Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2003
This report was released on 13 November 2003. In addition, the Overview of this report was released as a separate publication. In conjunction with the release the former Chairman, Gary Banks, gave an address Indigenous disadvantage: assessing policy impacts to the conference Pursuing Opportunity and Prosperity hosted by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and The Australian in Melbourne.
In April 2002, the Council of Australian Governments commissioned the Steering Committee to produce a regular report against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage. This report has an important long-term objective. It is to inform Australian governments about whether policy programs and interventions are achieving positive outcomes for Indigenous people. This will help guide where further work is needed.
To help ensure the relevance and appropriateness of the indicator framework for the report, the Steering Committee circulated a draft framework for reporting on Indigenous disadvantage in October 2002. The consultation period ended in February 2003, after which, the framework was revised. The revised framework was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in August 2003. The Steering Committee prepared a report on its consultations.
An errata has been issued (14 July 2004) with all changes listed incorporated into the website version of the report. The affected parts of the report are chapter 3 and attachment 3A.
errataPlease note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain names, images and voices of deceased people. It may also link to other websites which contain names, images and voices of deceased people.
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Report for COAG on Indigenous Disadvantage
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.
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Errata (XLS 57.5 KB)