Report for COAG on Indigenous Disadvantage

Media Release

This media release was issued with the Steering Committee report, Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators, on 13 November 2003.

A new Report Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators has been released. The Report, the first in a series, was prepared at the request of the Council of Australian Governments. Its function is to provide indicators of Indigenous disadvantage "that are of relevance to all governments and Indigenous stakeholders, and that can demonstrate the impact of program and policy interventions".

The vision behind the Report is that Indigenous people will one day enjoy the same overall standard of living as other Australians. They will be as healthy, live as long, and participate as fully in the social and economic life of the nation.

The Report‘s framework is strategic in concept, providing governments with areas of focus for policy effort. In partnership with the Indigenous community, it will help track over time where governments have had an impact on Indigenous disadvantage - and where work still needs to be done.

The Chairman of the inter-governmental Steering Committee responsible for the Report, Gary Banks, said "This Report confirms the pervasive disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people. But it also reveals some areas of improvement. More importantly, it will provide an ongoing basis for assessing the future progress that governments are striving for."

Mr Banks noted that "the report has benefited greatly from the feedback of many people within government and the wider community, and particularly from Indigenous people." He commended participating governments and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission on their collaborative efforts in producing this first Report, noting that "it remains a work in progress, which will benefit from further feedback and consultation".

The report is a product of the Review of Government Service Provision which is overseen by a Steering Committee comprising senior officials from the Australian, State and Territory governments and supported by a secretariat drawn from the Productivity Commission. The report is available on the Review‘s website at: www.pc.gov.au/gsp.

02 6240 3330 / media@pc.gov.au