Member for Lingiari and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Affairs Warren Snowdon has today acknowledged the collaborative efforts from the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee and all the work done by communities, the private sector and non-government organisations to help eliminate Indigenous disadvantage.
Mr Snowdon said the time was right on National Close the Gap Day to move forward on Constitutional recognition by committing to a timeframe for a referendum.
,^^^,THE HON WARREN SNOWDON MP
SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR EXTERNAL TERRITORIES
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LINGIARI
CLOSE THE GAP 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Member for Lingiari and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Indigenous Affairs Warren Snowdon has today acknowledged the collaborative efforts from the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee and all the work done by communities, the private sector and non-government organisations to help eliminate Indigenous disadvantage.
Mr Snowdon said the time was right on National Close the Gap Day to move forward on Constitutional recognition by committing to a timeframe for a referendum.
Labor Leader Bill Shorten today made this commitment to hold a referendum in its first term of Government.
Closing the Gap means taking action on a more equal future and committing to real and substantive change.
This is why Labor has also committed to setting new targets to Close the Justice Gap, to focus on addressing the unacceptable incarceration rates among Indigenous Australians. Without tackling realities that see the reimprisonment rate for Aboriginal young people being higher than the school retention rate, we arent Closing the Gap, were beating around the bush.
As part of making our communities safer, Labor will have three launch sites for a justice reinvestment model aimed at reducing crime and the costs of crime. One of these sites will be in remote Australia and I am lobbying to have this site in Lingiari.
Mr Snowdon said National Close the Gap Day is a timely reminder to all Australians that there is still more work to be done to deliver positive outcomes for Indigenous Australians and that a collective and bi-partisan approach is required.
Labor has also committed to providing $9 million over four years to address Indigenous eye health in an effort to eliminate trachoma by 2020.
“As a former Minister for Indigenous Health I was responsible for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health plan the plan which has been adopted by the Federal Government, I have a demonstrated long running commitment to Closing the Gap and am conscience of the need to work cooperatively, I have maintained a regular dialogue with the Federal Minister for Health to ensure that we continue a bi-partisan approach to closing the gap.
Mr Snowdon said, that through the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Health Plan, appropriate core health service models and associated workforce and funding arrangements would be developed to meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health needs on a national, regional and local community level, and immediate priority be directed towards regions with relatively poor health and inadequate levels of service such as areas of the Northern Territory.
Its great to see that this report also acknowledges the hard work of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHOs) and identified that they should be the preferred model for investment in primary health care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The full Close the Gap progress and priorities report can be found at: www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/health/index.html
WEDNESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: CHANSEY PAECH (SNOWDON) 0431 810 758