Senate debates

Thursday, 13 August 2009

Questions without Notice

Indigenous Communities

2:31 pm

Photo of Chris EvansChris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

If the senator has calmed down, I will give her the answer. Not only do we have a commitment to closing the gap for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, but we have a commitment for doing it for all Australia’s Indigenous people. We have shocking disadvantage in terms of the health outcomes, the life expectancies, the educational opportunities, the employment opportunities, the housing opportunities of Indigenous people. After 11 years of the Howard government, that is where we are. What we have committed to is a serious attempt to close the gap and that is why you see health policies, that is why you see education policies, that is why you see housing initiatives, that is why you see employment programs designed to close that gap. We are hard at that and I would encourage you to support us.

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