Legislative Council Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Indigenous Consumer Strategy INDIGENOUS CONSUMER STRATEGY The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council INDIGENOUS CONSUMER STRATEGY The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:15): I direct my question on national Indigenous consumer strategies to the Minister for Consumer Affairs. Will the minister advise members what is being done to assist Indigenous consumers? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide INDIGENOUS CONSUMER STRATEGY The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:15): I thank the member for his most important question. Trading practices, housing and consumer literacy will be the key priorities in a new national consumer protection strategy designed to assist Indigenous consumers. The newly refined national Indigenous consumer strategy, called Taking Action Gaining Trust, will run from mid-2010 until 2013. Fair trade agencies throughout Australia understand that the needs of Indigenous communities are unique when it comes to consumer protection. Unfortunately, factors such as geographic isolation, low literacy levels and fewer choices of what is available for purchase can, at times, leave Indigenous consumers in remote areas open to exploitation. This is why, for the next few years, Taking Action Gaining Trust will focus on three core priorities: trading practices, housing and consumer literacy. These areas tend to have the most adverse impact on Aboriginal consumers, so fair trading agencies across the nation will work with Indigenous communities, traders, landlords and utility companies to attempt to address this disadvantage. While New South Wales fair trading agencies took a primary role in producing the strategy, fair trading agencies in all other jurisdictions assisted with this development. Under the plan, commonwealth, state and territory consumer protection agencies are committed to the promotion of basic consumer rights—recognised by the United Nations—for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, improving market outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers, and ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers have equal access to the services each agency provides. All state and territory consumer protection agencies will work together to implement the strategy and will regularly review progress and further refine the plan accordingly. Many other stakeholders make significant contributions to improving Indigenous consumer affairs performance and I invite traders to take every step possible to make sure they are doing the right thing when it comes to goods and services being provided to Aboriginal consumers. I would also like to see Aboriginal legal and medical services, land councils and housing providers adopt this action plan and put forward suggestions on how improvements in other areas of Indigenous people's lives can also be achieved. Further information relating to the national Indigenous consumer strategy can be found on its website.