The Hon. John Howard MP, Prime Minister of Australia and the Hon. Peter Beattie MP, Premier of Queensland today signed a five-year bilateral agreement committing both governments to improving service delivery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. This is a formal commitment by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments to work together with indigenous communities on service planning, delivery, investment and performance evaluation, and to reduce the bureaucratic load on communities. This is a significant opportunity for Commonwealth and Queensland governments to work together to ensure accessible and appropriate services, and builds on existing arrangements and bilateral agreements.
This is the second bilateral agreement signed under the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) indigenous service delivery framework. This agreement establishes arrangements to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland and strengthens the partnership between our governments.
Under the Agreement, our governments will work towards shared priorities, including those identified in the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report:
early childhood development and growth;
early school engagement and performance;
positive childhood and transition to adulthood;
substance use and misuse;
functional and resilient families and communities;
effective environmental health systems; and
economic participation and development.
In addition, Commonwealth and Queensland officials will be expected to coordinate their efforts at the state, regional and local level. This Agreement will make it easier for communities to work with the Commonwealth and Queensland governments by establishing joint forums for engagement. Negotiation Tables will continue to be the primary engagement mechanism for indigenous communities in Queensland, as they allow direct communication between community members and governments about the major issues communities face.
Increased engagement between the governments and communities also provides an opportunity for communities and governments to develop Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs) and thereby clarify agreed priorities and commitments.
This Agreement will also provide communities greater access to information about themselves over time and provide a comparison with the rest of Queensland on a range of measures. This will help us identify local priorities for action.
Two specific areas have been agreed for joint action. Our governments will streamline processes, increase funding flexibility and better target services to the Lockhart River community. We have also agreed to extend recent collaborative work undertaken by our governments in Cape York and Palm Island. Further locations that need concerted, coordinated action will be progressively identified.
The signing of this agreement is only the beginning. We have identified many priority areas, consistent with the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report, to tackle in order to build functioning and sustainable communities. Our governments will continue to work together to reduce bureaucratic overlap and duplication and to work with indigenous communities to respond to their needs in appropriate ways.