Legislative Council: Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Contents

Closing the Gap

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:52): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs regarding Closing the Gap.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Priority reform 4 under the national agreement under Closing the Gap, which was part of the reforms I think signed in 2021 given that Closing the Gap targets were not being met fast enough, relates specifically to data and sharing with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.

On the SAACCON website, it particularly refers to governments providing access and sharing data for decision-making—I am paraphrasing here—and it has a dot point that refers to up to six community data project locations being established by 2023. Can the minister advise whether the latter has been achieved and provide details about which projects those are, and what progress is being made on sharing data for the capacity of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for her question and I do acknowledge that the honourable member is quite familiar with the Closing the Gap reform process. I know that the current overarching not just priority reforms but 17 socio-economic targets were signed off and agreed on in the term of the last government, and I think the honourable member was a minister who actually personally attended joint council meetings on behalf of the South Australian government in the initial stages of progressing the new Closing the Gap reform process.

In relation to the shared access to data and information, I don't have information in front of me as to where we are in terms of our partnership agreement but certainly we have signed as a government a partnership agreement between the South Australian government and SAACCON, the South Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Network, to jointly work on those priority reforms.

I am happy to go away and find out, in relation to the data sharing area, exactly where that is. I know there has been a massive body of work undertaken in terms of the financial data and the government spending on programs specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and spending generally that includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that is helping us inform where we can spend, involving Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations more in delivering programs. But in terms of data sharing, I am happy to go away and bring back a response in relation to the particular—that priority reform, its targets and where they sit.