Page 4367 - Week 10 - Thursday, 22 September 2011
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MS BURCH: I am pleased to table the second Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body report to the ACT government, as well as the government’s response to the report.
The inaugural process in 2009 resulted in 29 recommendations, which I am pleased to say were all agreed and responded to by the ACT government. Notable examples of the government actions to implement these elected body recommendations included:
the implementation of a process to improve the collection and management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data, which resulted in a whole of government data monitoring scoping project;
the implementation of a whole of government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment strategy;
better information and promotion of ACT government services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the development of the ACT government’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service delivery framework;
improved support for school-aged students during the transition to high school and beyond and to maintain literacy and numeracy achievements; and
recurrent funding for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander liaison officer at the Women’s Legal Centre.
In December 2010 the then chief executives of the government agencies were called to present evidence to the elected body in support of their directorates’ spending and decision making in a second estimates style hearing process. From this, the elected body produced a detailed report setting out 30 recommendations. It should be noted that the elected body provided an interim report in late 2010 with 16 recommendations. The elected body’s second report to government was presented to my predecessor as Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Mr Jon Stanhope.
I thank the elected body for their hard work in producing their second report and for suggestions on the ways to improve life outcomes in a number of areas for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The elected body recommendations reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on access, quality and performance of the services delivered by the government.
The 2011 report contained 30 recommendations for improvements to life outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, broadly covering increased support for the elected body to undertake its role and greater involvement in policy formulation; better support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wishing to make a career in the ACT public service; increased services, programs and facilities for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community; and increased business opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
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