Indigenous Disadvantage

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:47): Supplementary: following on from that answer, Premier, what items have you actually ticked off the list?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:47): I don't have that list with me at the moment, but they are broadly in key areas like jobs, for example, a critical area for us in South Australia, and services, a critical area for us in South Australia. One of the items that I feel most proud about is the purchasing that is done within the state government from organisations that are Aboriginal controlled. When we came to government it was just a few million dollars per year, and the running 12-month tally I think is up to $62 million, so it's a massive improvement.

It really only required quite a small change in procurement policy and an ability for us to speak to the chief executives on the Senior Management Council, the heads of each of the departments, and ask them to give consideration to Aboriginal-owned and controlled organisations and to include them in their tendering process. This is transformational for many of those businesses, and of course that then flows directly through into employment opportunities in South Australia.

One of the major reforms that is underway at the moment is to consider the recasting of the advice to government. Yes, we have the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council; that has in the past been fully appointed by the government of the day. I do point out at this point that we haven't changed any of those members on the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council since coming to government; in fact, we have rolled over the service of all those appointed by the previous government.

They all have excellent skills, but we do think there is an opportunity for us to look very carefully at the way Aboriginal voices make their representation to government. At the moment, the Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement in South Australia, Dr Roger Thomas, is completing his extensive consultation with the people of South Australia and has presented us with an interim report, which we are considering at the moment. He is now speaking to the South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council, and we should have a final recommendation fairly soon.

Part of this could involve, ultimately, an election. It could possibly be a part-elected and part-appointed group that provides that advice to government. We are extraordinarily serious on this side of the house about making sure that we can address some of these fundamental issues that have existed for a long period of time. We are not going to overpromise. Can I be clear that Aboriginal affairs and reconciliation is one of the hardest areas of public policy that exists in the entire country, but we are making best endeavours in a very genuine way with a whole-of-cabinet approach, and we are satisfied with the progress to date, knowing that there is still much more to achieve.