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Making Headway

Since 1996, when the Coalition was returned to government, substantial efforts have been made to improve outcomes from Government expenditure on Indigenous programmes and to introduce new initiatives with a strong focus on practical reconciliation in the key areas of health, housing, employment and education. The Government is proud of its record and the outcomes that have been achieved in partnership with Indigenous Australians. An outline of the Government's record of commitment to Indigenous affairs is at Appendix A.

A number of areas, while still requiring focus and effort, have shown significant improvement over time. For example:

• the proportion of Indigenous people who own or are purchasing their own home has increased from 1 in 4 in the 1970s to 1 in 3 today;
• the proportion of Indigenous students completing high school has quadrupled since the 1970s;
• the infant mortality rate has been cut by more than three quarters from up to 20 times the non-Indigenous rate to three times that rate;
• at least 15 per cent of the Australian continent is now Aboriginal owned or controlled; and
• the Aboriginal imprisonment rate relative to that of non-Aboriginals has been declining, as have average per capita deaths in prison.

While there has been much progress we must recognise that Indigenous disadvantage will take time to redress due to the legacy of generations of neglect. To meet this challenge, the Government is continually building on its commitment to practical reconciliation and reviewing its strategies with a focus on producing tangible outcomes. The new initiatives announced in the 2001-02 Budget complement the Government's outcomes-based approach over the past five years and are another important step forward in ensuring a better future for Indigenous people.