Productivity Commission
Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2016
This comprehensive report card measures where things have improved (or not) against 52 indicators across a range of areas including governance, leadership and culture, early childhood, education, health, home and safe and supportive communities, and includes case studies on things that work to improve outcomes. The report is produced in consultation with all Australian governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. (blurb)
There is a media release, key points, a video (with transcript), an overview, a report and a fact sheet. There are logoes standing for categories of progress or lack of progress. The Commission reports to the Council of Australian Governments. From the media release:
Two years on from the previous report there continues to be improvement in many areas of health, economic participation and aspects of education. But areas such as justice and mental health remain concerning, with increases in imprisonment rates and hospitalisations for self-harm.
“It is encouraging to see improvement over the last decade in rates of year 12 completion and post school education. But alarmingly the national imprisonment rate has increased 77 per cent over the last 15 years, and hospitalisation rates for self-harm have increased by 56 per cent over the last decade”, said Peter Harris, Chair of the Productivity Commission and of the Steering Committee.
The OID report continues to provide comprehensive reporting, with a ‘strengths-based’ focus. It also includes some case studies on ‘things that work’ to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. “If we are to see improvements in outcomes we need to know which policies work and why. But the overwhelming lack of robust, public evaluation of programs highlights the imperative for Indigenous policy evaluation”, said Deputy Chair Karen Chester.
Media reports: ABC; Fairfax; Huffington Post; Financial Review. Eva Cox in The Conversation.
17 November 2016 updated