O constancy, be strong upon my
side,
Set a huge mountain 'tween my heart and tongue!
I have a man's mind, but a woman's might.
Julius
Ceasar, Act 2, sc. 4
This post is largely for the record, and links to a recent
publication in Inside Story (link
here) titled A steep climb ahead,
but the landscape has become clearer for Closing the Gap. The article seeks to assess
the likely outcomes of the recent negotiations to refresh the Closing the Gap
targets, adopting a wider than usual analytic frame of reference.
The title reflects my ambivalence insofar as the new
National Agreement lays the foundations for a substantial move beyond the
structural status quo, but governments have a record of actively preferring
stasis to reform.
A key issue mentioned, but not deeply analysed is the pre-existing
and long-term trend of the Commonwealth shifting policy responsibility for
Indigenous policy to the states wherever possible; and where not possible, to mainstream
programs. This topic deserves further analysis.
Finally, given this post is focussed on milestones, it is
worth recording that this is the two hundredth post since December 2015, an
average of around 40 per annum. I took the opportunity of re-reading my first post on
the subject of 'COAG and Indigenous affairs policy' (link
here), and thought that post's last paragraph bears repeating, as it appears to be of continuing relevance:
Prime
Ministers are known to ask trusted experts and advisers “what are the two or
three things I should do in the Indigenous policy area?” My unequivocal answer
to that hypothetical question would be as follows: to replace ideology and
rhetoric with substance, place a focus on policy over politics in
decision-making, listen to local and regional voices, accept the inevitability
of diversity amongst Indigenous interests, and put as much focus on policy
implementation as on policy development, and thereby provide real, substantive
and innovative leadership to the nation as a whole. The Prime Minister’s first
COAG meeting falls short of this benchmark.
