Orange has become the first community in NSW to finalise a Closing the Gap Place Based Plan.
The plan will be signed in the NSW Parliament today, witnessed by Member for Orange, Phil Donato and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, David Harris.
The plan commits Orange’s Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations – the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service and the Orange Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group – to work together on Closing the Gap in Orange.
Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO, Annette Steele said the plan is a community-led, 10-year commitment that will progress all 17 Closing the Gap targets in Orange.
“Of particular focus will be the targets relating to the proportion children being developmentally on track and being overrepresented in out of home care,” Ms Steele said.
“Nationally, both of these targets are going backwards. We need to do all we can to turn this situation around in Orange.”
Ms Steele said the plan contains practical initiatives that will make a real difference.
“For example, we’ve started going into local schools to work closely with Aboriginal students to maximise their chances of success in the HSC,” she said.
Ms Steele said non-Aboriginal students are also being educated about cultural and social issues to increase understanding and acceptance of young Aboriginal people in the school environment.
“Programs like this will make a huge difference to individual life chances, but they also recognise that these kids are our future. They will make up the skilled, educated workforce so essential to closing the gap,” she said.
Orange Aboriginal Medical Service CEO, Jamie Newman said the place based plan recognises that while the support of government is essential, Aboriginal people are the ones who will ultimately close the gap.
“The policy settings are put in place in the National and State Parliaments, but the Gap won’t be closed in Canberra or Macquarie St. It will only be closed by Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations in countless local communities across Australia,” he said.
“The way our three organisations have come together to establish a strong partnership is a model that can be followed in other parts of NSW,” Mr Newman said.
Mr Newman thanked Member for Orange, Phil Donato for hosting the event and the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council for supporting the development of the plan.
Media contact: Gary Highland on 0418 476 940
National Closing the Gap Targets
- Close the Gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies with a healthy birthweight to 91 per cent.
- By 2025, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in Year Before Fulltime Schooling (YBFS) early childhood education to 95 per cent.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as developmentally on track in all five domains of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to 55 per cent.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (age 20-24) attaining year 12 or equivalent qualification to 96 per cent.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-34 years who have completed a tertiary qualification (Certificate III and above) to 70 per cent.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15-24 years) who are in employment, education or training to 67 per cent.
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-64 who are employed to 62 per cent.
- By 2031:
- a) Increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.
- b) All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households: within discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities receive essential services that meet or exceed the relevant jurisdictional standard in or near to a town receive essential services that meet or exceed the same standard as applies generally within the town (including if the household might be classified for other purposes as a part of a discrete settlement such as a “town camp” or “town based reserve”.)
- By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults held in incarceration by at least 15 per cent.
- By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10-17 years) in detention by at least 30 per cent.
- By 2031, reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent.
- By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards zero.
- Significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards zero.
- By 2030:
- a) A 15 per cent increase in Australia’s landmass subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests.
- b) A 15 per cent increase in areas covered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests in the sea.
- By 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.
- By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion.