Preliminary pages
Foreword
These are important days for Australia as we try to
reconcile many issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and how
Australian public policy does, or does not, deliver. Want for better is strong
and effort is commendable. And despite more success stories in recent times in
service delivery and community empowerment, the frustrations of failure remain
unacceptably high.
It is this want for reconciliation and want for better
service delivery that have driven both the Auditor-General and the Joint
Committee of Public Accounts and Audit to focus on a range of programs to test
progress.
This is also done in full expectation of the upcoming
referendum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition in the Australian
Constitution within the next two years. This exciting moment of celebration
must not be missed for any reason, including any perception of wasted taxpayers
dollars or poor service delivery.
The timing of this audit review is therefore critical.
On reviewing the nine reports presented to the Parliament by
the Auditor-General between August and November 2012, the Committee concentrated
its detailed scrutiny on Audit Report No.8 (2012–13) Australian Government
Coordination Arrangements for Indigenous Programs. Linking in with this
report, the Committee decided to extend the scope of its inquiry to include two
other audit reports recently tabled by the Auditor-General: Report No.43
(2011–12) on the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Service Delivery
and Report No.26 (2011–12) on Capacity Development for Indigenous Service
Delivery. The findings of the Committee’s examination are detailed in this
report.
The Committee chose to focus its inquiry on the topic of
government service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Australians for several reasons.
Firstly, as a committee responsible for oversight of public
expenditure, it is our responsibility to verify that the Federal Government’s approximately
$11 billion of annual spending on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people is as efficient and effective as possible.
Secondly, empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
is a major policy priority, and one that public policy is trying to find the
best way to help deliver. Most would recognise this attempt to reach
partnership has its successes and failures, and still needs more thinking and
work.
Finally, reducing any social disadvantage is complex and
cannot be solved overnight. One of the key challenges is ensuring that governments
at all levels, as well as not-for-profit and private sector organisations, are
working together towards common goals. The focus of the three audits on
coordination between Federal Government agencies, cooperation with state and
territory governments, and managing relationships with third sector
organisations gets to the heart of what needs to be done to improve the
availability and accessibility of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.
Due to the complexity and long-standing nature of the issues,
the Committee decided to broaden the sources of evidence it received beyond its
usual practice for reviews of audit reports. In addition to public hearings
with the Auditor‑General and the audited agencies, the Committee sought
and received written submissions from the National Congress of Australia’s
First Peoples and the Social Justice Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Affairs. The Committee also held public hearings with the
Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services and the COAG Reform Council.
A key message arising from the Committee’s review of all
three audit reports was the need for stronger, clearer and more effective
leadership across government. This requires a lead agency with authority and a
clear mandate to oversee expenditure, monitor outcomes, define priorities and
drive actions at whole-of-government level.
FaHCSIA has made commendable progress recently in improving
coordination between government agencies. However, the Committee was not
convinced the current arrangements provide it with the authority needed to
drive outcomes across government as effectively as possible. With this in mind,
the Committee has recommended the Prime Minister commission a review of
leadership and collaboration arrangements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander affairs, with a goal of strengthening the authority of the lead agency
to drive initiatives across departments.
The Committee has also recommended:
- the development of an
explicit whole‑of‑government strategy for capacity development;
- improvements to the
availability of location-based data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander expenditure
and outcomes;
- an update on efforts to measure
outcomes in ‘priority’ remote service delivery communities; and
- options for improvements to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in decision-making
processes.
Of course, what matters most is results. As a nation, we are
progressing on a long road of correcting open wounds of the past, and finding
ways to walk together in the future. For all of us, an Australian culture
celebrating 40 000 years has so much more strength than one confined to 200-odd
years. Finding ways to achieve this under, within or around existing Crown law
is our great challenge.
I am pleased to hear that there have been signs of real
progress being made in some areas in recent years. Sustained efforts to improve
leadership and coordination in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service
delivery will be central to this progress being built upon into the future.
I sincerely thank all those who
participated in what was an informative and constructive inquiry. I also particularly
thank the Auditor-General for his ongoing focus on this area.
Robert
Oakeshott MP
Chair
Membership of the Committee
Chair
|
Mr Robert Oakeshott MP
|
|
Deputy
Chair
|
Ms Yvette D’Ath MP (until 06/02/13)
|
|
|
Ms Gai Brodtmann MP (from 13/02/13)
|
|
Members
|
Hon Dick Adams MP |
Senator Mark Bishop |
|
Mr Jamie Briggs MP |
Senator Louise Pratt |
|
Ms Gai Brodtmann MP |
Senator Anne Ruston |
|
Mr Darren Cheeseman MP |
Senator Dean Smith |
|
Mr Josh Frydenberg MP |
Senator Matt Thistlethwaite |
|
Mr Harry Jenkins MP (from 22/04/13) |
|
|
Mr Shane
Neumann MP (from 06/02/13 until 22/04/13) |
|
|
Ms Deborah O’Neill MP |
|
|
Ms Laura Smyth MP |
|
|
Hon Alex Somlyay MP |
|
Committee Secretariat
Secretary
|
Mr David Brunoro
|
Inquiry
Secretaries
|
Mr James Nelson
|
|
Ms Vikki Darrough
|
Administrative
Officers
|
Ms Jazmine Rakic
|
|
Ms Louise Goss (until 27/03/13) |
List of abbreviations
AGIE
|
Australian Government Indigenous
Expenditure
|
ANAO
|
Australian National Audit Office
|
COAG
|
Council of Australian Governments
|
DoHA
|
Department of Health and Ageing
|
DEEWR
|
Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations
|
FaHCSIA
|
Department of Family, Housing,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
|
JCPAA
|
Joint Committee of Public
Accounts and Audit
|
NACCHO
|
National Aboriginal Community Controlled
Health Organisation
|
NIRA
|
National Indigenous Reform
Agreement
|
NPARSD
|
National Partnership Agreement on
Remote Service Delivery
|
OATSIH
|
Office for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Affairs
|
List of recommendations
2 Australian Government coordination arrangements for Indigenous programs
Recommendation 1
The Committee recommends that the Government examine options
and take action to improve Indigenous representation and involvement in
decision-making processes in relation to Indigenous service delivery, including
the possibilities of a high-level agreement between the National Congress of
Australia’s First Peoples and Executive Government and for the Congress to be consulted
during Council of Australian Government processes on Indigenous issues.
Recommendation 2
The Committee recommends that the Prime Minister request the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to undertake a review of
leadership and collaboration arrangements in Indigenous affairs for Cabinet
consideration; and that the review investigates options for strengthening the
authority of the lead agency to better drive changes across departments.
Recommendation 3
The Committee recommends that the Department of Families,
Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs examine methods and lead
efforts to improve the availability of location-based data on Indigenous
expenditure and outcomes, including through spatial mapping, in order to inform
the public and the policy-making process.
3 National Partnership Agreement on Remote Service Delivery
Recommendation 4
The Committee recommends that the Department of Families,
Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs provide an update within six
months on its progress towards implementing the Auditor-General’s
recommendation that it further develop its performance measurement approach to
assess whether services have improved in the priority communities, and the
results of this assessment to date. The update should include any decisions or
other progress that has been made in regard to the future of the remote service
delivery model, including any proposals to expand the model into other
communities or into urban or regional areas.
4 Capacity development for Indigenous service delivery
Recommendation 5
The Committee recommends that FaHCSIA lead the development of
an explicit whole-of-government strategy for capacity development in order to
provide guidance across departments on the Government’s role in supporting
capacity development in Indigenous organisations. The strategy should take into
account both internal and external influences on the capacity of organisations,
and also provide guidance on building the capacity of government agencies
working with Indigenous organisations.