Measuring outcomes for Indigenous Australia

1. Measuring outcomesforIndigenous Australia ABS NatStats conference 20 November 2008 Robert Fitzgerald AM Commissioner Productivity Commission

2. The power of data Statistics are most powerful when they not only tell what is but drive us to do what should be done.

3. New COAG emphasis on accountability • Specific Purpose Payments- indigenous outcome indicators • COAG targets – closing the gap • COAG Working group on Indigenous Reform- Building blocks framework • Expenditure- on services to Indigenous Australians • PM’s Annual Report to Parliament

4. COAG targets • Close the life expectancy gap within a generation • Halve gap in mortality rates for children under five within a decade • Halve gaps in reading, writing & numeracy within a decade • All four year olds in remote communities access to early childhood education within five years • At least halve the gap for students in year 12 attainment or equivalent by 2020 • Halve the gap in employment outcomes within a decade

5. A national integrated reporting framework To reach the targets, we need information on: • High level outcomes: • Are we making progress towards the targets? • Expenditure on services: • Can expenditure be linked to outcomes? • Program effectiveness: • What contribution do programs/services make • to achieving outcomes?

6. How does the OID fit in? Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators • Commissioned by all governments in Australia • Reports every 2 years • Intergovernmental steering committee & working group • Indicators that : • are relevant to governments • are relevant to Indigenous stakeholders • demonstrate the collective impact of programs and policies

7. ‘Not just another report’ • A strategic framework • An agent for change and implementation tool • An nationally agreed basis for measuring progress • A two yearly report card on progress • Imbedded into state and territory frameworks

8. Early child development • Hearing impediments Education and training • Literacy and numeracy • Attendance Safe & supportive communities etc... A preventive model:multiple causes – education Year 10/12 attainment Tertiary attainment Substance abuse

9. A preventive model:multiple causes – health Life expectancy DisabilityChronic disease Early child development • Infant mortality; Birthweight • Injury & preventable disease Safe & supportive communities • Alcohol, tobacco & substance use & harm Healthy lives • Primary health care; mental health Healthy homes

10. A preventive model:multiple effects – overcrowding Health Domestic violence School attendanceand performance Substance abuse Overcrowding in housing

11. A preventive model:multiple effects – alcohol Health Employment Imprisonment Domestic violence Alcohol consumption and harm

12. Proposed ‘aligned’ framework Tier 1 COAG targets added to Headline Indicators Tier 2 WGIR Building Blocks aligned with OID Strategic areas

13. The priority outcomes are unchanged

14. COAG TARGETS Infant mortality Life expectancy Early childhood education Reading, writing & numeracy Year 12 attainment Employment HEADLINE INDICATORS Disability & chronic disease Household & individual income Substantiated child abuse & neglect Post secondary education Family and community violence Imprisonment & juvenile detention COAG targets added to headline indicators &

15. WGIR Building Blocks aligned with OID strategic areas for action COAG targets & Headline indicators Earlychilddevelopment Education&training Healthylives Economicparticipation Homeenvironment Safe andsupportivecommunities Governance&leadership • Strategic change indicators include: • OID indicators • WGIR indicators • SPP Indigenous indicators

16. Indicator criteria • Relevance to priority outcomes • Movements in strategic change indicators influence headline indicators • Meaningful to stakeholders including the Indigenous community • Sensitive to policy interventions • Supported by strong logic or empirical evidence • Unambiguous and clear in meaning and interpretation • Existence or ease of developing data sets

17. Potential new indicators for 2009 OID • Maternal health • Maternal age at first birth • Basic skills for life and learning • Teacher quality • Obesity and nutrition • Income support

18. Areas for development Areas of the framework identified for development: • economic participation and development • justice outcomes • substance use and misuse • social and emotional wellbeing and mental health • governace • cultural indicators

19. Data issues • Improving existing collections • Births and deaths • Hospitals • Medicare • School enrolment • Addressing immediate gaps • Crime victims and perpetrators • Improved regional data • Longer term • Addressing barriers to self-identification

20. ‘Things that work’ Case studies of successful programs Demonstrate that change is possible Communities and agencies can learn from each other ‘Success factors’ can be identified Statistics can’t measure everything

21. Success factors in ‘things that work’: • Cooperative approaches • ‘Bottom-up’ community involvement • Ongoing support • Good governance • Including in Government as well as communities and organisations

22. Measuring matters • Measuring outcomes matters but only if the data/indicators are respected by and are relevant to all stakeholders • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders deserve a more strategic, evidence based approach with their input respected. • Knowing more about what is will achieve little if we don’t put in place the means to effectively interpret, evaluate and respond.