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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
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INDIGENOUS STRATEGIC INTERVENTION PROJECTS

224 Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (21 October 2008).

1. What special government and strategic intervention projects were undertaken in 2007-08?

2. Were these projects undertaken by departmental officers or were consultants employed?

3. How many officers of the Social Inclusion Unit were involved in these projects?

4. Was there any funding allocated by the Social Inclusion Unit to the department to encourage school attendance?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister Assisting the Premier in Cabinet Business and Public Sector Management): In addition to its ongoing suite of programs and services designed to assist Aboriginal South Australians, the State Government directs resources to intervention initiatives aimed at addressing specific emergent issues.

Some are coordinated responses through the APY Lands Task Force, others are implemented as Social Inclusion Initiatives and still others respond to Government reports such as the To Break The Cycle juvenile justice report prepared by Monsignor Cappo.

The following initiatives were delivered by the State Government in 2007-08:

through the APY Lands Task Force, a range of petrol misuse, family and youth support and environmental health programs; rehabilitation services; a positive behaviours unit; and training of Aboriginal health workers;

also through the APY Lands Task Force, community capacity building and economic development and employment initiatives, particularly in art based tourism, land management and bush tucker;

through Social Inclusion Initiatives, a range of health and education interventions, including the South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy; a joint prevention and early intervention program with the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation to address substance misuse which supported a Carclew Youth Arts 'Celebrating Healthy Communities' APY Lands alcohol prevention program and the 'Wiltanendi' Adelaide drug diversion program; and school retention initiatives through the School Retention Action Plan (further details below); and

in response to the August 2007 To Break The Cycle report, the Government established the Youth Justice Cabinet Committee and appointed a Special Coordinator to oversee the implementation of the recommendations—over $5.5 million was allocated for 4 years from 2008-09 to support the Government's response. Aboriginal-specific initiatives include development of a young men's cultural program in partnership with Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts (Aboriginal Boys' and Young Men's Program) and an Aboriginal Sports and Cultural Festival, one was held in October 2007 and the next is scheduled for December 2008.

These intervention initiatives are funded and coordinated by the State Government. While community service providers have at times been used in the delivery of specific initiatives, they remain Government-run programs.

Initiatives are coordinated in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet by Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Division and Social Inclusion Unit officers. In direct response to Dr McFetridge's question, I can advise that 3 Social Inclusion Unit officers manage initiatives under the Aboriginal Health reference and these officers also provide input and policy advice on components of other Social Inclusion Initiatives as these relate to Aboriginal people.

On the matter of encouraging school attendance, the South Australian Government launched 'Making the Connections' in October 2003, as part of the Social Inclusion Initiative. This was a strategy to increase school retention rates and was to be implemented via a series of School Retention Action Plans.

The Government invested $28.4 million over four years to roll out the first stages of Making the Connections. At the completion of this funding, an additional $2.5 million was provided to continue various program elements to December 2007.

In 2008, the State Government committed a further $10.5 million over 4 years to continue the School Retention Action Plan programs for an additional 4 years.

Since the beginning of the Plan, over 15,600 young people, including more than 3,000 Aboriginal young people, have been involved in School Retention Action Plan programs.

Further details of the initiative are contained in the School Retention Action Plan Stage 3 Evaluation Report, November 2007. This document is available from the Social Inclusion Board's website.

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