National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Strategy Report

Consultation Report

Background to the Strategy

In February 2020, as part of the Closing the Gap Statement to Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, announced the development of a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Strategy (the Strategy).

Families, communities, peak bodies and experts in the early childhood development and care sectors had long called for governments and service providers to adopt a systematic and coordinated approach toward improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Accordingly, the purpose of the Strategy is to lay the pathway for governments, non-government sectors and communities to support all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to grow up healthy, engaged with education, connected to family and community, and strong in culture.

Not long after the Strategy’s announcement, the Joint Council on Closing the Gap — Australia’s first national Decision-making partnership to include representatives of the Australian, state and territory governments, the Australian Local Government Association, and the Coalition of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations, pursuant to the historic Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap — concluded negotiations for a new National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement). Finalised in July 2020, the National Agreement marks the first time that the Closing the Gap policy platform has been developed in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations. Furthermore, it stipulates that all future decisions and actions taken under the Closing the Gap framework must also be arrived at through such partnerships.

The National Agreement sets out four Priority Reforms — systemic changes to the way governments and non-Indigenous organisations operate, which together constitute essential preconditions to the achievement of individual targets under the Socioeconomic Outcome Areas. Priority Reform One commits all signatories to building and strengthening structures that empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to formally share Decision-making authority with governments to accelerate policy and place-based progress against Closing the Gap.

In line with these principles, this Strategy has been developed under a formal partnership between the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and SNAICC – National Voice for our Children (SNAICC), the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s safety, development and wellbeing. This arrangement therefore represents one of the first partnerships formed pursuant to Priority Reform One of the National Agreement. As a community-controlled organisation responsive to the needs and priorities of its members, SNAICC’s key roles in this shared Decision-making process were to lead community consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations across the country, and to ensure that the priorities and concerns heard in those consultations are accurately reflected in the Strategy.

Developing the Strategy

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Strategy Report reflects the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, communities and organisations who participated in the national consultation process by sharing their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the future wellbeing of their children.

In consideration of the impacts of COVID-19 risks and corresponding restrictions on engagement activity, the Strategy was developed in a two-stage
process. The first stage saw the development, with advice from an Advisory Group and other recognised sector experts, of an evidence-based Framework to inform the Strategy and support effective community consultation. With the release of the Framework in April 2021, the second stage launched a broad consultation process across Australia, enabling the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations to inform specific priorities and actions for the Strategy. Stakeholders provided input through online surveys, written submission, virtual workshops and meetings, along with face-to-face workshops, surveys and children’s art activities coordinated by SNAICC’s partner organisations around Australia.

From June 2021, SNAICC and the NIAA drafted and finalised the Strategy in partnership, analysing and reflecting learnings from the consultation process in order to define the Strategy’s key priorities and actions.