Closing the Gap has been worthwhile: Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd has defended the Closing the Gap initiative, declaring it had improved the lives of indigenous Australians.

Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd says the Closing the Gap initiative has improved the lives of indigenous Australians. Picture: AAP

Kevin Rudd has defended the Closing the Gap initiative, saying it had improved the lives of indigenous Australians despite the majority of targets not being met.

The former prime minister, who launched the strategy in 2008, said it was responsib­le for higher attendance at school and preschool among indigenous children. “If it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy of the last decade­ or so … would we now be on track to achieving our national­ target of Year 12 retention rates? I think not,” Mr Rudd said on Thursday.

“If it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy, would we now be on track of having virtually all indigenous little ones in preschool across the country? I think not.

“If it were not for the Closing the Gap strategy, would we now being seeing improvements in virtually all the numbers across all the measures of Closing the Gap in literacy, numeracy, health and housing and the rest? I would suggest not.”

Two of the seven Closing the Gap targets, early childhood education target levels and Year 12 attainment, are on track to being met. Ambitions have failed in targets for school attendance, child mortality, employ­ment, life expectancy, and literacy and numeracy targets.

Scott Morrison said the Closing the Gap results were “not good enough” when he launched the 12th report on Wednesday, declaring for the second year in a row that a strategy overhaul was needed to improve results.

The Prime Minister said indig­enous Australians had not been properly consulted when the program was designed by the Rudd government with the support of the states and territories.

“We … thought we understood their problems better than they did. We don’t. They live them. We must see the gap we wish to close not from our viewpoints but from the viewpoint of indigenous Australians,” he said.

Mr Rudd said the Prime Minister was wrong in claiming there was not enough initial consult­ation with indigenous people.

“I remember where it came from,” Mr Rudd said. “It was provided­ to us by the Aboriginal social­ justice commissioner Tom Calma’s report of 2005 calling on us, the nation, to close the gap between­ white Australians and black Australians. We listened. That’s why it’s there.”

He also warned Mr Morrison against removing “measurable goals altogether”. “Let’s give it a year to see what the Prime Minister delivers. But for me there will be three benchmarks,” he said.

“What will be the new measures for Closing the Gap that you come up with? Second, where will the data be to assess success or failure against those measures? And third, what will be the resource­ allocation, greater or less, to meet each and every one of those new objectives?

“Otherwise, it’s bullshit.”