Reconciliation and Social Justice Library

Indigenous Social Justice Strategies and Recommendations - Reform of the Funding of Citizenship Services for Indigenous Peoples

The discussion in this paper focuses on improved ways to fund the provision of citizenship services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These are services to which all citizens have equal rights. The structural reform proposed would ensure that the required increased capital expenditure is delivered in ways which enhance the capacity of Indigenous people to exercise their right to self determination. It would also have the very practical result of ensuring that Commonwealth-sourced funds end up providing the services for which they are intended. It will not be a simple exercise to transform funding arrangements in such a fundamental way. It will take time and it will necessarily require advanced negotiations along the route. What is proposed here -- a wide-ranging review by the Commonwealth Grants Commission -- is but a first step to ensuring a solid foundation for reform.