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Indigenous Partnership Agreement 2007-2010 (Qld) | ||
| Date: | 23 July 2007 | |
| Date To: | 23 July 2010 | |
| Sub Category: | Indigenous Partnership | |
| Place: | ||
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| State/Country: | Queensland, Australia | |
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| This Indigenous Partnership Agreement relates to 19 Aboriginal and mainland Torres Strait Islander communities in the state of Queensland. These communities are Aurukun, Bamaga, Cherbourg, Doomadgee, Hope Vale, Injinoo, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Mornington Island, Napranum, New Mapoon, Palm Island, Pormpuraaw, Seisia, Umagico, Wujal Wujal, Woorabinda and Yarrabah. | ||
| Alternative Names: | ||
| Subject Matter: | | Economic Development | Education | Employment and Training | | |
| URL: | http://www.atsip.qld.gov.au// | |
| Summary Information: | ||
| This Indigenous Partnership Agreement was signed in Yarrabah on 23 July 2007 by former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and 15 indigenous mayors representing 19 Aboriginal and mainland Torres Strait Islander communities. The purpose of this Agreement was to improve cooperation between government and communities in order to achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Its signing was to be followed by the negotiation of individual Indigenous Partnership Agreements at a local level. This Indigenous Partnership Agreement was intended to operate for three years, and expired on 23 July 2010. | ||
| Detailed Information: | ||
| Background to this Indigenous Partnership Agreement The signing of this Indigenous Partnership Agreement followed a Ministerial Indigenous Roundtable held in February 2007, where it was argued that 'a new partnership, with a focus on actions that deliver results,' was needed 'to deal with the disadvantages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait [I]slander peoples living in [the nominated] communities' (Clause 1). The Agreement also followed a series of initiatives by the State of Queensland that were intended to ameliorate disadvantage among indigenous Australians (see former Premier Peter Beattie's media release dated 23 July 2007). It acknowledged that despite these initiatives, a significant life expectancy gap remained between the indigenous and non-indigenous residents of Queensland, and sought to spread the benefits of the state's growing economy to its indigenous population. The parties to this Agreement agreed that the commitment to working collaboratively and in partnership must be constant. However, they also stipulated that the Agreement may evolve as their priorities and actions changed (Clause 22). The progress, commitments and priorities outlined in this Agreement were to be reviewed at two Roundtables per year. Initial priorities The initial priorities set out in this Indigenous Partnership Agreement were: - child safety and family wellbeing; - chronic disease; - housing and home ownership; - alcohol, other substance abuse and related violence; - education and training; - land tenure and access; - employment; - policing; and - community governance (Clause 12). Initial commitments This Indigenous Partnership Agreement set out a number of shared commitments on the part of community leaders and the State of Queensland, all of which relate to its initial priorities. Commitments made by community leaders pursuant to this Agreement included: - Working collaboratively with the government and the community to resolve land tenure and access for services and infrastructure; - Supporting local 'Pride of Place' initiatives; - Providing sound tenancy and property management of housing stock, and ensuring that tenants were aware of their rights and obligations; - Encouraging families to enforce regular school attendance, and promoting links between families, communities and schools; - Promoting the protection of children, healthier food choices, training, participation in sporting and recreation activities and responsible community behaviours; - Working collaboratively with community justice groups; - Complying with corporate government requirements; - Welcoming and supporting government and non-government staff, and providing local services and cultural orientation processes; - Adopting and implementing local laws at a community level; - Promoting the participation of citizens in engagement with government in relation to various issues; - Sharing knowledge and information with other communities; and - Sharing data and local-level information with governments. Commitments made by the State of Queensland pursuant to this Agreement included, among others: - Reforming land tenure legislation to enable long-term (99 year) leasing; - Supporting indigenous entities as trustees of Deed of Grant in Trust lands; - Improving the coordination, planning and models for service and infrastructure delivery; - Looking for more ways to support 'Pride of Place' initiatives; - Promoting parental and community engagement in education, healthy food choices and the cultural competence of staff working with indigenous communities; - Providing high quality education services, research in education reform and improved child protection; - Addressing the impact of Commonwealth Community Development Employment Program reforms on state-provided positions; and - Reviewing the 20% policy for indigenous participation in government construction projects, as well as community alcohol supply and demand restriction policies and programs. For more initial commitments set out under this Agreement, refer to Clause 14. The Local Indigenous Partnership Agreements This Agreement was designed to serve as an overarching framework for local partnerships worked out at ground level between governments and indigenous communities (Clauses 5 and 15). Pursuant to this Agreement, each participating community was also to enter into a Local Indigenous Partnership Agreement by the end of 2007 through the use of community negotiation tables. Each Local Indigenous Partnership Agreement was to be informed by local data, including negotiated targets. It would be reviewed and reported on to both the relevant communities and the government each year (Clauses 16 and 19). Funding for any one-off initiatives created by the Local Indigenous Partnership Agreements would come from a fund established by the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (Clause 18). Response to this Indigenous Partnership Agreement In an article published in The Australian on 23 July 2007, former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said that the Agreement was 'about real change, with the government and the communities working together to provide better services in return for changed behaviour and greater responsibility by community members.' Mr Beattie's views were echoed by former Queensland Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney, who was quoted in the same article, and by Hope Vale Mayor Greg McLean, who was one of the mayors taking part in the signing of the Agreement (ABC News, 23 July 2007). | ||
Related Entries |
| Organisation |
Documents |
| Document |
 Indigenous Partnership Agreement 2007-2010 (Qld) - ( PDF) |
Glossary |
| Indigenous Partnership |
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