While Indigenous Territorians represent almost 30% of the Northern Territory’s total population, wide gaps remain in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians. Indigenous Territorians have poorer health outcomes, are less likely to succeed in school, are less likely to be employed and are far more likely to be the victims or perpetrators of crime. Furthermore, Indigenous children are over-represented as victims of child abuse and neglect.

The Northern Territory Government is committed to overcoming this disadvantage and is confident that the implementation of Closing the Gap will help improve the quality of life of the Indigenous population within the next five years. Importantly, Closing the Gap will also improve the lives of the next generation of Indigenous Territorians, who it is hoped will never experience the same levels of poverty and dysfunction that have existed in many remote communities for such a long time.

To achieve these changes, a partnership is needed between governments and Indigenous people, with a willingness for all parties to consult and accept their responsibilities to create a better future.

Closing the Gap

Closing the Gap is the Northern Territory’s Indigenous Generational Plan, aimed at closing the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians. It contains a vision and objectives for the future socio-economic wellbeing of Indigenous Territorians and sets ambitious but achievable targets for the next 5, 10 and 20 years. It also identifies priority areas for action in the next 5 years, based on the best available evidence of which actions will have the greatest impact.

On 15 June 2007, the Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse (the Inquiry) released its findings. The Inquiry report included 97 recommendations across 22 themes, addressing the child protection system, as well as broader social and economic factors including housing, unemployment, offender rehabilitation, health, alcohol misuse and education.

While the Northern Territory Government supports the messages and recommendations of the Inquiry, additional areas need to be addressed if we are to overcome Indigenous disadvantage within a generation. Closing the Gap goes beyond the recommendations of the Inquiry to provide a framework for overcoming Indigenous disadvantage.

The Northern Territory Government has committed $286.43 million towards 5 year actions to implement Closing the Gap. This commitment includes:

• $79.36 million for child protection
• $38.61 million to implement the Remote Area Policing Strategy, community justice and other safety measures
• $10.11 million for alcohol and drug management
• $23.4 million to achieve better health outcomes
• $42.32 million for housing in Indigenous communities
• $70.68 million towards education
• $13 million to improve Indigenous employment and economic development
• $8.95 million towards better cross-cultural understanding and engagement in service delivery.

The package includes 223 positions:

• 1 Children’s Commissioner
• 10 child protection workers
• 37 additional specialist Family and Children’s Services (FACS) staff
• 40 Police – Remote Policing Strategy, Child Abuse Task Force
• 4 specialist alcohol rehabilitation workers
• 26 family violence support workers
• 10 community corrections officers
• 10 school counsellors
• 47 teachers and assistant teachers for remote schools and preschools
• 3 specialist Department of Employment, Education and Training staff
• 1 Aboriginal and Islander education coordinator
• 2 court clinicians
• 1 witness assistance officer
• 8 alcohol compliance inspectors
• 23 specialist FACS staff for the Child Abuse Taskforce.

Legislative Reform

• Introduction of the Care and Protection of Children Bill into Legislative Assembly Sittings in August 2007, to replace the Community Welfare Act and to provide for the Children’s Commissioner and other child protection measures
• Introduction of the Local Government Amendment Bill into Legislative Assembly Sittings in August 2007, to allow for transition to new local government arrangements
• Introduction of the Local Government Amendment Bill (2) and the revised Local Government Act in late 2007 to embed the new local government arrangements
• Under the amendments passed to the Liquor Act in 2006, declaration of dry areas, commencing with Alice Springs on 1 August 2007 and progressing to other areas during 2007
• Introduction of amendments to the Liquor Act into Legislative Assembly Sittings in August 2007 to provide power to the Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing to implement urgent liquor supply measures, to implement alcohol restrictions in town camps and to provide power to police to search vehicles
• Passage of the Evidence of Children Amendment Bill during the Legislative Assembly Sittings in August 2007 to provide greater protection for child victims and witnesses
• Introduction of legislation amending the Bail Act so as protect witnesses and reverse the onus in favour of bail concerning alleged sex and domestic violence offenders Introduction of new domestic violence legislation into Legislative Assembly Sittings in late 2007 to improve the effectiveness of restraining orders, including their effectiveness in remote communities
• Development of legislation to reform the committal system (and thus reduce the involvement of victims of crime in the criminal law system)
• Further reform of the laws of evidence by possible adoption of the national uniform Evidence Bill.

Safety – Child Protection – $79.36m

• Strengthen the child protection system by introducing the Care and Protection of Children Bill, establishing a Children’s Commissioner, expanding Child Abuse Taskforce to include 23 FACS staff and 24 police, recruiting 10 additional child protection workers, expanding Sexual Assault Referral Centres, improving case management, and recruiting 10 school counsellors at a total cost of $79.36m
• Introduce Evidence of Children Amendment Bill and new domestic violence legislation
• Expand policing in remote communities via the Remote Area Policing Strategy, including recruiting 15 additional police, at a cost of $11.2m.

Safety – Policing, Justice and Family Violence – $38.61m

• Implement the Remote Area Policing Strategy, in partnership with the Australian Government, including 16 police, at a cost of $11.2m
• Establish 10 community courts, employ 10 community corrections officers and establish a witness assistance service in Katherine, at a cost of $12.86m
• Introduce integrated community based family violence programs at a cost of $7.9m
• Continue the Juvenile Diversion Program, within existing resources
• Implement sexual offender rehabilitation and therapy programs and expand the Elders Visiting Program, at a cost of $5.4m
• Implement a pornography and gambling education program, at a cost of $1.25m.

Safety – Alcohol and Drug Management – $10.11m

• Introduce amendments to the Liquor Act and declare dry areas
• Implement alcohol management plans, a licensing identification system, recruit eight compliance officers and two court clinicians, and expand the Return to Home program, at a total cost of $10.11m.

Health – $23.4m

• Establish integrated family/children centres in remote communities to deliver early childhood education and health programs, at a cost of $9.6m
• Expand alcohol rehabilitation and treatment services, at a cost of $0.5m
• Provide sport and recreation programs and infrastructure in each shire, at a cost of $4.5m
• Expand and implement programs targeting hearing loss and preventable chronic disease, at a cost of $8.8m.

Housing – $42.32m

• In partnership with the Australian Government, work to address the backlog in remote Indigenous housing
• Negotiate with the Australian Government for a significant share of the $1.6b ARIA program
• Roll out the $100m NT Government commitment to remote housing over 5 years
• Provide houses for the growth in government employees to be based in remote communities, at a cost of $42.32m.

Education – $70.68m

• Provide six new mobile preschools and 21 teachers and assistants at a cost of $9.5m
• Recruit 26 teachers across the Territory, build 15 classrooms, establish a school attendance team, upgrade two homeland learning centres and 15 community education centres, at a cost of $54.58m
• Develop partnership programs to improve student engagement and community involvement, at a cost of $6.6m.

Jobs – $13m

• Transition CDEP jobs supporting Northern Territory Government activities to mainstream Northern Territory Public Sector positions, at a cost of $10m
• Implement Indigenous economic development initiatives, at a cost of $3m
• Develop a component under the 10 Year Infrastructure Plan for road access to remote areas, at no additional cost
• Use current and future Indigenous housing construction programs and capital works programs to facilitate opportunities for training and employment of local Indigenous people, at no additional cost.

Culture – $0.5m

• Expand Indigenous culture programs in Northern Territory Government schools, at a cost of $0.5m
• Implement cross-cultural programs in the Northern Territory Public Sector,
• Implement a whole-of-government Indigenous communications strategy.

A Better Way of Doing Business – $8.45m

• Establish an Indigenous Affairs Advisory Council to the Chief Minister, at a cost of $0.45m
• Establish local community boards to allow community representation and involvement in local government, to promote Indigenous leadership and provide the basis for Indigenous people to meet their obligations to build a better future for their children, at a cost of $3m
• Provide infrastructure to support local community governance, at a cost of $5m.

At a Glance ( PDF document, 90 kilobytes)