Labor clueless on helping Indigenous people control their future
The Federal Government’s Indigenous Economic Development Strategy 2011-2018 reveals that Julia Gillard and Jenny Macklin still have no idea how to help Aboriginal Australians break the shackles of poverty and disadvantage, says Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Senator Nigel Scullion.
“Labor are tinkering around the edges on improving education for Indigenous people, instead of taking real and meaningful action,” Senator Scullion said.
“After four years in government the best Labor can manage is to continue a trial of the School Enrolment and Attendance Measure (SEAM) for an extra year so they can supposedly build evidence of what works on improving school attendance.
“After four years it is outrageous that they still don’t know how to get Aboriginal children to school?
“What have they been doing? Not much is the obvious answer – Labor is simply asleep at the wheel.
“Any strategy proposed by the minister on education and training for job readiness won’t be worth the paper it is written on if you can’t get kids to school.
“In 2007 the previous Coalition government implemented the Northern Territory Intervention measures that were building blocks in addressing Indigenous disadvantage.
“While the implementation of these measures could have been handled better, the results compiled through the Stronger Futures in the NT consultations prove that the Coalition had the right policies.
“Labor has mismanaged the intervention so badly that they have wasted four years and still haven’t been able to achieve safe communities and get children to go to school.
“It is just about impossible to look at economic and businesses futures in this environment.
“The basics are needed first – law and order, a safe community for all and a house to live in. Then and only then can you start to build community capacity and foster independent economic development.
“As a community member was reported as saying during the Stronger Futures Consultations, Labor have to stop talking about what they are going to do and start doing it,” said Senator Scullion.
