2002

 Commonwealth of Australia 2002
ISBN 1740 92701 X
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Contents
Overview	1
Making headway	4
Working in partnership: the big picture	5
Education	7
Employment and economic development	10
Housing and infrastructure	13
Health and ageing	15
Strengthening families and communities	18
Connecting communities	20
Banking and financial services	22
Land and cultural heritage	23
Law and justice	24
Data sources	26
Reconciliation	27
Appendix A – A Record of Commitment	28
Appendix B – Identifiable Commonwealth Expenditure on Indigenous Affairs	33

Overview
This statement outlines the scope of the Government’s planned activity in 2002‑03 aimed at making a lasting difference in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Despite the unique place that Indigenous Australians occupy as the original inhabitants of Australia, and despite the advances made in tackling Indigenous disadvantage in recent years, Indigenous Australians are still the most disadvantaged group in Australian society. Average life expectancy at birth for Indigenous people is almost 20 years less than for non-Indigenous people. The Government is determined to bridge that gap.
The Government aims for a future in which Indigenous Australians share equitably in the social and economic opportunities that Australia offers. It is committing record levels of expenditure to programmes which will address specific needs in the priority areas of health, housing, employment and education as well as building the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to take advantage of opportunities for improved economic, social, and cultural participation in Australian society. 
Indigenous-specific expenditure will rise from $2.4 billion in 2001-02 to a record $2.5 billion in 2002-03. This increase includes more than $67 million additional resources for Aboriginal health, the Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) scheme, housing, infrastructure, native title, elements of the Australians Working Together package and other programme initiatives. 
The Government has also announced in this Budget $8.3 million over three years to improve telecommunications for remote Indigenous communities.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) is the Government’s principal source of advice from an Indigenous perspective. It is an active partner in a productive working relationship with Government. It is a major provider of services to Indigenous people and their communities, with direct responsibility for administering almost half of the Commonwealth’s dedicated spending in Indigenous affairs. In 2002‑03, ATSIC’s budget will increase to $1.16 billion (excluding Land Fund transactions). This is an election year for ATSIC, where elections to the 35 Regional Councils will again demonstrate the unique role of ATSIC in Indigenous governance and self-management. 
Complementing the work of ATSIC, the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs has been created within the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs to develop and evaluate policies across the whole of government and to promote better outcomes for Indigenous people.

The Government’s national commitment to reducing Indigenous disadvantage is founded on a partnership with Indigenous people and follows a number of key themes:
•	taking a whole-of-government approach by involving all relevant portfolio Ministers and the states and territories, working within the reconciliation framework set down by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG); 
•	increasing the focus on individuals and their families as the foundation of functional communities; 
•	encouraging and supporting self-reliance and independence from welfare; 
•	 strengthening leadership, capacity, and governance; 
•	addressing the debilitating effects of substance abuse and domestic violence; 
•	increasing opportunities for local and regional decision making by Indigenous people, and improving programme coordination and flexibility to respond to local needs; and
•	improving access to mainstream programmes and services, so that Indigenous‑specific resources can be better targeted to areas of greatest need, particularly to areas where mainstream services do not reach. 
These themes and related Government strategies are signs of our determination to address the underlying and contemporary causes of Indigenous disadvantage, not just its symptoms. They signal our ongoing commitment to true, practical reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. 
The Government supports the comments made by many Indigenous leaders and others who have emphasised the importance of governments working with Indigenous people to develop their capacity to participate fully in economic, social, cultural and political life. The entrenched problems of many Indigenous communities indicate the need for a new approach which strikes a balance between the pursuit of rights and the exercising of responsibilities.
Through its Australians Working Together package, announced in the 2001-02 Budget, and as part of major reforms to the way Australia’s unique social safety net responds to people’s individual circumstances, the Government is providing more choices and opportunities for people to help them move forward. We have introduced a number of measures which are supporting and encouraging Indigenous people and communities in their efforts to become more self-reliant and less dependent on welfare:
•	
building community capacity and developing community-based participation agreements in remote Indigenous communities; 
•	finding more jobs for Indigenous people by contracting certain CDEP organisations to take on the role of Indigenous Employment Centres; 
•	assisting Indigenous students to stay in school or undertake training; and 
•	improving access to Centrelink services for remote Indigenous communities. 
Expenditure on these initiatives and other initiatives in health, housing and native title begins to flow substantially in 2002-03. 
These measures recognise that each person is an individual with unique skills, and that with assistance to overcome the often substantial barriers to participation which confront them, Indigenous Australians can increase their self-reliance and the contribution they are making to their communities.
Chart 1: Functional Dissection of 2002-03 Budget (total $2.5 billion)

Source:	Appendix B – Identifiable Commonwealth Expenditure on Indigenous Affairs
Note:	Around three-quarters of the total funding allocated by the Government to Indigenous-specific activities will be spent in the four priority areas of health, housing, education and employment.
Chart 2: Identifiable Commonwealth Expenditure on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs 1984-85 to 2002-03 (in 2002-03 dollars)

Source:	Figures pre 2001-02 from Department of the Parliamentary Library, Current Issues Brief No.18 of 1997‑98, Dr John Gardiner‑Garden (1984‑85 to 1994‑95) and previous Ministerial Budget papers.
Figures for 2001‑02 and 2002‑03 supplied by Departments and agencies.
Note:	(a)	Cash based estimated outcome for 1997‑98
(b)	Cash based Budget figure for 1998‑99
(c)	Accrual based estimated outcome figures
(d)	Accrual based actual outcome figure
(e)	Accrual based Budget figure
Making headway
The Coalition Government continues to focus the substantial resources it dedicates to Indigenous affairs on achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It places a strong emphasis on reducing disadvantage in key areas such as health, housing, education and employment. In addition to its Indigenous‑specific expenditure, the Government continues to seek ways to make the mainstream service delivery system work better for Indigenous people. We are proud of the achievements that have been made in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. While the level of disadvantage remains great, substantial progress is being made. Examples include: 
•	infant death rates have fallen by a third between 1992 and 1999; 
•	since 1996, basic health services have been approved for 44 remote communities which previously had little or no access to services; 
•	between 1992-94 and 1997-99, Indigenous death rates for respiratory illness fell from between 7 and 8 times the non-Indigenous average to 4 times; 
•	between 1992-94 and 1997-99, Indigenous death rates for infectious and parasitic diseases fell from between 15 to 18 times the non-Indigenous average to between 4 and 5 times; 
•	the proportion of Indigenous children who stay on at school through to Year 12 has risen from 29 per cent in 1996 to 36 per cent in 2001; 
•	the number of Indigenous people undertaking post-secondary vocational and educational training virtually doubled from 26,138 in 1995 to 51,700 in 2000;
•	there were 7,350 Indigenous higher education students in 2000 compared to 1,933 in 1987;
•	since 1 July 1999, over 5,200 Indigenous people have been placed into jobs through the Indigenous Employment Policy’s Wage Assistance programme; and over 9,800 Indigenous jobseekers have been assisted under the Policy’s Structured Training and Employment Projects; 
•	the number of Indigenous people commencing traineeships and apprenticeships has increased significantly from around 800 in 1994 to approximately 5,950 in 2001; 
•	93 per cent of discrete communities now have access to electricity, compared to 72 per cent of those communities in 1992; and
•	73 per cent of those communities now have higher level sewerage systems compared to 55 per cent in 1992.
Working in partnership: the big picture
The Commonwealth recognises that governments have an important role in confronting many of the most intractable issues of social and economic disadvantage and welfare dependency. We also recognise that in most if not all cases, sustainable advances will only be made if all governments — state, territory, and local, as well as the Commonwealth — work in genuine partnership with Indigenous people. 
We are taking a whole-of-government approach that recognises the complexity of Indigenous disadvantage and its underlying causes, and the fact that the various aspects of disadvantage (such as ill-health, poor housing, low standards of education and unemployment) are inter-related. Commonwealth portfolios with responsibilities for meeting Indigenous needs are committed to cross-portfolio activity aimed at breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage. We are also working with the states and territories, which have major responsibilities in such key areas as health, housing and education, to ensure the best possible coordination of government policy development and service provision. 
As key members of this policy partnership, it is critical that Indigenous people are empowered to participate fully. This requires that community members have the capacity not only to access services and make good use of them but also that people have the skills to help shape their own and their families’ lives. 
In November 2000, COAG agreed to a reconciliation framework. The framework includes a new approach for governments based on partnerships and shared responsibilities with Indigenous communities, and programme flexibility and coordination between government agencies, with a focus on local communities and outcomes. Priority actions in three areas were agreed:
•	investing in community leadership initiatives; 
•	reviewing and re-engineering programmes and services to ensure they deliver practical measures that support families, children and young people. In particular, governments agreed to look at measures for tackling family violence, drug and alcohol dependency and other symptoms of community dysfunction; and
•	forging greater links between the business sector and Indigenous communities to help promote economic independence. 
In April 2002, COAG met to consider the nation’s progress in implementing the framework to advance reconciliation and to consider next steps in addressing the identified priorities. The Council agreed to trial a whole-of-government approach in up to 10 communities or regions. The aim of these trials will be to improve the way governments interact with each other and with communities to deliver more effective responses to the needs of Indigenous Australians. 
The Commonwealth is determined that these trials will succeed and has established a core group of Departmental Secretaries which will guide a dedicated taskforce charged with the responsibility of turning the whole-of-government approach into reality. 
At its April 2002 meeting, COAG also agreed to commission the Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision to produce a regular report against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage. 
The Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (MCATSIA) has developed an action plan to deliver its overarching policy coordination and performance monitoring roles.
The Government is committed to supporting and advancing good governance in Indigenous communities and is working to strengthen local decision making, leadership, and effective community management in order to gain better outcomes for Indigenous people. As Indigenous community organisations are the vehicle for the delivery of many government programmes, the impact of these programmes is largely dependent on the effectiveness of these organisations. There is a range of activity under way to strengthen community capacity and governance:
•	The Government and ATSIC sponsored the Indigenous Governance Conference convened recently by Reconciliation Australia, the National Institute for Governance and ATSIC. Reconciliation Australia is compiling a manual outlining general principles for good Indigenous community governance, highlighting best‑practice examples from Australia and overseas. The manual will include essential tools for good governance and list relevant resources. 
•	As part of the Australians Working Together package, ATSIC is developing community participation agreements (CPAs) and building community capacity in remote Indigenous communities. The CPA initiative will involve Indigenous communities in identifying practical ways people can contribute to their families and communities in return for their income support. The focus is on building social capital and capacity in communities, improving leadership and community governance and enhancing the ability for people to participate effectively in these communities. 
•	The Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 has been in place for more than 20 years as an alternative mechanism for the incorporation of Indigenous organisations. A major review of the Act is under way to identify reforms which should be made to the current arrangements. One of the aims of such reforms will be to replace the outdated incorporation and supervisory powers of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations with a more contemporary capacity building role. 
•	A training package to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples better manage their community organisations was launched by ATSIC in Melbourne in March 2002. The package provides national qualifications for the governance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and will form an important aspect of capacity building and community development. 
•	The Australian Indigenous Leadership Programme is assisting Indigenous men and women who are active in their communities’ affairs to participate in an accredited leadership programme. The programme is auspiced by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). 
Education
A solid education is central to building a better future for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There is a growing partnership between Indigenous parents, Indigenous students and schools to improve student participation and to promote more successful teaching methods in order to turn this situation around. In 2002-03, the Government has allocated $445 million to tackle Indigenous educational disadvantage.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy, supported by all Australian governments, has 21 goals which focus primarily on measurably raising the educational outcomes achieved by Indigenous students. It pays particular attention to the key areas of literacy, numeracy and school attendance in order to accelerate the pace of change.
This policy effort is matched by resources. In addition to mainstream school grants to states, territories and non-government school organisations, there are a number of Indigenous-specific measures to account for the special needs of Indigenous students.
The Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP) provides supplementary funding on a per capita basis to preschools, schools, and to vocational education and training providers. IESIP provides funding for travel, accommodation, and related activities for distance education students in the tertiary sector to attend compulsory residential schools as part of their course of study. The National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, is a key part of IESIP. The objective of this strategy is to ensure that Indigenous people achieve English literacy and numeracy levels comparable to those of other Australians. 
The Government also provides other programmes such as the Indigenous Education Direct Assistance (IEDA) programme, with funding of $64.9 million in 2002-03. Under the programme, the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme assists some 26,000 students through 825 Homework Centres and around 15,500 students through individual or small group tuition. IEDA also supports nearly 115,000 students through the Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness programme, which assists parents to engage with their children's education.
Chart 3:  Number of Indigenous Students in Year 12

Source:	Schools Division, Department of Education, Science and Training, derived from ABS data.
Note:	Chart 3 shows the increased number of Year 12 Indigenous students over five years.

In 2002-03, the Government has budgeted to spend an estimated $183.7 million through ABSTUDY, which provides a means-tested living allowance and other supplementary benefits to eligible Indigenous secondary and tertiary students. ABSTUDY is delivered by Centrelink and assisted 50,451 Indigenous people in 2001.
Indigenous Australians are well represented in the vocational education and training sector. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research estimates that in the 12 months to December 2001, some 5,950 Indigenous people commenced New Apprenticeships, compared to 800 in 1994. In 2000, over 51,000 Indigenous Australians participated in vocational education and training. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges are working with Indigenous communities and CDEP organisations to develop course structures that suit the needs of those wishing to take on post‑secondary study. TAFE offers an alternative for some people to complete secondary level studies.
Chart 4:  Number of Indigenous VET Clients 1995‑2000

Source: Vocational Education and Training Statistics (NCVER Adelaide 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
The Enterprise and Career Education Foundation (ECEF) works with key stakeholders to provide structured work placement opportunities and vocational learning experience through the implementation of the Ministerial Council for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs Framework for Vocational Education in Schools and its network of Work Placement Coordinators. As part of its initial response to the Youth Pathways Taskforce Report, the Government provided an additional $9.297 million over the financial years 2001-02 to 2004-05 to enable ECEF to expand its network of Work Placement Coordinators into remote parts of central and northern Australia. 
From July this year, Indigenous people will be able to access increased education and training assistance. The Working Together for Indigenous Youth initiative, part of the Australians Working Together package, will target 1,600 secondary school students in Indigenous communities and encourage them to complete Year 12 or move into further education, training or paid employment. Under the Vocational Education Opportunities Programme, a further 2,300 secondary school students will be assisted to take up vocational learning opportunities supported by business. 
In 2000, there were 7,350 Indigenous higher education students compared to 1,933 in 1987. The Commonwealth’s operating grants to higher education institutions include allocations of $23.72 million in the 2002 calendar year under the Indigenous Support Funding programme to assist in meeting the special needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and to advance the goals of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy. 
Last year the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence announced $845,000 for a pilot project to enhance the participation of Indigenous youth in the Australian Defence Force Cadets; $400,000 of this funding will be made available in 2002-03.
Employment and economic development
The Government believes that securing economic opportunities for individuals, families and communities is the key to overcoming disadvantage. It has put in place a wide range of programmes designed to help Indigenous people to secure the goal of economic self-sufficiency and self-reliance, whether this be by identifying job opportunities or assisting them to engage in economic development and business creation. Recent measures developed by the Government recognise the need for individual assistance to overcome the often substantial barriers to employment that confront many Indigenous Australians and make best use of an individual’s skills and abilities. 
The Indigenous Employment Policy, which commenced in 1999, is making a substantial impact in the lives of Indigenous people, by identifying employment opportunities for them. The Indigenous Employment Programme has a number of elements providing flexible financial assistance to employers to assist in achieving sustainable employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians:
•	Wage Assistance: over 5,200 Indigenous people have found jobs through Wage Assistance since July 1999. The number of job placements for the period 1 July 2001 to 31 March 2002 was more than 1,360. 
•	Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP): more than 190 STEP projects were approved between 1 July 2001 and 31 March 2002 supported by funding of $41 million over the life of these projects. Since STEP was introduced in 1999, over 9,800 Indigenous job seekers have gained access to accredited training and employment. 
•	The Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project: 57 Australian companies have signed up to be Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment, with commitments to provide over 3,000 jobs. 
•	The National Indigenous Cadetship Project provides opportunities for Indigenous undergraduates to gain the professional qualifications needed for a range of jobs in both the public and private sectors while undertaking university study. Sixty new cadetships have been funded in 2001-02. As at 30 April 2002, the Cadetship Project was assisting 176 participants.
Job Network provides the bulk of employment assistance to Indigenous Australians. Between July 2001 and March 2002, over 9,100 Indigenous job seekers were placed in employment by Job Network. Almost 17,000 Indigenous job seekers commenced Intensive Assistance, a 21 per cent improvement on the same period for the previous year. Nearly 3,400 Intensive Assistance interim outcomes (generally representing 13 consecutive weeks of employment) were for Indigenous job seekers, a 93 per cent improvement on the number for the same period in the previous year. 
The CDEP scheme is an important element of the Government’s employment strategy for Indigenous Australians. ATSIC and the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) will spend $510.47 million in 2002‑03. Projects will offer meaningful work to 36,300 participants and provide social, economic and cultural benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In remote communities where there are few labour market opportunities, CDEP is especially vital, often providing the only option for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to work. The CDEP scheme provides the flexibility to link into vocational education and training opportunities such as apprenticeships and technical and further education. The scheme also promotes entrepreneurial activity and many successful Indigenous businesses have grown from the foundation of an innovative CDEP organisation.
A key Indigenous element of the Australians Working Together package is the Indigenous Employment Centres (IEC) programme. In areas where job opportunities exist, for example many urban and regional centres, CDEP organisations are being contracted to take on the additional role of IECs, assisting more CDEP participants into permanent work through work experience, job search support, training and mentoring.
The Government realises that some Indigenous job seekers need special assistance before they can participate in the labour market. Through the Australians Working Together package:
•	the Personal Support Programme will enable people receiving a range of Centrelink payments to access services to help them overcome barriers to employment. The initiative is designed to reach Indigenous people as one of the key groups who will be able to benefit from these services; and
•	from September 2002, the Government will provide better assessment for ‘at-risk’ job seekers, who will be supported by a Centrelink Personal Adviser. An individualised plan to address obstacles to participation will be developed and agreed with the customer. Support services such as child care, health, domestic violence support, financial and/or housing assistance and relationship counselling will be available to Indigenous job seekers. Around 38,000 Indigenous customers a year are expected to be assisted.
It is important that remote Indigenous communities are able to access Centrelink services on the same basis as other Australians. Under the Australians Working Together package, Centrelink is establishing 12 new Remote Area Servicing Centres in strategic locations to service surrounding Indigenous communities, including outstations. Centrelink will train and recruit local Indigenous staff to work in these centres. 
The Government believes that in addition to employment, the creation of sustainable business opportunities is an important ingredient in achieving economic independence. The Government has a number of business programmes specifically aimed at improving economic development opportunities for Indigenous Australians. 
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) invests in business opportunities that have the capacity to:
•	create future cash flows for Indigenous communities; 
•	value add to the Indigenous capital base; and
•	where possible and practicable, provide employment and training opportunities. 
During 2001-02, IBA acquired equity in a number of tourism ventures in remote localities. It also invested in mining development opportunities and property development. During 2002-03, IBA will build its capital base to over $70 million and will be involved in joint ventures with an annual turnover exceeding $350 million.
Each year, ATSIC provides assistance to more than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses through its Business Development Programme. The programme offers support to Indigenous Australians through assistance with the development of business plans and other services, providing grants and loans for small business enterprises, presenting small business workshops, and offering access to business facilitators for advice and mentoring. As at March 2002, 145 Indigenous business loans had been approved this financial year.
The Indigenous Small Business Fund, jointly administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and ATSIC, provides support for development and expansion of Indigenous businesses and enterprises. The fund aims to enhance business prospects by supporting skills development programmes, mentoring, networking, advisory services and market development (including export opportunities). As at 31 March 2002, a total of 79 projects had been approved.
The Government will undertake a review of Indigenous business strategies in 2002‑03 to develop options for creating an environment that generates more viable businesses for Indigenous Australians.
Housing and infrastructure
In 2002-03, the Government will spend approximately $350 million on Indigenous‑specific housing and related infrastructure programmes through the Aboriginal Rental Housing Programme managed by the Department of Family and Community Services and the Community Housing and Infrastructure Programme (CHIP) administered by ATSIC. In addition to this Indigenous-specific funding, it is estimated that some 22 per cent of Indigenous households are tenants in mainstream public housing, funded in large measure by the Federal Government under the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement.
The Government’s endeavours in housing and infrastructure are an essential element of the Commonwealth’s commitment to improved health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Commonwealth’s National Environmental Health Strategy has as one of its key aims the promotion of Indigenous environmental health justice and provides a basis for key stakeholders across the country to develop tangible measures to improve environmental health in Australia. 
The results of the 2001 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey show improvement in the status of Indigenous housing and infrastructure since similar surveys in 1992 and 1999: 
•	93 per cent of discrete communities had access to electricity compared to 89 per cent in 1999 and 72 per cent in 1992; 
•	73 per cent of those communities had higher level sewerage systems compared to 67 per cent in 1999 and 55 per cent in 1992; and
•	31 per cent of dwellings in discrete communities managed by Indigenous Housing Organisations were in need of major repairs or replacement compared to 33 per cent in those communities in 1999 and 39 per cent in 1992. 
The National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS) element of the CHIP programme in the period 1996 to 2004 is providing approximately $800 million for in excess of 290 large scale housing and infrastructure projects that will provide priority housing and essential service infrastructure such as power, water and sewerage systems. These projects are predominantly in rural and remote Australia. 
The programme also includes 15 projects with a value of $51.2 million under the ATSIC Army Community Assistance Programme (AACAP). AACAP is a cooperative initiative between ATSIC, the Army, and the Department of Health and Ageing, providing assistance to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve community environmental health and living conditions. In 2002‑03 AACAP will be assisting several communities around Beagle Bay on the Dampier Peninsular (WA) and in Pandanus Park (WA) before moving to Palm Island in Queensland.
2002-03 will be the fifth in a six-year, $60 million programme jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland to improve major infrastructure in the Torres Strait. This project is producing substantial and permanent improvements in water supply, sewerage, roads, drainage and other essential services throughout the region.
The Government is building on its commitment to Indigenous housing through an additional $75 million to be spent over four years ($23 million during 2002-03) to upgrade existing houses and for new construction. This initiative will also improve the provision of essential housing related infrastructure (providing clean water, reliable power and safe waste disposal), as well as increasing the capacity of housing organisations to adopt more effective management practices to address the needs of their Indigenous clients. A condition of the additional funds is improved accountability for all Commonwealth Indigenous-specific funding, focused on outcomes. 

As part of this initiative, the Government will be spending $2.5 million in 2002‑03 through the Department of Family and Community Services on national ‘assess and fix’ housing maintenance projects. The projects will be conducted with participating states and territories and Indigenous communities. Indigenous community members will benefit from being employed on these projects and will receive training in housing maintenance. 

In 2002-03, the Government will provide over 3,400 beds every night in temporary accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL). The company currently owns 48 hostels and provides funding to 86 other hostels, which are owned and operated by community based groups and charities. AHL enables students to study away from their homes in a culturally sensitive and caring environment and enables sick people to use hospital and medical services that are not available in their home communities. 
The Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme is providing innovative alternatives in remote Indigenous communities to, amongst other things, secure longer‑term relief for Indigenous communities from dependence on diesel power generation.
Home ownership is an important part of giving Indigenous people a financial stake in the wider economy and reducing welfare dependency. Over $60 million is being provided annually under ATSIC's home ownership scheme which provides some 500 new home loans per annum. Programmes such as these have resulted in real progress over the past two decades. The proportion of Indigenous families that own or are purchasing their own home has increased from 24 per cent in the early 1970s to an estimated 33 per cent today. The Government is committed to working with ATSIC to increase the rate of home ownership. 
Chart 5: Improving Infrastructure in Discrete Indigenous Communities

1992
1999
2001

Source:	ATSIC 1992, National Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey Final Report Stage 1; ABS Housing and Infrastructure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities 1999, 2001.
Note:	Indigenous people living in discrete communities make up around one-quarter of the total Indigenous population. This chart does not include Indigenous people living in towns and cities who have access to the same infrastructure available to other residents in these towns and cities.
Health and ageing
Dealing effectively with diet and lifestyle issues, including substance abuse, is critically important to increasing life expectancy for Indigenous Australians which is almost 20 years less than for non-Indigenous people.
The Government’s approach to improving Indigenous health recognises that a long‑term strategy based on partnerships between governments and communities is required. The main focus is on expanding access to comprehensive primary health care by improving the accessibility and responsiveness of the mainstream health system and providing complementary action through Indigenous-specific programmes.
In 2002-03, the Government will spend an estimated $302.7 million on identified Indigenous health and ageing initiatives.
The Government has made a sizeable investment in making mainstream programmes more accessible and more responsive to the needs of Indigenous Australians. Initiatives including improved access to medicines for remote Indigenous Australians, the use of Medicare in Aboriginal community-controlled health services, and streamlined enrolment and billing arrangements have resulted in greater use of the Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes by Indigenous Australians. 
Chart 6: Identifiable Commonwealth Expenditure on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health 1984‑85 to 2003‑04 (in 2002‑03 Dollars)1

Source:	Figures pre 2001-02 from Department of the Parliamentary Library, Current Issues Brief No.18 of 1997‑98, Dr John Gardiner‑Garden (1984‑85 to 1994‑95) and previous Ministerial Budget papers.
Figures for 1999‑2000 to 2003‑04 provided by the Department of Health and Ageing.
Notes:	1.	For reasons of comparability, the chart excludes Aged Care Strategy, AACAP and Croc Festivals.
2.	(a) Cash based estimated outcome for 1997‑98
		(b)	Cash based Budget figure for 1998‑99
(c)	Accrual based estimated outcome figures
(d)	Accrual based actual outcome figure
(e)	Accrual based Budget figure
(f)	Forward estimate figure
Efforts to improve access to mainstream services are complemented by targeted programmes which address the greater health needs of Indigenous Australians. By 2003-04, Federal Government spending on Indigenous-specific health programmes through the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH), which accounts for the bulk of such spending, will have increased (in real terms) by 89 per cent since 1996 to $257 million per year. 
The Aboriginal coordinated care trials showed that progress can be made to improve Aboriginal health when governments, local communities and health services work together in partnership. The Primary Health Care Access Programme (PHCAP) has been developed based on the lessons of these trials and will be the major focus over the next few years for improving access to primary health care services. 
The 1999‑2000 Federal Budget provided $78.8 million over four years for PHCAP. The 2001‑02 Budget announced an additional $19.7 million each year from 2003‑04, taking the total recurrent base of the programme to $54.8 million per annum. Over the next 18 months, new or enhanced services that increase access to comprehensive primary health care will be available to at least 40 communities. 
The progress that has been made over the past five years will continue to form a base for further action. Examples of recent achievements include:
•	a 50 per cent reduction in the Tiwi Islands (NT) of the number of patients progressing to end stage renal disease through the better management of chronic disease; 
•	at Yarrabah (Qld), in the three quarters ending in June 1996, there were 45‑50 incidents of self-harm per quarter for males and 20‑25 for females, falling to 10‑20 incidents for both sexes late in 1996 and to fewer than five incidents for both sexes for most of 1998 following the implementation of a youth suicide programme; 
•	in Wilcannia (NSW), a concerted immunisation programme targeting 0‑5 year olds resulted in a 100 per cent immunisation rate amongst this group; and
•	the antenatal service run at Daruk Aboriginal Medical Service (NSW), has increased awareness amongst Aboriginal women of the importance of antenatal care, resulting in greater numbers of women presenting earlier and more frequently for antenatal visits. 
In 2002-03, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council will continue its important work in completing the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health — Framework for Action by Governments, which will outline agreed principles and key result areas that all jurisdictions and the community sector can commit to, and will work collaboratively to achieve, over the next 10 years. Complementing this framework, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce National Strategic Framework is being developed as a basis for joint action by the Commonwealth, states and territories and the Aboriginal community‑controlled health services, to increase the size and capacity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce and develop the responsiveness of the non-Indigenous health workforce.
There are currently 29 residential aged care services specifically targeting Indigenous people, auspiced by Indigenous organisations or with a majority of Indigenous residents. All of these services are now accredited. Funding under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Strategy, introduced in 1994, will increase from $11.15 million in 2001-02 to $13.09 million in 2002-03. 

The Government is committed to working with Indigenous communities to address substance abuse issues and their serious health and social consequences. It has been estimated that in the Indigenous population, a considerable number of excess deaths each year can be attributed to alcohol and tobacco. These deaths are at least partly preventable. The impact of alcohol in terms of violence is substantial and well documented. This is why substance abuse is a central focus of the Government’s attempts to improve Indigenous health.

Through OATSIH, the Commonwealth provides approximately $20 million per annum to support 65 Indigenous substance misuse services. The services provided include both licit and illicit drug programmes. Under the National Illicit Drug Strategy, around 19 Indigenous programmes have been funded through the Non-Government Organisation Treatment Grants Programme and around nine under the Community Partnerships Initiative. 
Other programmes managed by the Department of Health and Ageing target Indigenous communities in the areas of alcohol education and rehabilitation, illicit drug diversion, petrol sniffing, and tobacco control.
As part of the 2001-02 Budget, the Government announced the establishment of the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation, with funding of $115 million over four years. As well as its role in relation to alcohol abuse, the Foundation is also targeting petrol sniffing and other inhalant use, and is required to spend 20 per cent of total funding on projects targeting Indigenous Australians. 
The Croc Festivals involve young Indigenous Australians in remote and regional communities participating in activities including visual and performing arts, health expos, sports clinics, and careers markets. The Festivals are drug and alcohol free and promote health, education and employment activities. The Croc Festivals are supported by a range of sponsors, including Federal and state Governments and corporate sponsors. The Government has committed an additional $1.2 million over four years from 2002-03 for the Croc Festivals. Total funding in 2002‑03 will be $1.5 million. 
Strengthening families and communities
The Government recognises that concepts of family and community are central to Indigenous cultures and that it is within this context that Indigenous cultures continue 
to be passed from generation to generation. The Government also recognises that many Indigenous families and communities are facing huge stresses as they struggle to cope with disadvantage and that, in many cases, they are not coping with this stress. 
A minimum of $20 million is available for Indigenous‑specific initiatives under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.
Since January 2001, 60 state and territory based Indigenous projects have been supported. The key areas of focus are leadership, local solutions to local problems, and early intervention and prevention. Four national projects have been supported: 
•	Scouting in Indigenous Communities ($1.3 million over three years from 2001‑02). This project aims to provide education and recreation for Indigenous communities through funding for the development of the scouting movement in isolated Indigenous communities; 
•	Strengthening Communities Pilots ($250,000 over two years from 2000‑01). This project aims to identify priority community needs and issues to develop integrated community based solutions on a whole-of-government basis; 
•	Australian Indigenous Leadership Programme ($400,000 over three years from 2001‑02). This project is assisting Indigenous men and women who are active in their communities’ affairs to participate in an accredited leadership programme. The project is auspiced by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies; and
•	the Family Income Management trials on Cape York ($1.19 million over three years from 2001‑02). This project assists Indigenous families to build their capacity to better manage income and family responsibilities. Westpac is providing significant support to the project, which will provide jobs for about 18 local people. 
Under the Government’s Partnerships Against Domestic Violence (PADV) initiative, over $10 million has been allocated specifically to addressing Indigenous family violence. Sixty-seven Indigenous organisations have been allocated funding totalling $4.9 million to undertake projects. 
Under the leadership of the Commonwealth, the Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs endorsed terms of reference for a national audit of Indigenous family violence programmes and services in partnership with ATSIC’s National Indigenous Working Group on Violence. 
The National Indigenous Youth Leadership Group was established following recommendations by the National Youth Roundtable and met for the first time in 2001. The Leadership Group provides opportunities for young Indigenous Australians to discuss their experiences and perspectives about issues important to them with the Minister with portfolio responsibility for Youth Affairs, advise the Minister on the most effective ways to empower Indigenous young people in their communities, promote positive images of young Indigenous people, and develop leadership skills.
The Government recognises the significant value that sport has in building the confidence and self-esteem of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Government has committed to work with ATSIC and the Australian Sports Commission to build on the number of sporting pathways available to Indigenous Australians as a means of tackling substance misuse issues. The Government is also actively encouraging 13 key national sporting organisations to look beyond elite development and play a more active role in increasing participation, infrastructure and skill development in Indigenous communities.
The Government is continuing to provide support to those affected by past practices of Indigenous child separation. The Government responded to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s report on the separated children, Bringing Them Home, in 1997 with funding of $63 million over four years to June 2002. This provided, among other things, specialist Indigenous counselling for those affected by past removals, a national network of family tracing and reunion services to facilitate family reunions, and parenting and family skills programmes. The Government has committed a further $53.9 million over the four years to June 2006 to continue the counselling, family reunion and parenting skills elements of the original response to the Bringing Them Home report. The report itself stated that family reunion is the most urgent need of separated Indigenous children, and the Government has concentrated its response in this important area.
Connecting communities
Communications services are an important tool for Indigenous communities in facilitating economic development and self-sufficiency, improving the delivery of government services, supporting education and maintaining cultures. The Government is building on its commitment to address the communications needs of Indigenous Australians through a number of initiatives to improve access to adequate telecommunications, broadcasting and IT services.
Proceeds from the partial sale of Telstra have enhanced telecommunications services in a number of remote, regional and rural communities, including many Indigenous communities. The sale funded the Networking the Nation (NTN) programme which aims to bridge the gaps in telecommunications services access and costs between urban and non-urban Australia. Funded projects that will substantially benefit Indigenous communities include: 
•	Kempsey Koori Community Network, New South Wales: establishing and operating public Internet access facilities at five Indigenous organisations across the Kempsey area; 
•	Local Government Association of the Northern Territory: providing equipment (hardware and software), and building online systems to enable the Territory's 66 regional, municipal and community councils outside Darwin to access the Internet, email, homepage development and council materials and resources. Additional funding has been provided to enable public access to the Internet, training, online content, video conferencing and support services in the library or council premises; 
•	Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, Queensland: Outback Digital Network was funded to establish the Balkanu Cape York Digital Network to improve telecommunications infrastructure and services to 14 remote Indigenous communities on the Cape; and
•	Island Watch (Torres Strait): to develop a business case for the sustainability of videoconferencing and local call Internet access. 
The Report of the Telecommunications Service Inquiry determined that the communications needs of remote Indigenous communities warrant particular attention. As a result, the Government allocated $400,000 to the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DoCITA) to develop a detailed plan to address the telecommunications needs of discrete Indigenous communities. DoCITA has undertaken a strategic study and developed a Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities. 
Under the Action Plan, the Government will provide targeted funding of $8.3 million over three years from 2002-03 for initiatives to improve telecommunications for remote Indigenous communities including: 
•	improving access to, and availability of, phone services, Internet and higher bandwidth services; 
•	improving information and awareness — providing support for the development of Indigenous online content; and 
•	providing better coordination and support to oversee the implementation of telecommunications initiatives. 
These programmes will build on the extensive range of projects being funded under Networking the Nation and other Government programmes.
DoCITA is working with Telstra and ATSIC to develop a programme to improve access to payphones in Indigenous communities where this service is suitable. Some 106 discrete Indigenous communities have been identified for review of their payphone needs, and a programme of site visits is under way to help the first 36 communities.
In July 2001, the Government allocated $150 million for upgraded infrastructure and service improvements to customers under the Untimed Local Calls (Extended Zones) Agreement between the Commonwealth and Telstra. Most remote Indigenous communities are located in these extended zones. The initiative has reduced the cost of phone calls and provided untimed local call access to at least one Internet Service Provider. Other services to be incorporated in the programme include specialised data services and videoconferencing provided by satellite. 
The Government is continuously improving access mobile phone coverage. Some 132 towns will receive improved coverage under current initiatives, including the Indigenous communities of Borroloola, Lajamanu, Ngukurr, Numbulwar, Oenpelli, Timber Creek, Yuendumu, Orient Point, Doomadgee, Palm Island, Woorabinda, Yarrabah and Crescent Head.
The Government is funding a number of programmes to improve broadcasting services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Government’s 2002‑03 Budget initiative to extend SBS Television to communities with a population of 5,000‑10,000 people will benefit Indigenous Australians living in the transmission areas for these services. The $35 million Television Black Spots Programme (TVBSP) aims to assist communities to fix between 200 and 250 analog television ‘black spot’ areas. In 2001‑02 the TVBSP has provided more than $1.8 million to replace obsolete equipment of which $1.02 million has been provided to Indigenous communities, and $2 million to provide new services of which $0.3 million has been provided to Indigenous communities.
SBS funds Indigenous radio and television production, and provides funding to SBS Independent for Indigenous film and television productions. Funding is also provided via the Community Broadcasting Foundation to support local community broadcasting for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 
Banking and financial services
The Government is committed to improving banking and financial services for Indigenous Australians. As the most economically disadvantaged group in the community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have particular needs in relation to financial services. Government agencies, Indigenous communities and the private sector have collaborated to address Indigenous banking issues. Recent activities have included:
•	the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) report, Book up: Some Consumer Problems, addressed some of the problems concerning proprietors who offer short-term credit in exchange for a consumer’s bank access card and PIN; 
•	ATSIC, ASIC and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) held a workshop in Alice Springs in April 2002 focusing on consumer educative and legislative approaches to financial services for Indigenous people; 
•	Storecharter, developed as a collaboration between ACCC, ATSIC, the Aboriginal Coordinating Council, the Australian Retailers’ Association and pastoral organisations, is a voluntary service charter for stores serving remote Indigenous communities; and
•	Indigenous Business Australia and Westpac Bank co-chaired a forum hosted by Reconciliation Australia from 8-9 May 2002, for stakeholders from financial institutions, Indigenous organisations, academia and Government agencies. This forum identified a number of key issues concerning Indigenous banking which the Government is now considering. 
Launched in March 1999, the Government allocated $70 million to fund the Rural Transaction Centre (RTC) programme. The programme enables people living in smaller rural towns to have the same access to basic transaction services that people in larger towns and cities take for granted. The RTCs provide access to financial transactions, post, phone, fax, Internet, Medicare, and Centrelink services. Communities are also using the programme to provide a range of other government and private sector services. There are 44 operational RTCs and five have been approved in, or in the vicinity of, the Indigenous communities of Oenpelli, Ramingining, Maningrida, Numbulwar, and Wadeye. A further 21 Indigenous communities are undergoing business planning as the first step in establishing an RTC. 
The Department of Family and Community Services and Westpac are conducting a 12‑month banking trial in partnership with the Tangentyere Council Inc. in Alice Springs to improve Indigenous access to banking. The trial provides automatic teller machines within Indigenous organisations and trains users in operating the facility. 
Land and cultural heritage
Over 15 per cent of Australia is owned or controlled by Indigenous people. The Government is committed to enabling Indigenous people to increase the economic and social benefits that can be gained from this substantial asset base. Total Commonwealth spending on Indigenous land and native title matters in 2002‑03 is estimated to be $224.2 million (excluding potential native title financial assistance payments to the states and territories of $11 million). This figure includes $25 million of the additional $86 million over four years which was provided in the 2001‑02 Budget to ensure speedier resolution of native title claims. 
The Government is committed to reforming the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 in order to improve the economic and social position of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. The Government’s priorities include reducing barriers to economic development on Aboriginal land and facilitating effective devolution of control from existing Land Councils to more localised regional bodies. The Government is also committed to ensuring that the Aboriginals Benefit Account is well targeted and viable over the longer term.
The Aboriginal Land Rights Act has resulted in approximately half of the Northern Territory being returned to Indigenous ownership. Since 1996, the Government has returned 14 parcels of land to Aboriginal traditional owners in the Northern Territory. 
The operation of the Native Title Act 1993 is continuing to benefit from the 1998 amendments that streamlined the processes for managing native title claims. There are now 38 determinations of native title (as at 10 April 2002) including 24 consent determinations. Twenty-nine of those determinations have been made since 1 July 2000. Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) were made possible by the 1998 amendments. The negotiation of ILUAs is increasing with 41 ILUAs now registered with the National Native Title Tribunal and a further 29 being processed by the Tribunal (as at 10 April 2002). In addition there are now over 3,000 general native title process agreements involving native title parties, the majority of which are future act agreements in relation to mining. Resolution of native title issues by agreement is to the benefit of all stakeholders involved in the native title process.
In addition to statutory land rights and native title, the Indigenous Land Corporation continues to acquire and manage land to provide economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits for Indigenous people. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund provides over $50 million per annum to the Indigenous Land Corporation for these purposes. 
The Government is committed to reforming the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 to provide an improved Commonwealth regime for dealing with applications for Indigenous heritage protection and a system of accreditation of state and territory Indigenous cultural heritage protection regimes that meet specified standards. The Government is currently consulting stakeholders regarding the reforms. 
The Government recognises that the return of ancestral remains is of great significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A joint statement was issued by the Prime Minister and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in July 2000, which outlined a commitment to increase efforts to repatriate Indigenous human remains from Britain to Australia. As reflected in the joint statement, ATSIC has been developing protocols that will facilitate the sensitive process of repatriating ancestral remains from the United Kingdom to Australia. On behalf of the Cultural Ministers Council, DoCITA also funds two support programmes to assist with the identification and return of Indigenous human remains and secret/sacred objects from national, state and territory museums within Australia to Indigenous communities.
In 2001, the National Museum of Australia established a Repatriation Programme Unit, supported by funding from ATSIC, to manage the return of human remains and sacred objects held by overseas museums to traditional custodians. The unit is currently overseeing the repatriation of Indigenous human remains that were formerly held by Edinburgh University. Five sets of remains have been returned and agreement has been reached for the return of 240 sets of remains to South Australia and the Northern Territory. This represents approximately 70 per cent of the Edinburgh Collection. 
The Australia Council, through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, provides funding of between $4 million and $5 million per annum to foster Indigenous arts and culture. This includes grants to established arts centres and artists, support for young and emerging artists, and the annual Red Ochre art award of $50,000 in recognition of an Indigenous artist’s contribution to the arts. 
The Government has assisted the National Indigenous Arts Advocacy Association in developing a Label of Authenticity for Indigenous arts and crafts. Over 170 Indigenous artists from across Australia are now certified to access labels for their products, and over 245,000 collaboration mark labels have been purchased for placement on products. 
Law and justice
The Commonwealth is committed to working with the states and territories, who have primary responsibility for criminal justice matters, to address the disproportionate rate at which Indigenous people come into contact with the criminal justice system. In 1997, the Commonwealth convened a Ministerial Summit on Indigenous Deaths in Custody, which resulted in a commitment by most governments to develop jurisdictional targets and strategic plans to reduce the rate of Indigenous over-representation. Three states have now launched such plans, and others are well under way. 
The Commonwealth also provides secretariat support to the National Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (NAJAC). NAJAC enables Indigenous representatives from each state and territory to exchange ideas, discuss best practice models and to work together to achieve qualitative and equitable standards on criminal and social justice issues and legislation as they impact on Indigenous people. Indigenous criminal justice also remains an important item on the agenda of a number of ministerial councils.
The Commonwealth’s commitment to collaborating with states and territories is further borne out in a number of joint projects. Notably, in 2000 the Federal Government allocated $20 million over four years to divert juveniles from the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory and jointly funded Aboriginal interpreter services there. The Aboriginal Interpreter Service in the Northern Territory now has over 240 interpreters registered covering 104 languages. The pre-court diversion scheme also appears to be functioning well, with close to 80 per cent of all juvenile apprehensions being offered diversion in its first year. The result has been a reduction in court appearances by juveniles by more than 30 per cent compared to the previous year, a reduction in convictions for juveniles for property offences of over 50 per cent and a reduction in detention sentences for property offences of 40 per cent. There have also been over 50 per cent fewer convictions in court for all offences.
Other cooperative arrangements with states and territories include work towards a national profile of night patrols, mentoring programmes for Indigenous youth, early intervention projects and a pilot project aimed at adolescents to address domestic violence.
Reforms to improve the equality, accessibility and accountability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services are continuing. National minimum service standards and new policy guidelines for test case funding have been implemented, and best practice standards for legal services are being developed on a state and territory basis. A major focus of the reforms is to improve the services available to Indigenous women, particularly in the areas of family violence, family law and other civil matters. In a related initiative, 12 Family Violence Legal Prevention Units have been established by ATSIC since 1999 to provide advice and legal assistance to Indigenous women.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Project (ATSIP) also provides assistance to Indigenous women as part of the Commonwealth Community Legal Services Programme (CCLSP). The Commonwealth recognises that there are groups within the community that traditionally may encounter significant difficulty accessing appropriate legal services and accordingly has provided specialist funding to address this problem. In 2002-03, the CCLSP will provide $992,413 for the provision of ATSIP services nationally. Each state has at least one community legal service that provides ATSIP services and in most states the project is administered by a specialist women's legal service.
Data sources
There will be a significant increase in the Indigenous population information available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Indigenous community profiles will be included in the first Census release on 17 June 2002, followed by a report outlining the population distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and in February 2003 by a detailed analysis of the Indigenous population for all Census data items. The 2001 Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey (CHINS) results were released in early May 2002 and update information collected in the 1999 CHINS.
The 2001 National Health Survey (NHS) included an Indigenous sample supplement (NHS(I)) of 2,800 persons, large enough to provide national level estimates on a broad range of issues related to health status, health risk factors and health service utilisation. Results from the 2001 NHS(I) will be published in late 2002.
The first Indigenous Social Survey (ISS) will be collected in 2002 and the results will be available in September 2003. The survey will collect information on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population on key aspects of social concern, including culture and economic conditions. The ISS sample is large enough to provide state and territory estimates and the survey will be repeated six-yearly. 
From November 2001, the Indigenous status question has been asked of all selections in the Labour Force Survey questionnaire, rather than being asked in only one month of the survey. While some caveats will continue to exist on the quality of annual experimental estimates of the labour force characteristics of Indigenous Australians, for calendar year 2002 onwards the estimates will be based on a sample that is 50 per cent larger than the previous series (reducing the sampling error) and will reflect the average employment experience across the entire year rather than at one point in time in the year. 
In 2001, the government made a commitment to further improving the quality of data to better target services for Indigenous Australians and to provide better information about the outcomes of services for Indigenous Australians. Specifically the Government will seek to include an Indigenous Identifier in the Medicare data set and the Public Housing data set. Indigenous status is collected by the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) agencies and has been included in Centrelink records since 2001. A number of Commonwealth agencies are working to overcome systemic barriers to identifying Indigenous clients using the standard Indigenous identifier developed by the ABS and by the Commonwealth Government and the state and territory governments.
Reconciliation
The Government is strongly committed to the ongoing process of reconciliation and is continuing its work on both practical and symbolic measures. These measures are designed to ensure that the reconciliation process continues and, importantly, improves the lives of Indigenous Australians. The extensive range of Government initiatives detailed in this document illustrates the breadth of the Government’s commitment to reconciliation. We believe that the best measure of the Government’s commitment to reconciliation is the outcomes it helps achieve ‑ more and better jobs, better educational achievement, better housing and better health.
The Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs implements the Living in Harmony initiative, which fulfils the Government’s undertaking to run an anti‑racism campaign by taking a positive and non-confrontational approach to establishing and maintaining harmony between people of different cultural backgrounds, including Indigenous Australians.

The Living in Harmony initiative was launched in 1998. It comprises three linked elements: a community grants programme, a partnership programme and a public information strategy which includes Harmony Day. A significant number of grants awarded under the Living In Harmony initiative have an Indigenous component.

The Government, in addition to the $5.6 million already contributed for the establishment of Reconciliation Australia (RA), has extended tax deductibility to donations to RA. This is to encourage members of the public who wish to make a financial contribution to the work of this independent, non-profit body which provides a national focus for reconciliation after the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation ended its work in December 2000.
The Federal Government has also provided funding of $5 million for the construction of Reconciliation Place — a place in the heart of the national capital to commemorate the importance of reconciliation in the nation’s life and help tell the story of our shared histories. 

Appendix A – A Record of Commitment
1996
Greater focus on achieving desired outcomes through the quarantining of Aboriginal housing and infrastructure and Community Development Employment Projects from savings measures.
Tightening of accountability requirements within ATSIC and its funded bodies as a result of the findings and recommendations of the Special Auditor.
1997
Commencement of the innovative ATSIC/Army Community Assistance Programme which brings together Aboriginal communities and the Army in a partnership to construct essential infrastructure in some of the most needy remote communities at a cost of $10 million.
Commonwealth, state and territory ministerial summit on reducing the over‑representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.
Commencement of the first review of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 since the early 1980s.
Agreement to national performance indicators and targets for improvements to Indigenous health agreed by Commonwealth, state and territory Health Ministers.
Funding levels in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs portfolio guaranteed for four years, providing surety of funding to the portfolio.
Completion of a major review of the Community Development Employment Projects scheme.
The Hindmarsh Island Bridge Act 1997 came into operation, precluding further action or litigation under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 and thereby enabled construction of the bridge to Hindmarsh Island.
Federal Government response to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's report on the separation of Aboriginal families, Bringing Them Home. The Government response provides a practical $63 million package of initiatives to facilitate family reunion and assist Aboriginal people cope with the hurt and trauma of family separation.

1998
Provision of an extra $73 million over four years to address the urgent health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation provided with an additional $10 million capital injection to promote greater participation of Indigenous interests in large business investments.
Joint funding agreement between the Commonwealth and Queensland governments to improve access to essential infrastructure in the Torres Strait region involving $30 million over three years.
Native title amendments agreed to, paving the way for greater certainty and improved workability of the native title process.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Bill first introduced into Parliament.
1999
Both Houses of Federal Parliament endorsed the Government‑sponsored Motion of Reconciliation which reaffirmed the cause of reconciliation as an important national priority and expressed deep and sincere regret that Indigenous Australians suffered injustices under the practices of past generations and recognised the hurt and trauma that many Indigenous people continue to feel as a consequence of those practices.
Launch of the Indigenous Employment Policy involving $52 million per year for programmes aimed at generating more job opportunities for Indigenous people in the private sector and to provide support for Indigenous people to enter small business.
Extension of the ATSIC Army Community Assistance Programme with an additional $41.2 million over four years to improve essential infrastructure in remote communities.
Roundtable convened to discuss ways to address family violence in Indigenous communities. The Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs subsequently endorsed a national framework to target Indigenous family violence. Over three years, $6 million from the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence strategy was set aside for Indigenous projects.
First all‑elected board of ATSIC and first elected ATSIC Chairman. 
2000
In July 2000, Prime Minister John Howard and Prime Minister Tony Blair made a joint statement outlining their governments’ intention to increase efforts to repatriate Indigenous human remains from Britain to Australia.
Launch of the $27 million National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.
Expansion of the Community Development Employment Projects scheme by an extra 1,500 places for regional and remote areas at a net cost to the Budget of $20.8 million over four years.
Review of the Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 initiated more than 3,300 Aboriginal organisations have been incorporated under this legislation.
Announcement of the construction of Reconciliation Place to honour the importance of reconciliation in the nation's life and to recognise the shared journey between the different peoples of the Australian nation. 
Corroboree 2000 was a significant Government‑sponsored event organised by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation which included the presentation of the national reconciliation documents to Australian governments.
Reconciliation Australia established with $5.6 million grant from the Federal Government to continue the ‘people's movement’ for reconciliation. The Government has also given tax deductibility status for donations and gifts to the organisation.
Government announced the first round of grants from the National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme. Thirty Indigenous organisations across Australia received funding of $2.2 million for 31 practical community based projects addressing family violence.
Roundtable convened to examine ways to build capacity within Indigenous communities. The Roundtable involved Indigenous and non‑Indigenous community leaders and resulted in $20 million being set aside for Indigenous community capacity building projects from the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.
Launch of the Voluntary Service to Indigenous Communities Foundation which aims to link skilled volunteers with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities requesting assistance. The Government granted $1.5 million over three years and tax deductibility status for gifts and donations.
Council of Australian Governments agrees to a framework for advancing reconciliation through addressing Indigenous disadvantage.
Prime Minister delivers keynote speech — the Menzies Lecture — on reconciliation and the Government's Indigenous affairs agenda.
2001
The Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs portfolio is elevated to Cabinet.
The first projects under the Indigenous‑specific component of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy announced. The projects included a national leadership programme with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and other community based projects designed to create increased social and economic opportunities at the local level.
Establishment of Indigenous Business Australia to forge partnerships between Indigenous people and corporate Australia by developing commercially viable joint ventures that will enable Indigenous Australians to acquire equity in a number of large businesses and to create opportunities for employment.
Opening of new building for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
2001 Budget announces $327 million in additional funding over the next four years for Indigenous‑specific programmes.
Government announces winner of the design competition for Reconciliation Place and construction commences. 
Government releases Commonwealth Grants Commission Report on Indigenous Funding.
2002
Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs established within the new Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
Council of Australian Governments agrees to trial a whole‑of‑government approach in up to 10 communities or regions and to commission a regular report against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage.
Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs reaches agreement with the National Indigenous Working Group on Violence, to commission an audit of services and good practice related to Indigenous family violence.
First round of grants to Indigenous communities under the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) releases its report Book up: Some Consumer Problems, while the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) releases Storecharter a voluntary service charter for stores serving rural and remote Indigenous communities.
ATSIC, ASIC and the ACCC held a workshop in Alice Springs in April 2002 focused on consumer educative and legislative approaches to financial services for Indigenous people.

Minister Ruddock delivers keynote speech urging discussion around five key issues:
-	recognising the importance of the individual and the family;
-	targeting literacy and numeracy skills as a long‑term strategy for Indigenous economic independence;
-	reflecting a partnership of shared responsibility between government and Indigenous people in which we give equal emphasis to individuals’ responsibilities as well as rights; 
-	making substance misuse, particularly alcohol and tobacco abuse, the central focus of Indigenous health strategy; and 
-	making mainstream services meet their obligations to Indigenous people so that Indigenous‑specific resources can be targeted to areas of highest need.
Indigenous Governance Conference convened by Reconciliation Australia, ATSIC and the National Institute for Governance.
Consultations resumed for reform of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.
Commencement of the Family Income Management Trials Project in Cape York which will assist Indigenous families to build their capacity to better manage income and family responsibilities. 
Minister for Family and Community Services announces $9 million boost during 2002‑03 to the Aboriginal Rental Housing Program.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations announces 130 Structured Training and Employment (STEP) projects worth over $28 million.
2002 Budget allocates $8.3 million over three years to improve telecommunications for remote Indigenous communities.
Government announces funding for Indigenous‑specific programmes will increase to a record $2.5 billion for 2002-03.

Appendix B – Identifiable Commonwealth Expenditure on Indigenous Affairs
The following table provides a summary of expenditure of particular relevance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Expenditure elements are listed by portfolio and the first elements under each portfolio relate to the Department of state under that portfolio unless otherwise listed. The 2002-03 column details Budget estimates for the coming financial year. The 2001-02 estimated actual column provides an update of the figures provided in last year’s Ministerial statement, Our Path Together.

Notes to table:
1.	The Administrative Arrangements Order announced by the Prime Minister on 23 November 2001 provided for the amalgamation of two former Portfolios, Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, and Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. 
2.	On 26 November 2001, the functions of the former Department of Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs were incorporated into the new Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (which now includes the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs). The 2002‑03 Budget estimate figure reflects a projected reduction in Administered expenditure.
3.	While it is not known how many Indigenous organisations will receive Living in Harmony Community Grant funds in 2002‑03, it is anticipated that a number of grants awarded may have an Indigenous focus, as in previous years.
4.	While the output groups remain the same, there are four additional outputs for 2002‑03. Whereas in 2001‑02, CDEP was reported solely under Output Group 4 Economic Development (sub output 4.4 Employment and Training), the three additional outputs for CDEP are now reported under Output Groups 1, 3 and 4. These changes recognise the diversity of activities performed by CDEP organisations. The other additional output for Welfare Reform — Participation is included under Output Group, Capacity Building and Quality Assurance, as a result of the 2001‑02 Budget Measure, Promoting Self‑Reliance for Indigenous People — Community Participation Agreements & Capacity Building.
5.	Indigenous agencies reflect their total price of outputs which may include capital use charges.
6.	The NAQS figures refer to salaries for Indigenous staff in the NT (1), and Torres Strait and Cape York (23), however non‑Indigenous staff are also involved in NAQS activities with remote communities in these areas.
7.	One‑off funding for expenditure on grants, forums, or other special projects.
8.	This is an administered item within Attorney-General’s Department. Expenditure is dependent on states and territories signing financial assistance agreements with the Commonwealth for reimbursement of 75 per cent of native title compensation costs and 50 per cent of the cost of tribunals performing native title functions. Whilst an estimate of $11 million had been Budgeted for in 2001‑02, estimated actual expenditure for that year is $500,000.
9.	On 26 November 2001, the Attorney‑General’s Portfolio assumed responsibility for Emergency Management Australia from the Defence Portfolio.
10.	Construction of new facilities for Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Studies and National Museum of Australia’s First Australians Gallery was completed during 2000‑01. 
11.	Return of Indigenous Cultural Property was a 3‑year project ending in 2001‑02.
12.	DCITA’s Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities targets funding of $8.3 million over three years from 2002‑03 to 2004‑05 for initiatives to improve telecommunications for remote Indigenous communities. This Action Plan resulted from DCITA’s Strategic Study in 2001‑02.
13.	The ABC’s 2002‑03 figure reflects a change in reporting HR support costs.
14.	As part of the film industry package announced by the Government in September 2001, the AFC’s additional funding will provide professional development opportunities for Indigenous Australian filmmakers through the funding of the development and production of their projects in 2002‑03.
15.	On 26 November 2001, the Australian Sports Commission transferred to DCITA from DITR.
16.	As part of the Government’s response to the Bringing Them Home report, Archives were allocated $2 million over four years to 2001‑02 to make records of value in reuniting Indigenous families more accessible. In 2002‑03 Archives have allocated an additional $200,000 to continue this indexing project.
17.	Funding received for the oral history project ended in 2001‑02. In 2002‑03, NLA have allocated an additional $94,000 for the editing and publication of a book relating to the Bringing Them Home project.
18.	The Telstra Country Wide Indigenous Strategy aims to develop partnerships with Indigenous people by identifying and facilitating initiatives within rural and remote Indigenous communities.
19.	The Department of Education, Science and Training has changed from reporting at a high level in previous years to reporting on specified items at the detailed programme level for 2002‑03. All figures represent Administered expenditure items only.
20.	The decrease from 2001‑02 to 2002‑03 reflects one-off funding in 2001‑02 carried over from 2000‑01.
21.	2001‑02 has been revised downwards to offset overstatements in previous years. (For more information refer to DEST budget papers).
22.	On 26 November 2001, Regional Assistance was transferred from DEWR to DOTARS.
23.	Joint Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Environment Australia project funded through Natural Heritage Trust.
24.	2002‑03 estimate not available at the time of printing this publication.
25.	These funds have been transferred to ATSIC and will be implemented as a joint venture between the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy and the Centre for Appropriate Technology. 
26.	These figures are for state administered programmes in WA, NT, Qld, and SA. Budgeted 2001‑02 expenditures in small remote Indigenous communities delayed to 2002‑03 to maximise the benefits from the Indigenous Renewable Energy Services Project (Bushlight) support programme. 
27.	An additional $29 million over three years was identified for the Aboriginal Rental Housing Programme (ARHP) in the 2001 Budget. In 2002‑03, the funding increase is $9 million, bringing the total ARHP allocation for the year to $100 million. In 2003‑04 and 2004‑05, the increase will be $10 million, bringing the total ARHP allocation to $101 million for each of these years.
28.	On 26 November 2001, the Youth Bureau (youth affairs and programmes in support of Indigenous young people) transferred to FaCS from DEST. 
29.	A minimum of $20 million is available for Indigenous specific initiatives under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy over four years. Of that amount, $10 million has already been committed. 
30.	Increase in 2002‑03 is part of the Government’s commitment to double exporters by 2006.
31.	In 2002‑03, DoHA expects to receive funding from other agencies which will increase the funding to $1.5 million. In previous years, Croc Festivals were funded from a number of agencies.
32.	The increase in 2001‑02 estimation is due in part to Qld state‑operated services coming on line on 1 July 2001. This accounts for an increase in the estimates of approximately $1.2 million.
33.	From October 2001, pathology services are funded through Medicare and not under Health Programme Grants.
34.	Increase in 2002‑03 is due to both an ongoing transfer of funds from Infrastructure spending ($7.17m), and to indexation, including indexation for population growth.
35.	In 1999‑2000 Budget, Primary Health Care Access Programme received funding over four years, ending in 2002‑03. The 2001‑02 Budget measures continue the programme with a further $40.2 million over 2003‑04 and 2004‑05.
36.	AACAP is a 1999-2000 Budget measure which extended an earlier pilot initiative, as part of a coordinated approach to provide environmental health infrastructure to remote Indigenous communities. Funds are appropriated to OATSIH and paid to ATSIC under a MOU signed by Health and Ageing, ATSIC and the Army in accordance with agreed budgets for approved projects each year.
37.	The 2001‑02 Estimated Actual figure includes a back payment for 2000‑01.
38.	Initial Budget estimates for 2001‑02 and 2002‑03 were $2 million in each year. This has been revised to $3.32 million in 2001‑02 and $1.44 million in 2002‑03 to reflect the payment schedules for grants under Stage 1, Stage 2, and the Capacity Building element of the programme. The Indigenous Family Violence grants programme (part of the PADV programme) covers three years ending in 2002‑03.
39.	2002‑03 figure includes funds for an Indigenous Social Survey that is conducted every six years.
40.	In 2001‑02, ATO planned to undertake an Indigenous Summit that will now be undertaken in 2002‑03.