FACT SHEET #F5: INDIGENOUS SUPPORT

What’s in the 2006-07 Budget for Indigenous people?
•	$556,000 over four years to streamline the delivery of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at-risk of entering the statutory care and protection system.
•	$393,000 over three years from 2007-08 towards establishing a new Indigenous elected body representing the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the ACT. 
•	Indigenous Canberrans will continue to benefit from initiatives with recurrent funding from previous budgets.

How does the ACT compare to other States and Territories?
The ACT is delivering better living conditions overall for Canberra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than elsewhere in Australia. The Social and Cultural Profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra report gives a detailed picture of the level of disadvantage faced by the ACT’s Indigenous community.

A major finding from this Report is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra have the highest level of participation in culture and family and friend support in Australia, better health status, the highest levels of post school educational qualifications, lower rates of arrests, less transport difficulties, and the highest use of information technology.

However, the Report illustrates that there are still some significant areas of concern.  For example, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra had the second highest proportion of people removed from their natural parents at 51%, a high incidence of personal stressors in their lives, and the highest proportion of victims of physical or threatened violence in Australia at 33%.

Why is the ACT Government funding these initiatives?
1. Streamlined service delivery to ‘at risk’ Indigenous families:
To improve outcomes for at-risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, particularly in regards to strengthening children’s transition to school and their transition from primary to high school.

2. New Indigenous elected body:
To ensure a representative voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was established in the ACT following the demise of ATSIC. 

This body will facilitate advice and guidance to the ACT Government on how best to meet the needs of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.