DIMIA Annual Report 2004-05

Output 3.1-Indigenous policy

Figure 82: Performance information-Indigenous policy

Objectives

To:

• provide advice to government on Indigenous policy issues
• coordinate innovative Indigenous policy development with external agencies and state and territory governments
• manage the conduct of litigation in those cases where the role of the Australian Government in Indigenous affairs is involved.

Description

The Office of Indigenous Policy (OIPC) has a central role in the Australian Government's new arrangements in Indigenous affairs. Its core functions are:

• to be the primary source of advice on Indigenous issues to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (the Minister)
• to coordinate and drive whole-of-government innovative policy development and service delivery across the Australian Government
• to develop new ways of engaging directly with Indigenous Australians at the regional and local level, including through:
  • Shared Responsibility Agreements (SRAs) at community/clan/family level
  • Regional Partnership Agreements (RPAs) (where there is local interest) to customise and shape government interventions in a region
• to broker relations with state and territory governments on Indigenous issues
• to evaluate and report on the performance of government programs and services for Indigenous people to inform policy review and development
• to communicate Australian Government policy directions to Indigenous people and the community generally
• to manage a number of Indigenous programs and transitional services arising from the abolition of ATSIC-ATSIS.

Analysis of performance

In its first year of operation OIPC made significant progress in laying the basis of the new arrangements in Indigenous affairs, while supporting the Minister, the MTF, the NIC and the Secretaries' Group on Indigenous Affairs.

Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs (MTF)

OIPC provides secretariat support to the MTF, which sets national priorities for Indigenous policy. The MTF met for the first time on 16 June 2004, and on three further occasions in 2004-05. At its first meeting, the MTF agreed to a 20 to 30 year vision for Indigenous Australians, and identified three priority areas for national attention. On advice from the NIC, these priorities have been refined to:

• early childhood intervention, a key focus of which will be improved mental and physical health, and in particular primary health, and early educational outcomes
• safer communities (which includes issues of authority, law and order, but necessarily also focuses on dealing with issues of governance to ensure that communities are functional and effective)
• building Indigenous wealth, employment and entrepreneurial culture, as these are integral to boosting economic development and reducing poverty and dependence on passive welfare.

These priorities are now guiding government policy development and investment in Indigenous affairs.

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National Indigenous Council

The National Indigenous Council (NIC), established on 6 November 2004, is an appointed non-statutory advisory body to government through the MTF, providing expert advice on policy, program and service-delivery issues affecting Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. The membership of the NIC at June 2005 is set out in Appendix 1 of this report. The NIC met three times during 2004-05, meeting jointly with the MTF at its December 2004 and June 2005 meetings.

The NIC has had input into refining the MTF's priorities, and has developed a set of principles on Indigenous land tenure as a contribution to public discussion of mechanisms to improve economic outcomes for Indigenous Australians from the use of Indigenous-owned land.

Secretaries' Group on Indigenous Affairs

The Secretaries' Group on Indigenous Affairs comprises the heads of Australian Government departments responsible for administering the Australian Government's Indigenous programs, both former ATSIC-ATSIS programs and other Indigenous programs. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and met regularly in 2004-05.

The Secretaries' Group provides advice and support to the MTF; consults with the NIC on policy proposals and directions and provides information to the NIC on the work of individual agencies as required; leads coordination across government agencies; and from 2005 will prepare a public annual report on the outcomes of Indigenous programs. Its work is focused on the priorities set by the MTF.

The Secretaries and their respective departments work closely with Indigenous communities at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) trial sites, each of which is led by a particular portfolio. For further information on these trials, see the Outcome 3 Administered Item: Cross Portfolio Indigenous Flexible Funding Arrangements. The Secretaries' Group oversees the engagement now occurring with Indigenous communities and regions under the government's new arrangements.

Budget 2005

For the 2005-06 Budget, OIPC facilitated a collaborative Budget process whereby the development of proposals for change and new investment in Indigenous affairs was managed through a single Indigenous Budget submission. This enabled priorities to be considered across portfolios. The 2005-06 Budget resulted in extended and additional Australian Government Indigenous expenditure of more than half a billion dollars over the next four years, more than half of which was redirected from mainstream program sources. Total Australian Government Indigenous funding is estimated to increase by $214 million to a record $3.144 billion in 2005-06. The submission focused on the MTF's three priorities, and reflected advice from the MTF, NIC and Secretaries' Group.

Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs)

OIPC was instrumental in establishing a network of 30 ICCs around Australia, comprising 23 rural and regional centres and seven metropolitan centres. Non-metropolitan ICCs comprise staff from the multiple agencies managing Indigenous programs. ICCs are managed and serviced by OIPC.

From 1 July 2004, ICCs coordinated arrangements for funding most of the former ATSIC-ATSIS programs and ensured a seamless transition to the new arrangements with no interruption to service delivery to Indigenous organisations and communities.

ICCs broker innovative and flexible solutions to Indigenous needs, from relevant federal programs, through negotiating SRAs at the local level and RPAs at the regional level.

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SRAs and RPAs

2004-05 was the first year of the roll out of SRAs, which are a significant means of responding to the needs of Indigenous communities in a coordinated whole-of-government way and streamlining processes so that it is easier for communities to deal with government. SRAs are driven by community priorities and target funding where the community sees the most urgent need. In 2004-05, the government announced that 76 SRAs had been signed with 64 Indigenous communities across Australia. Many of these SRAs include funding commitments from more than one Australian Government agency.

Negotiations on a number of RPAs progressed during 2004-05, with the first being close to finalisation at the end of the year.

Progress with SRAs and RPAs is further reported under the Outcome 5 Administered Items: Shared Responsibility Agreements Implementation Assistance; Indigenous Communities-Developing a 20-30 Year Vision; and Indigenous Communities- Improving School Attendance in Remote Areas.

Streamlining funding arrangements

As reported above, OIPC played a facilitation and coordination role in new whole-of-government arrangements for funding Indigenous communities. OIPC wrote to all organisations that received funding in 2004-05 advising them of the process for 2005-06. The application and decision-making processes were coordinated across government through ICCs using a common program application form and single Program Funding Agreement (PFA) for the majority of former ATSIC-ATSIS programs. This meant that no additional administrative burden was imposed on applicants. A funds management system was used to process more than 920 applications to undertake more than 2900 activities in the coming financial year, with the first payments expected to be made in early July 2005. PFAs under the new arrangements will address community needs and, over time, reflect the priority being given to SRAs.

'Red tape removal'

OIPC has initiated an analysis of the nature and extent of the administrative burden ('red tape') faced by organisations that provide services to Indigenous communities. A consultant chosen through a tender process will work with up to 30 specified organisations in 15 to 20 mainly discrete Indigenous communities to:

• map contracts and funding agreements with these communities and community organisations
• describe the projects funded under these contracts and agreements
• report on duplication, and recommend ways to reduce any undue administrative burden while maintaining appropriate levels of accountability.

A small number of pilot studies will investigate ways to simplify dealing with government, and to test assumptions identified through the 'red tape' evaluation.

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Bilateral agreements with the states/territories

OIPC coordinated discussions with state and territory governments about bilateral agreements on Indigenous affairs. Negotiations focused on obtaining agreement on priority areas for joint government action to improve outcomes for Indigenous people, in line with COAG's 2004 National Framework of Principles for Delivering Services to Indigenous Australians. Under this framework, governments are committed to:

• achieving better outcomes for Indigenous Australians by sharing responsibility
• focusing on identified priority areas
• establishing transparency and accountability
• developing a learning framework
• cutting unnecessary duplication between jurisdictions
• reducing bureaucratic red tape and harnessing mainstream government programs to ensure they meet the needs of Indigenous Australians.

The first bilateral agreement was signed in Darwin by the Prime Minister and the Northern Territory Chief Minister on 6 April 2005. This agreement includes a housing schedule that will cut administrative duplication through transferring responsibility for Indigenous housing from the Australian Government to the Northern Territory Government.

Progress has been made in negotiations with other states and territories. Bilateral agreements are expected to include a commitment from governments to add to the agreement progressively as opportunities for joint work on the agreed priorities arise.

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Whole-of-government policy development

OIPC worked collaboratively with other government agencies to coordinate the development of policy to improve Indigenous outcomes. We convened an SES Taskforce to address the major systemic policy issues requiring a whole-of-government response.

Three cross-agency working groups were set up to advance the three priorities set by the MTF, under the direction of the Secretaries' Group. Chaired by OIPC, these working groups include lead agencies with major program responsibilities in the relevant areas. The working groups were tasked with gathering information about relevant existing programs and policies, then developing coherent strategies for coordinated Australian Government action. While noting the extensive role played by the states and territories, the working groups advised the Secretaries' Group on proposed strategic directions for the Australian Government, including proposals for consideration in the Budget context.

Significant input was provided to other cross-portfolio processes to develop Indigenous social and economic policy in areas such as health, education, economic development and family wellbeing. OIPC participated in key forums such as the Child Health and Well-being Taskforce and the Secretaries' Advisory Group on Youth.

OIPC has significant program responsibilities in relation to land and native title (see Outcome 5) and during the year advised the Minister on the development of reforms to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (ALR Act) following consultations with Northern Territory Government officials. The reforms are aimed at streamlining the exploration and mining development process under Part IV of the ALR Act. In response to Northern Territory Government proposals to facilitate headleases over townships on land granted under the ALR Act and related proposals from the Northern Territory land councils, we developed options for tenure arrangements that would facilitate home ownership and economic development on Aboriginal land.

OIPC also advised the Secretaries' Group on initiatives for Indigenous people to gain economic and social benefits from land use and ownership. We provided significant input into the scoping and development of these initiatives and supported the NIC's work in this area.

We provided input to the resource policies and programs of other agencies for the benefit of Indigenous Australians, including the development of the National Indigenous Fishing Principles by the National Indigenous Fishing Technical Working Group and a National Indigenous Forestry Strategy by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

OIPC contributed to the work of the Ministerial Council on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (MCATSIA) and other Ministerial Councils targeting early childhood development, economic development and telecommunications issues for Indigenous people.

OIPC participated in the development of relevant mainstream strategies and initiatives such as the draft National Agenda for Early Childhood, and has been a key player on the National Inhalant Abuse Taskforce.

Advice on Indigenous issues was prepared and coordinated for parliamentary inquiries and various international forums. In particular, we prepared a briefing for the Australian delegation to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in New York in May 2005.

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Information and research

Improving the relevance and comprehensiveness of data in relation to Indigenous Australians is a key focus of the new arrangements.

OIPC established the Australian Government Indigenous Management Information System (AGIMIS) to support the long-term policy, program implementation and reporting requirements of the whole-of-government approach to Indigenous services. Consultation with agencies in early 2005 culminated in a Scoping Report which outlines the information required to report on the Australian Government's investment in, and delivery of, Indigenous services. As at 30 June 2005, we had completed work on the necessary foundation documents to ensure the integrity of data collection and reporting within AGIMIS.

OIPC contributed to the second edition of the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators report through the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. We also provided advice on Indigenous data to a number of advisory bodies and committees, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the National Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data.

OIPC provided numerous ministerial briefings on key publications and reports containing Indigenous data, in terms of both the integrity and quality of the data and the trends in key indicators such as life expectancy and school retention.

In line with our interest in fostering research into Indigenous issues, OIPC continued to support the work of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, which focuses on the sustainable prosperity and livelihoods of all remote desert inhabitants, particularly Indigenous people. We also continued funding for the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the Australian National University and the Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements database at Melbourne University.

Evaluation

OIPC convenes and leads a cross-portfolio Evaluation Advisory Group (EAG), which supports the effective implementation of the whole-of-government approach to Indigenous affairs. EAG's role includes:

• developing a coordinated rolling plan of evaluations across all agencies
• giving OIPC technical and tactical advice on its proposed monitoring and evaluation work plan and activities
• advising OIPC on and providing input to the public reporting processes required by the new arrangements.

The work of the EAG complements the role of independent agencies such as the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and the Office of Evaluation and Audit (Indigenous Programs) in the Department of Finance and Administration. OIPC's own evaluation plans cover three broad areas:

• the way in which policies and programs at a national level join to achieve outcomes for Indigenous people
• the way in which governments and their programs work with/in local communities and how they can be made more responsive to the needs of those communities
• continuously improving the way agencies are implementing the Government's policies and programs.

In late 2003 the Australian and state/territory governments agreed on a monitoring and evaluation framework for the eight COAG Indigenous coordination trials. OIPC has agreed with all Australian Government lead agencies and a number of other partners, including state and territory governments and representatives of Indigenous communities, on how the evaluations will be conducted, commencing in 2005-06.

The arrangements for ongoing evaluation of SRAs consist of two elements:

• monitoring the performance of individual SRAs by including a small set of quantitative performance indicators in each SRA, and reporting regularly against these indicators. This element also involves engaging a panel of independent consultants to conduct a concise qualitative review of individual SRAs at their conclusion or an appropriate review point
• systemic evaluation of all SRAs signed in a financial year. This element includes reviews of SRAs a year after they are established, starting in 2005-06. The implementation review will synthesise lessons learnt-for instance, whether commitments made were being implemented, whether the agreement-making process had enabled effective community engagement, and whether there is community ownership and a basis for further development of partnerships with the community.

We expect the implementation review will be followed by an impact evaluation three or four years after SRAs are signed, assessing the impact of SRAs collectively in achieving better outcomes.

 

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