CLOSING THE GAP

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CHAPTER 1 / APPRECIATING OUR NATIONAL CULTURE Celebrating the world’s oldest living cultures Ngarrindjeri elder Major Sumner AM, performs a smoking ceremony as part of the handover of thirteen Indigenous ancestral remains, at the Australian High Commission in London in October 2016. The repatriation of ancestors continues the story of cultural heritage, spirit and pride, and heralds the beginning of a healing process for communities as remains are returned to country. •14• CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
“In Australia we’re fortunate to have the oldest continuous cultures in the world. The strong connections between culture, language and identity and the strong correlation between language status and educational, employment, training, and physical and mental health outcomes in communities requires a social and cultural determinant focus by all arms of government.” Professor Tom Calma AO INTRODUCTION For more than 50,000 years Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been caretakers of this land. While the diversity of culture, languages and customs within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations is as broad as the country we live in, the connection to family and the connection to country are at the heart of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is a key part of Australia’s national identity and as a nation we must be vigilant in preserving the knowledge and wisdom of the world’s oldest continuous culture. It is with great pride that we showcase to the world the art, languages and traditional practices of our First Peoples. In our schools, children throughout their schooling now have the opportunity to develop a broader understanding, respect and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage through Australia’s national Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum. Our national commitment to revitalising and preserving culture will strengthen and nurture existing cultural identity. It will help to increase capability and cohesion within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and build a greater understanding of our First Peoples by the broader community, both here and abroad. Culturally-based activities such as land and sea management, heritage protection, traditional food and medicine production, cultural tourism and arts and craft production can form a significant part of the economic backbone in remote communities. The benefits of such activities are many – they increase employment and economic participation, support the preservation and maintenance of Indigenous cultures and enrich the fabric of Australian society. PRESERVING AND CELEBRATING ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CULTURE Each year we celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait achievement and culture through the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. Government supports communities throughout Australia to hold NAIDOC Week celebrations with a NAIDOC local grant round. In 2015 and 2016, over $3 million in grants supported over 1,000 local and regional NAIDOC week events. In 2017, local and national celebrations will also centre around the 50th anniversary of the successful 1967 Referendum. Through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy, Culture and Capability Program, around $21 million is provided every year to the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector. Over 50 organisations and 120 licenced broadcasting services are supported, including remote, regional and urban radio stations, and Indigenous Community Television in remote Australia. The sector strengthens opportunities for First Australians to share their cultures and languages and access culturally relevant information and entertainment, including traditional and contemporary Indigenous music. Government also celebrates and preserves culture by funding cultural festivals, cultural exchange camps and programs, culture centres and hubs, heritage trails and the preservation and archiving of community collections through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy. The Australian Heritage Strategy 2015 identifies the defining role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia’s heritage, underpinned by national leadership, strong partnerships and engaged communities. As part of the strategy, we will add more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage sites to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Memory of the World register. CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017 •15•
Page 1 and 2: CLOSING THE GAP PRIME MINISTER’S
Page 3 and 4: CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S R
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS PRIME MINISTER’S INTRODU
Page 7 and 8: “It is clear that Closing the Gap
Page 9 and 10: The target to close the gap in life
Page 13 and 14: “We have to hope, not despair - w
Page 15: Ian Trust, founding chairperson Wun
Page 19 and 20: The importance of land and waters C
Page 21 and 22: Reconciliation through national ico
Page 23 and 24: “I am very passionate about cultu
Page 25 and 26: “There are many ways of knowing a
Page 27 and 28: Figure 2: Child mortality rates (0-
Page 29 and 30: Devina Ranger with her children Har
Page 31 and 32: In 2015, almost all Indigenous chil
Page 35 and 36: 2 Gumala supporting early childhood
Page 37 and 38: “There is no place in any educati
Page 39 and 40: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island
Page 41 and 42: Another way to assess progress is t
Page 43 and 44: Table 1: NAPLAN measures (on track/
Page 45 and 46: YEAR 12 ATTAINMENT Having literacy
Page 47 and 48: Students of the Saibai Island State
Page 49 and 50: Much work has already been done to
Page 51 and 52: “The Horizons Camp has helped wit
Page 53 and 54: “I now want to begin my studies a
Page 55 and 56: “Through one life-changing job pl
Page 57 and 58: and is therefore, on track. In all
Page 59 and 60: Labour force participation For the
Page 61 and 62: Indigenous youth Daniel McKechnie m
Page 63 and 64: Australians. Participating companie
Page 65 and 66: Parks Australia and Traditional Own
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“Stick to it, it’s worth it and
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“My long-term aspiration is to be
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Truwana Rangers from Cape Barren Is
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“Fostering economic development i
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“We work closely with our local r
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Economic growth on country Indigeno
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“By encouraging Indigenous busine
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Wik Timber Collect Seed Salvage Har
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“It’s time to move away from th
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that selected social determinants s
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Improving cancer outcomes for Abori
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Supporting ageing in the community
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Young Marra woman from Borroloola,
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2 Holistic approach to health care
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2 3 Kicking goals in Borroloola, NT
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“To be the great nation we can be
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• National Rental Affordability S
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Prisoner Throughcare program suppor
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2 Community construction rebuilds G
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“It’s these sorts of actions th
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Agency Education and Training Depar
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Agency Indigenous Land Corporation
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Lloyd, N., Lewthwaite, B., Osbourne
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CLOSING THE GAP

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