Help to get Indigenous groups 'out of poverty trap' absent in NSW budget

Nathan Moran is chief executive at Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. (ABC News: Greg Heap) The NSW budget has come under fire from Indigenous groups as another missed opportunity for First Nations communities. A Land Council representative said the budget fell short, particularly with regards to providing funds for land claims. The state government says Closing the Gap is a priority, and it is working with the community to achieve it. Link copiedShareShare articleThere have been three state budgets since the failed Voice referendum in October 2023, and this year marked the fourth for the Minns Labor government. Some Indigenous groups feel this year was another "missed opportunity" for First Nations communities, and one that "lacked innovation, creativity and opportunity". Tuesday's state budget revealed $154 million has been invested to improve outcomes for First Nations communities, including $45.3 million in new funding for continued delivery of Closing the Gap commitments. It follows the previous budget's investment of $246.8 million over four years to Close the Gap. Nathan Moran says that once again there was no money in the budget for land claims. (ABC News) Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Nathan Moran said the budget falls short of meeting the needs of the community, particularly in relation to Aboriginal land claims. "To have a budget not announce new funds to address land claims, the ability to process land claims … didn't see any of that in the budget, again. "[I] don't see any commitments to social housing, funding of local land council infrastructures … yeah, a lot to be said about not providing for our needs." This year's budget also includes $5 million over two years to plan future investment to improve housing, infrastructure and living standards, $2.4 million to support Stolen Generations organisations, and $1.6 million to support the growth of the Aboriginal business sector. The budget has also allocated $2.4 million to support Stolen Generations organisations. (ABC News) Sean Gordon, chief executive of Indigenous consultancy firm Gidgee Group, said it was a "disappointing" budget that focused on deficit. "I would describe the budget as a Close the Gap budget. What I mean by that is it focuses on those impediments that exist within those Close the Gap targets, and for me, it really lacked innovation, creativity and the opportunity to empower Indigenous communities to develop through their own type of initiatives," he said. The latest Closing the Gap data, published in March, showed just four of the 19 national targets are on track to be met by the 2031 deadline. Sean Gordon describes the budget as a "Close the Gap budget". (ABC News: Ross McLoughlin) Some are worsening, including reducing the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, and reducing Indigenous incarceration rates of adults. In December, New South Wales reached its highest record in the number of Aboriginal adults in custody, which was 4,452 people, or 34 per cent of the state's prison population, despite representing only 3 per cent of the general population. In 2020, the state government signed a new National Agreement on Closing the Gap on behalf of the state. It means working with Aboriginal organisations and communities to make decisions. But last year, the NSW Auditor-General found Closing the Gap frameworks were not operating effectively, and there was no clear accountability for delivery. Sean Gordon says that communities still have very little involvement in decision-making. (ABC News) Mr Gordon acknowledges governments and peak Aboriginal organisations are doing critical work across health, housing and justice, but believes the decision-making is too far removed from communities. "Communities have very little say in the solutions, have very little say in the programs, and have very little say in the resources that they need to be able to prioritise those things that are important to them as a community," he said. In a statement, the NSW minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, David Harris, said Closing the Gap is a top priority for the state government, and it was committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal people. Mr Harris said, together with the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations, "the Premier's Department continues to implement changes in line with the report's recommendations for greater alignment to deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal communities". In a statement, Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Felicity Wilson said what she is hearing from stakeholders is "that this is a 'Steady as she goes' budget with no real ambition or momentum to reach targets on Closing the Gap that we know are behind". The NSW opposition says the community have told them the budget has no real ambition. (ABC News) "Stakeholder feedback points to a clear gap between what communities ar

Help to get Indigenous groups 'out of poverty trap' absent in NSW budget

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