Election 2010: Indigenous affairs

Both parties launched their indigenous policies during this election campaign in the absence of their leaders.

Policy guide art

Both parties launched their indigenous policies during this election campaign in the absence of their leaders - a decision that spoke volumes about the very little emphasis that has been placed on indigenous issues throughout the campaign.

Labor has committed negligible new spending for indigenous affairs during its next term, if it should be re-elected.

The Coalition's firm commitment to hold a referendum on constitutional recognition is in stark contrast to Labor's wishy-washy promise to establish an expert panel.

But Tony Abbott’s long-time interest in indigenous affairs has failed to result in his party developing visionary policy.

There has barely been an election campaign in recent memory that ignored indigenous affairs so comprehensively – a fact made even more notable by the fact that just three years ago the issue, conditions in remote communities were a national emergency.

KEY PROMISES

LABOR

•To create a bipartisan expert panel to consider a change to the nation's constitution to recognise indigenous people
•To implement a “no school, no play” school truancy program to be largely targeted at Aboriginal students who fail to regularly attend school.

COALITION

•To hold a referendum on the constitutional recognition of indigenous people by 2013; to dump Labor’s proposed bipartisan expert panel
•To abolish the permit system for remote communities
•To provide dental hygienists to remote indigenous schools, at a cost of $22m
•To introduce legislation to overturn Queensland's Wild Rivers Act
•To establish a director-general of indigenous policy implementation, to report directly to the prime minister.

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