When Anthony Albanese is asked what his government’s Indigenous affairs policy is after the referendum’s failure, his response boils down to: watch this space.

On Tuesday the government will present its latest implementation plan for Closing the Gap, when it brings down its annual report on the progress (or lack of) towards the multiple targets.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney says Tuesday’s statement will “commit to new actions that focus on making a practical difference”.

Albanese told the ABC this week: “The priority [is] very much on employment. How do we take the [Community Development Program] – which is essentially a work-for-the-dole program – and make it real, so it creates real jobs with real skills for Indigenous Australians?”

History and evidence tell us incrementalism is not enough to make a big difference to the parlous condition of Aboriginal people in remote Australia. Equally, ambitions to transform how decisions are made and delivered have so far proved beyond governments.

This week’s blunt report from the Productivity Commission on the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap told governments (federal, state and territory) real progress requires a massive change of ways and mindsets.

The agreement, dating from Scott Morrison’s time, is centred on power sharing and partnerships. But the review’s “overarching finding” is that there’s been “no systematic approach to determining what strategies need to be implemented to disrupt business-as-usual of governments”.

The commission heard from Indigenous people that barriers to reform included “the lack of power sharing needed for joint decision-making and the failure of governments to acknowledge and act on the reality that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know what is best for their communities.”

“Unless governments address the power imbalance in their systems, policies and ways of working, the Agreement risks becoming another broken promise to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” the report says.

According to the review, the commitment to shared decision-making is rarely achieved; government policy doesn’t reflect the value of the Indigenous community-controlled sector; the required transformations of government organisations have barely begun; governments are not enabling Indigenous people to own their own data; and there are issues around accountability.

Deirdre Howard-Wagner, director of research at the Australian National University’s Centre for Indigenous Policy Research, says the commission’s final report is stronger than last year’s (already forthright) draft report.

For example, it says the agreement “needs to be changed to recognise self-determination as the ultimate goal”. It is also “very clear on the desirable path forward” on data governance, shared decision-making and having an independent mechanism to oversee the implementation of the agreement, Howard-Wagner says.

Tuesday’s statement will not provide a response to the review. Burney says it will take some time to work through it with the Coalition of Peaks – the umbrella group for Indigenous organisations – and state and territory governments.

Much has been said about the Albanese government’s caution in pushing a robust reform agenda generally. In Indigenous affairs, it has been badly burned on the Voice, the defeat of which has also produced a more negative climate, seen for instance in the political debate about treaty and truth telling. As Indigenous rights advocate Frank Brennan notes in a Eureka Street article this week, “There is a need to realise that the referendum loss now places the assimilation debate back on the national agenda.”

The Albanese government is likely to find some of the meat in the commission’s report too difficult. If it is to leave any mark on this vexed policy area, however, it must take more responsibility.

Michael Dillon is a former federal bureaucrat with extensive experience in Indigenous affairs who also served as an adviser to Labor minister Jenny Macklin. He points out that the 1967 referendum was about giving the Commonwealth power to make policy for Australia’s Indigenous people. But, he says, the 2020 agreement has, if anything, pushed responsibility back to the states and territories.

“The Commonwealth should step up and take a driving role in this agreement – and, indeed, in national Indigenous policy generally,” argues Dillon, now a visiting fellow at the ANU. Key areas for reform include education, remote housing and remote employment, he says.

Specifically on the reform of the Community Development Program, which is about both income support and getting people into jobs in remote Australia, Dillon says the government should pick out several specific areas for development.

For example, jobs could be created to assist Indigenous people in managing the enormous swathes of land they own under native title. Much of this land, in remote challenging parts of the country, can be a liability for them, because of feral animals and weeds, rather than the asset it should be. This employment would massively build on the existing successful rangers working-on-Country program, Dillon says.

Another initiative he suggests is expanding the Indigenous workforce in the community services sector, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Thirdly, in relation to remote housing, Dillon sees opportunity for creating Indigenous maintenance teams to repair houses and facilities in remote communities.

Potentially, the energy transition could present prospects for Indigenous people. Energy Minister Chris Bowen is co-developing a First Nations Clean Energy Strategy. Bowen points to projects in Canada involving Indigenous people.

“A big proportion of Canada’s renewable energy is actually owned by their First Nations people, much, much bigger than in Australia. Now can we turn that ship around overnight? No, but do we have things to do? Yes. And are there some early signs of growth and encouragement? Yes. There’s been some big First Nations involvement in some big renewable energy investments, and I want to see much more of it,” Bowen told The Conversation’s Politics Podcast.

Dillon is emphatic that a very large injection of funds is needed to tackle employment and other areas of need in remote communities. “In remote Australia it’s a poly-crisis,” he says. “Every rock you pick up, there’s a scorpion.”

In his submission to the commission’s review, Dillon called for an assessment of the financial investments required to close the gap over the next decade or two. “Without such an estimate, the community at large are left in the dark, forever thinking that the incessant tinkering around the edges by governments are in fact contributing to closing the gap, whereas in fact mere tinkering contributes to and sustains the maintenance of the status quo,” he wrote.

“While the estimated cost will be substantial, so too are the costs of not closing the gap; costs that will continue to fall regressively on the most disadvantaged segments of the Australian community.”

Next week’s implementation plan will be a test of whether the Albanese government can produce policy muscle in Indigenous affairs.

On another front, Albanese has it in his power to make one desirable gesture. The governor-generalship comes up soon, and an Indigenous appointment would be appropriate and welcome. This should not be regarded as consolation for the referendum debacle. Rather, it should be seen as an overdue acknowledgement of our First Nations people.

Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Based on the current pool of preselected major party candidates, it is also clear that Australia lags behind other comparable countries on key diversity markers.

McKell Institute researchers have crunched the numbers on Australia’s major party candidates running for the House of Representatives in the upcoming federal election. It has found that come May 18, Australian voters will very have limited options.

While women make up 50% of Australia’s population, only 37% of candidates from the major parties are women. At this current rate, it will take 8 elections cycles reach gender parity.

Those with a disability are underrepresented and severely lack a voice in the Australian parliament. Only 1% of candidates from the major parties have a disability, compared to 18% of the population. One in three Australian households have a person living with a disability and nearly half of Australians with a disability live near or below the poverty line.

Just 8% of major party candidates are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, compared to 24% of the general population. It is also noted Australia’s legislature is far less culturally diverse than countries like Canada, the United States and the UK.

There is also a lack of Indigenous representation in federal parliament, with less than 2% of candidates being Indigenous, compared to 3.3% of the population.

“Our data shows the new Parliament will not be representative of Australia’s demographics,” said Marianna O’Gorman, Executive Director of the McKell Institute Queensland.

“This is an impediment to delivering a legislative agenda that addresses the needs of everyday Australians.”

While the research indicates that the parliament is very slowly moving in the right direction in terms of gender equality, other key diversity measures are completely unrepresented and unchanging.

“Australians living with a disability, and Australians from ethnically diverse backgrounds are woefully underrepresented in the current Parliament and will remain so after May 18,” said O’Gorman.

Will the next Parliament be as cultural diverse as Australian society? 1 in 10 candidates for 2019 election are from culturally diverse backgrounds (cf 24% of AU population) https://t.co/tkfrnbvUEx #ausvotes

— Marianna O’Gorman (@ogormanmarianna) April 15, 2019

“For a nation that prides itself on being a multicultural success story, we need to look at not only how we can encourage more diverse candidates to run, but also how we can ensure they are made to feel welcome and accommodated when they get into office.”

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The Sapphires is based (loosely) on the experiences of film writer Tony Briggs’ mother and three aunts, who formed an Indigenous Australian, all-girl soul-singing troupe of the same name in the 1960’s.

Where The Sapphires is rewarded most favourably is from the casting of two of Australia’s entertainment darlings – Deborah Mailman (Offspring, Rabbit Proof Fence) and Jessica Mauboy (of humble Australian Idol beginnings and whose natural musical talents are really in the spotlight here). Both are genuine, feisty and joyfully naive in their characters. It’s exciting and refreshing to see a film with a mostly all- Australian (female) cast that can take on the mainstream so well.

While the girls deal with stereotypes and subjugation, in the battlefield of Vietnam and in the racial tensions of small-town Australia in the late 60’s (illustrated well in the first 30 minutes of the film), we see hints of a revolutionary mindset of a generation coming of age in a society that is starting to question predominant norms.

There are many parallels between the experiences shared in the film, and those that plenty of women still battle today; and there is much to take away from the inspiring energy of the four cousins.

The real Sapphires are also professional trailblazers – Naomi Mayers has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Medical Service for 30 years, and received an Order of Australia medial in 1984. Lois Peeler is the Executive Director of Worawa Aboriginal College, a secondary education facility for young Aboriginal Women, and is also the former head of Aboriginal Tourism Australia. All four members of The Sapphires have also worked tirelessly to improve the health of the aboriginal community. 

While it is clear that the film aims to be a people pleaser, it does suffer slightly when indirectly dabbling in themes of racism. While these clearly serve the undertone of the film, it is offered as mere allusions and lets parts of the film down, particularly towards the end.

Despite this, The Sapphires is an altogether entertaining film that provides a universal message about battling (and sometimes ignoring) prejudices to achieve aspirations.

The Sapphires is a charming, occasionally campy film that deals with issues of racism, class and war.  It’s also a story from which women can take some inspiration – but espeically women who are battling adversity amidst attitudes that they cannot control. Ultimately, the film is a triumphant celebration of love, aspiration, and the female spirit.

Have you seen The Sapphires? What do you think? Can the attitudes of the women in the film be applied to your life? Let us know below

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In 2004, a single punch rendered Daniella Borg a single mother. Her partner, Kevin Rule, the man with whom she shared a life and nine daughters, was killed by a coward punch. Their youngest daughter Hannah was only a few weeks old at the time.

Twelve years on, a glimpse into the Rule household in Western Australia belies this trauma: there is seemingly little trace of the enormous personal challenge Borg and her nine girls have faced.

Aside from raising her daughters, who are aged from 30 down to 12, Borg finished her secondary education and has gone on to study for a BA Social Science at Edith Cowan University. She also works as Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officer at the same school her youngest daughters attend and is responsible for the care and wellbeing of the 150 Aboriginal students.

We learn this in the first episode of Family Rules, an up close and personal television series being aired on NITV in January.

Filmed over six months, the observational documentary provides an exclusive insight into modern Indigenous family life through the eyes of nine sisters and their mother.

It is immediately apparent that these Noongar women – and this family – are unique. At the same time there is something universal about these young women navigating adolescence, teenage angst, peer pressure, all whilst trying to find their own identities – inside and outside the family.

The result is captivating and heart-warming television that will evoke tears and laughter.

The three eldest girls – Angela, Shenika and Helen (known respectively as ‘second mum’, ‘the enforcer’ and ‘the quiet one’) – all live within a five kilometre radius of their mother’s house with their own families. These young women are juggling the challenges of having young children and their own career ambitions.

The middle girls – Kelly, Kiara and Sharna (known respectively as ‘the fun one’, ‘the golden child’ and ‘the protector’) – are trying to live independent lives free from their frustrating but lovable younger sisters.

The youngest girls – Aleisha, Jessica and Hannah (known respectively as ‘the rebel’, ‘the perfect one’ and ‘baby Rule’) – live at home with Mum and are consumed with adolescent dilemmas.

On a daily basis Daniella navigates these intra-familial dynamics and seeks to keep her daughters happy and her family together.

The series has been produced by Perth-based production company, Metamorflix with the support of Screen Australia, ScreenWest and Lotterywest and National Indigenous Television.

This series about women was made by women: Renee Kennedy, the founder of Metamorflix & an award-winning producer, was the executive producer. Karla Hart is an Indigenous filmmaker, actress and writer with Noongar heritage co-developed the idea for Family Rules with Renee and was the co-Executive Producer and field director. The series producer was Gillian Moody an Indigenous filmmaker with more than 20 years’ experience in telling Indigenous stories.

Kennedy and Hart worked together in 2014 when they made Angela’s Rules for the ScreenWest & NITV documentary series From The Western Frontier. That half hour show planted the seed for the Family Rules series.

“After writing and directing Angela’s Rules I just knew, before I finished I said ‘I’m going to work on a series for you,’” Hart told Women’s Agenda. “I knew in my heart, they were made for TV and their stories had to be told.”

It was after seeing Angela, an accomplished singer and songwriter, the second eldest Rule sister, perform that Hart discovered this family.   

“I brought Angela in [to the radio station] and then she kept bringing her sisters in and her mum. I noticed her mum was very young, and then I realised it wasn’t even all the sisters. I was fascinated by the nine of them!”

Her fascination didn’t wane as she got to know them better,  

“They represent so many of us. They are hardworking and resilient. They are comfortable in their Aboriginality and in the wider white community. They are amazing role models for young women – black or white.”

Their ‘everydayness’ is what strikes Hart as particularly compelling.

“They aren’t pop stars or famous sports people. They are looking after their children and having happy successful lives. Sometimes we put too much expectation on people to be “great”. I’m really proud of the fact these women are role models for everyone.”

When Hart approached Renee Kennedy, with whom she had a strong relationship, about making the series it happened quite quickly.  

“I really liked the idea of a documentary series that provided storylines that are very universal – but focused on females – through the prism of indigenous Australia and in particular Noongar people,” Renee Kennedy told Women’s Agenda.

She was drawn to working with this really strong group of Noongar women who are very modern and relatable while also very connected to their culture.

“The philosophy of presenting indigenous Australia through a universal prism really appealed to the girls and particularly Daniella,” Kennedy says. “I’m sure there were moments during the filming when they thought ‘Oh what have we got ourselves into?’

After they saw the first six episodes – Daniella said “It’s exactly what you said” which was really gratifying.”

Kennedy says because this series is very much a look at modern domestic life, through the eyes of Noongar women, the crew needed to reflect that.   

“For us, it was really important that the team behind the camera not only be diverse and include Indigenous people in positions of authorship but that the team have a weighting towards females,” she says.  “If we are telling the stories of Indigenous people, it needs to be Indigenous people telling that story, and it’s the same if it’s a story of women, women need to be involved in the telling.”

For Hart, the opportunity to tell this story is particularly rewarding.  

“To tell a woman’s story and to work with a family I love, admire and respect, is very important to me,” Hart says. “I am a mum and I have four sisters of my own – I know we walk in two worlds. We walk in white society but we are very cultural. We see ourselves as very different in lots of ways.”

Family Rules illustrates this balancing act particularly well: it is an eye-opening and life-affirming snapshot of family life.  

For six nights across two weeks in January, you are invited to look into the lives of these ten women.

 It will air at 7.30pm on NITV on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays across two weeks: Jan 9, 10 and 11, Jan 16, 17 and 18.

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