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106 <strong>SENATE</strong> Thursday, 13 October 2016<br />
That senators be discharged from and appointed to committees as follows:<br />
Finance and Public Administration References Committee—<br />
Appointed—<br />
Substitute member: Senator Siewert to replace Senator Rhiannon for the committee's inquiry into Commonwealth funding<br />
of Indigenous Tasmanians<br />
Participating member: Senator Rhiannon<br />
Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure in a Warming World—Select Committee—<br />
Appointed—<br />
Senators Hanson-Young and Roberts<br />
Participating members: Senators Di Natale, Ludlam, McKim, Rhiannon, Rice, Siewert, Waters and Whish-Wilson<br />
Question agreed to.<br />
ADJOURNMENT<br />
The PRESIDENT (18:33): We have come to the time of the day in the week when I propose the question:<br />
That the Senate do now adjourn.<br />
Indigenous Affairs<br />
Senator SMITH (Western Australia—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (18:33): It seems that hardly a<br />
day goes by without seeing or hearing a report in the media about a tragic event occurring in an indigenous<br />
community somewhere across our nation. The epidemic of suicide in indigenous communities has been a<br />
particular focus of some reporting this week, following the tragic suicide of a 37-year-old mother of three children<br />
in Kalgoorlie, in my home state of Western Australia. The local indigenous community in this key regional WA<br />
centre has already witnessed tragedy this year with the death of 14-year-old, Elijah Doughty. The suicide that has<br />
been reported this week occurred at the site of the incident that claimed Elijah's life, further compounding the<br />
tragedy and sense of grief amongst the local community.<br />
I am also aware that tomorrow the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Sussan Ley, the Minister for Indigenous<br />
Affairs, Senator Scullion, and the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, are going to be in<br />
Western Australia's Kimberley region to hold a roundtable to discuss indigenous suicide prevention strategies.<br />
Given the multiple tragedies that have been experienced in Western Australia in this regard over the last year, this<br />
will be a critical and timely discussion. I also hope it is going to be a frank discussion of the, because I think we<br />
all have to agree that things cannot continue as they have been.<br />
But, of course, suicide prevention is just one area where indigenous communities in Western Australia and<br />
elsewhere across our country experience particular challenges and continue to experience poor outcomes. The<br />
health difficulties faced by those living in indigenous communities and the resultant lower life expectancy, the<br />
housing issues, poor educational results and difficulties in obtaining employment are all areas that have been wellventilated<br />
in public policy discussions over many decades now.<br />
Any stranger visiting these shores for the first time who was presented with a statistical snapshot of what is<br />
happening in some of our indigenous communities might conclude that this is an uncaring nation—might<br />
conclude an indifference to the plight of some of our most vulnerable fellow citizens. But, of course, we know that<br />
such a conclusion would be erroneous. The problem is not a lack of compassion or concern from our fellow<br />
Australians. It is not a lack of awareness. It is not even a lack of funding or lack of institutional support from<br />
government and non-government organisations.<br />
There is an old saying that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions', and when it comes to improving the<br />
lives of indigenous Australians we suffer no deficit of good intentions. However, it is clearly time to take a step<br />
back and measure the effectiveness of many of the things we are doing and many of the things that have been<br />
done, because it is clear that simply continuing to spend money in the same way we have been—without<br />
adequately evaluating the effectiveness of programs—is not delivering the right outcomes and is not reversing<br />
indigenous disadvantage.<br />
This evening, I would like to draw the Senate's attention to a recently released research report from The Centre<br />
for Independent Studies, Mapping the Indigenous program and funding maze. It is a very accessible and<br />
compelling read, though not a happy one. What it shows, convincingly, is that for all the plethora of programs<br />
designed to address indigenous disadvantage and all the billions of dollars that have been invested in them, the<br />
return on that investment has been poor.<br />
I should point out that criticisms along these lines are coming from Indigenous leaders themselves. Patrick<br />
Green, an Indigenous community leader from Fitzroy Crossing in WA, has noted:<br />
CHAMBER