Maximising opportunities in a new era of Indigenous affairs

Maximising opportunities in a new era of Indigenous affairs

Tom Calma

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

Australian Human Rights Commission

5 May 2009

I’d like to begin by acknowledging that we are on Gadigal country and I pay my respects to Elders past and present.  Thank you Allen for your welcome to country as well. 

Thank you to Philanthropy Australia, Oxfam Australia and the Greenstone Group for helping to bring this important event together.  I’m also grateful to Deloitte for hosting us today. 

Today’s topic is “how to maximise opportunities in a new era of Indigenous affairs”.  It is an excellent topic as only yesterday when I launched my Social Justice and Native Title Reports for 2008 that I spoke of many of the same ideas I will raise today.

That is, I think we are witnessing a new and exciting era in Indigenous affairs.  After a decade of inaction and at times even hostility, we are seeing the burgeoning of a new relationship between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians, including governments, based on respect and partnerships. 

Now is the time to capitalise on the momentum and move forward together.

We have seen some pretty remarkable events take place in Indigenous affairs lately.  Take for example the Apology on 13 February last year.  This will go down as one of those ‘where were you’ moments in Australia history.

The Apology was a milestone, a line in the sand that marked a change in attitude, a new way of doing business, a new partnership.

It still brings a shiver down my spine to recollect the power of those few words.  And I don’t think these feelings are confined only to Indigenous Australians.  Many people were taken aback by how powerful and emotional the Apology was, given that for many years, it was something that many Australians had been led to believe was something to fear.  It provided a glimpse, if only for one day, of what our society can be at its very best and how good it feels.

Those good feelings we get from the Apology - pride, optimism and connection to others - are the same feelings we get when we give to others.  And that is what we are really here to talk about today - philanthropy has the power to uplift the receivers, as well as the givers.

And there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to lift Indigenous Australians out of disadvantage. Let me paint you a quick picture.

You have probably all heard of the 17 year life expectancy gap, so much so that the power of these words gets lost in repetition.  But let’s break it down - the life expectancy for Indigenous men is only 59 years.  Maybe there are some people in this room getting towards that age themselves, maybe there are people in this rooms whose parents are getting towards that age.  It’s a pretty stark example of disadvantage.

Other indicators are also unacceptable:

• The weekly household income for Indigenous people is half of the non Indigenous income, putting many under the poverty line;
• The Indigenous unemployment rate is 3 times higher than the non Indigenous rate;  and
• Indigenous young people are half as likely to continue to year 12 as non Indigenous Australians.

But the problem with this picture is that it can breed hopelessness: things are so bad; they are never going to change; why throw good money away after bad.  I appreciate this concern and I am equally concerned with the continual focus on the deficit model that is too often promoted through mainstream media.

I’m here to tell you that things are changing.  This is a hopeful, promising time - but what we really need to change this picture of Indigenous disadvantage is your support and involvement.

Let me give you an example of a positive change, of how quickly attitudes can change.  In my 2005 Social Justice Report I argued that Indigenous health inequality was an urgent human rights issue and I called on the government to commit to closing the 17 year life expectancy gap within a generation, that is, 25 years. 

This is an ambitious but achievable goal.  Since then we have seen extraordinary things achieved by the Close the Gap Campaign.  The Close the Gap Campaign is made up of a diverse group of Indigenous and non Indigenous health peak bodies and human rights advocates who initiated the campaign with me in 2006.

I should take this opportunity to single out the excellent work and commitment that Oxfam Australia and the Fred Hollows Foundation have shown as campaign partners and significant financial contributors to the campaign.

Just a few short years ago, no one had heard of close the gap, now it is part of the popular lexicon.  The Australian Government has embraced our objectives and the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have signed a bipartisan Statement of Intent to close the life expectancy gap by 2030 and provide the necessary primary health care to meet the goal by 2018.

The hard work continues but I’m happy to report that important steps have taken place like:

• the $1.6 billion commitment towards achieving Indigenous health equality;
• the National Indigenous Health Equality Targets;  and
• a National Indigenous Health Equality Council. 

I am confident that all of these steps will lead to real improvements on the ground for Indigenous people if they are done in the spirit of partnership. 

And partnership doesn’t just mean between government and Indigenous people - there are huge potentials for philanthropic organisations to get on board as well.

In fact, I would say that some of the most innovative and successful programs in Indigenous health at the moment are run by NGOs like Oxfam, the Fred Hollows Foundation and Caritas to name just a few.  These NGOs get financial support from a range of philanthropic, corporate and private sources and work in close partnership with Indigenous people in the delivery of their programs and services.

For instance the Fred Hollows Foundation runs an integrated, holistic health program in Katherine that looks at nutrition, child and maternal health, aural health, community stores management and financial literacy.  And Caritas run an excellent diabetes prevention program in the Kimberley. 

And as well as their advocacy work, Oxfam are involved with programs that look at the emotional and social dimensions of health.  In particular, Oxfam keep the Yorgum Healing Centre in Perth running. Yorgum is renowned for involving Indigenous grannies and other elder women to help nurture kids who have been affected by violence and abuse. 

None of these programs would exist without partnerships between philanthropic organisations, NGOs and the everyday Australians who donate money.

I’d also suggest that some of these programs might not get funded through government, or if they did, the reporting and accountability would be so onerous that the funding becomes untenable.

One of the great strengths of philanthropic involvement in Indigenous programs is that it can lead to new and exciting way of working.  It is the venture capital of new ideas.

And I would encourage you to be bold and innovative in thinking about investing in Indigenous communities and projects.

Over the years it seems most philanthropic organisations have tended to favour more individually focused activities like Indigenous scholarships. 

Don’t get me wrong, some Indigenous young people have been given fantastic opportunities to get a quality of education simply unavailable to them in their own communities - but I think if we are serious about tackling Indigenous disadvantage we need to think also about projects that can work with entire communities in ways that build their capacity.

Let me give you an example. Garrthalala is a remote community in Arnhem land, so remote it only had mains power put on last year.  Up until 2006 there was no classroom for the secondary students in the community.  In 2006 a classroom and dormitory were built, not with government funds but with the assistance from a local Rotary Club in Victoria.  Because of this, seven students graduated from secondary school for the first time without having to leave their communities.

It doesn’t sound like a lot to us in the city, but believe me, this was a huge achievement.  And unlike a scholarship that will help one student, this very practical measure, by a small community group, will continue to give opportunities to these Indigenous young people for years to come. It is also an important way to show younger kids in the community that they can achieve a higher standard of education, because “you cannot be what you cannot see” – and that is the legacy of sending kids off to boarding school. 

Education also needs to take place about human rights as well.  Indigenous people need to know how the law affects them and how to protect their rights.  Oxfam have also been active in this area and are helping my Office develop the Indigenous Human Rights Network, the first step towards skilling up Indigenous advocates about their rights at the national and international level. 

Human rights education isn’t just an academic exercise - it can play an important role in preventing violence and abuse.  Last year my office ran very successful trials on community legal education for Indigenous Family Violence Prevention Legal Services.  This training has taught workers about the relationship between Australian law, customary law and human rights.

In my view, human rights education is an exciting area with many possibilities for investment with widespread impact.

We have also taken a big step towards recognising Indigenous rights in just the last couple of weeks with the Australian Government signaling its support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Australia can now come out of the cold and join most of the other nations around the world who support this key declaration.

There isn’t time to go into all the details of the Declaration, although I will be happy to answer your questions later, but it is sufficient to say that the Declaration provides a framework for the sort of partnerships that we are talking about here today.  It spells out why Indigenous peoples have a right to be at the negotiating table and how they should be involved in all the decision that effect their lives. 

In a couple of weeks I head to the United Nations in New York for the first time since the Declaration has been supported by the Australian government.  It will be a good feeling and one that I will be happy to share with the group of youth delegates, supported by Oxfam that will be going with us as well.  In fact, Lluwannee who is speaking today, will also be attending. I can’t overstate the significance and value of these mentoring experiences for our next generation of Indigenous leaders.

Indigenous leadership is also finally getting the acknowledgement it deserves with the current process to develop a national Indigenous representative body.  Indigenous representation is a key part of protecting Indigenous rights according to the Declaration.  I’m leading the consultation process to put forward a preferred model to the Government by July this year.

Again, like the Apology, like Close the Gap, like support for the Declaration, a National Indigenous Representative Body was unthinkable not so long ago.

Again, it signals a new climate and new possibilities for Indigenous Australia.  Many of the obstacles of the past seem to have been removed and there seems to be a genuine shift in community thinking following the Apology.

So yes, perhaps for the first time in a long time our hope and optimism is warranted.  But there is a great big elephant in the room that I need to address - the global financial crisis.

We know that the global financial crisis will impact on philanthropic funds, corporate donors and NGOs who do so much good work with Indigenous communities.  However, your attendance today indicates that regardless, you still want to do something now.

It’s a cruel irony - when times were booming; Indigenous communities were facing problems attracting philanthropic support; but now that there is a renewed interest in Indigenous issues, economic times are tough and funds are stretched.

Yet we can’t let circumstances overtake our determination.  Indigenous people have been at the bottom of the heap for too long, and now that a window of opportunity has opened, be it only a little, I would encourage everyone to look in and see what you can do.  The situation for Indigenous people will go backwards if we don’t act now.

As you may be aware, my five year term as Social Justice Commissioner comes to an end in July this year. I have been very privileged and proud to fill this position. I have had the opportunity to take part in major debates, represent Indigenous people in the UN, I even got to respond to the PM on the National Apology.     In all of these opportunities what I have valued most has been getting the voices of my people across, to try and motivate positive change.  I hope that is what I have done with you today. Remember, partnership is based on respect, respect brings dignity, and dignity brings hope.

Thank you for your time and support.