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ABORIGINAL WELLBEING The plan seeks an integrated approach to addressing Aboriginal disadvantage, and accordingly retains an overarching target for ‘Aboriginal wellbeing’ which can track – at an aggregate level – whether circumstances are getting better or worse for Aboriginal South Australians. The Australian and state governments are considering an Index of Aboriginal Disadvantage which would provide a credible measure enabling comparison of South Australia’s situation to other states. In the meantime, a scorecard capturing the main contributing factors to overall wellbeing will be used as our yardstick. T6.1 Aboriginal wellbeing: improve the overall wellbeing of Aboriginal South Australians. EARLY CHILDHOOD We need to give children the best start in life we can. This means maximising the number of babies who are born healthy, who are stimulated early to develop literacy, who are in an environment where they are both nurtured and challenged. A positive start to life means that children can develop resilience and be better able to deal with problems, challenges and opportunities. It means that they are more likely to find a place in, and contribute to, a well-functioning society. In recognition of these considerations, three early childhood targets have been added to this updated version of the plan. Two have data sources that are available now. The Australian Early Development Index is a measure which is in the trial stage only, but is included in anticipation of data becoming available. T6.2 Early childhood – Year 1 literacy: by 2014 achieve a 10% improvement in the number of children reading at an age appropriate level by the end of Year 1. T6.3 Early childhood – birthweight: reduce the proportion of low birthweight babies. T6.4 Early childhood – AEDI: improve South Australia’s performance on the Australian Early Development Index. ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE All South Australians deserve an opportunity to share in the benefits of the state’s prosperity and wealth. Fair societies not only create opportunity for all, they also tend to be cohesive communities in which trust plays a central role. Fair societies often go with strong economies because such societies invest in the skills and talents of their people. Tackling entrenched disadvantage is critically important. The original plan had a target for narrowing the gap between those on the lowest incomes in South Australia and those on average incomes. This presented certain technical difficulties. The new target, which looks at the proportion of households which rely heavily on welfare payments of various sorts (other than the age pension), is considered of greater use and relevance. T6.5 Economic disadvantage: reduce the percentage of South Australians receiving government benefits (excluding age pensions) as their major income source to below the Australian average by 2014. HOUSING
For decades South Australia has led the country in the quality of its public housing, Aboriginal housing, community housing and home ownership programs. Our housing is more affordable relative to the Australian average, although differences between the major cities are narrowing. We need to keep that competitive edge for the benefit of South Australians and to attract others to this state. The trends in affordability in the regions are also important. A new target addresses the issue of overcrowding in Aboriginal households, which contributes to many problems in Aboriginal communities. Homelessness remains an area for priority attention in the updated plan. T6.6 Homelessness: halve the number of ‘rough sleepers’ in South Australia by 2010 and maintain thereafter. T6.7 Affordable housing: increase affordable home purchase and rental opportunities by 5 percentage points by 2014. T6.8 Housing stress: halve the number of South Australians experiencing housing stress by 2014. T6.9 Aboriginal housing: reduce overcrowding in Aboriginal households by 10% by 2014. DISABILITY
People with disabilities deserve opportunities to participate in the community and to lead rich and fulfilling lives. Some need more support than others, either in the community or in their homes, or both. All should be included in, and valued by, our community. The importance of this principle is underlined by an increased focus on disability in the new plan. T6.10 Housing for people with disabilities: double the number of people with disabilities appropriately housed and supported in community based accommodation by 2014. T6.11 Participation by people with disabilities: increase by 400 the number of people with disability involved in day options program by 2014. EDUCATION
Education gives people the basic knowledge, skills and attributes they need to participate fully as confident and competent citizens in society. The education system shares this responsibility with the whole community, parents, family, friends and business. The best way to maintain social cohesion and economic competitiveness in the global economy is to have an aware, open-minded community that places a premium on knowledge and education at all levels. The original plan set targets for South Australian students to reach or exceed national benchmarks in literacy and numeracy. These have been retained in a simplified but no less ambitious form. The school leaving age has been lifted and will rise again as envisaged in the original plan, but the target has been reworded in this update to cover the broader overall challenge of lifting participation in school, training and in the labour market among our 15-19 year olds. A new element is lifting the state’s performance in maths, physics and science. To compete effectively in the future, we will need to do so on the basis of innovation, high skills and superior technology. T6.12 Year 3: by 2010, 93% of students in Year 3 to achieve the national benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy. T6.13 Year 5: by 2010, 93% of students in Year 5 to achieve the national benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy. T6.14 Year 7: by 2010, 93% of students in Year 7 to achieve the national benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy. T6.15 Learning or earning: by 2010 increase the number of 15-19 year olds engaged fulltime in school, work or further education/training (or combination thereof) to 90%. T6.16 SACE or equivalent: Increase yearly the proportion of 15-19 year olds who achieve the SACE or comparable senior secondary qualification. T6.17 Science and maths: by 2010 increase by 15 percent the proportion of students receiving a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) or equivalent with at least one of the follow subjects: mathematics, physics or chemistry. ABORIGINAL EDUCATION
As noted earlier, education gives people the basic knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for them to be confident and competent citizens. The importance of this for our Aboriginal population, particularly in the early years, is reflected by the addition of a new stand-alone target in this update. T6.18 Aboriginal education – early years: increase yearly the proportion of Aboriginal children reading at age appropriate levels at the end of Year 1. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING
The following targets centre on training and development options beyond school. The imperative behind these targets is that how well we compete abroad depends to a large degree on how well we educate and train at home. Of particular concern is making sure South Australia’s youth are either employed or in training while they are best able to experiment and to learn. T6.19 Non-school qualifications: by 2014, equal or better the national average for the proportion of the labour force with non-school qualifications. T6.20 Higher education: increase South Australia’s proportion of higher education students to 7.5% of the national total by 2014. T6.21 VET participation: exceed the national average for VET participation by 2010. DIVERSITY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
The South Australian public sector accounts for about 12% of employment in South Australia. As such its employment practices and profile can have a substantial and direct impact on employment opportunities for under-represented populations. It can also be an important role model for the private sector. The Government’s commitment to lifting the levels of public sector employment of Aboriginal South Australians remains in this update of the plan, but with a new focus on ensuring that we aim for levels of at least 2% in each agency (not averaged across the sector) and across classification levels. Two new targets aim to increase representation, respectively, by people with disabilities and by women at the more senior levels – both of which should contribute to a more diverse workforce and, by extension, a more innovative, flexible and responsive public sector. T6.22 People with disabilities: double the number of people with disabilities employed by 2014. T6.23 Women: have women comprising half of the public sector employees in the executive levels (including chief executives) by 2014. T6.24 Aboriginal employees: increase the participation of Aboriginal people in the South Australian public sector, spread across all classifications and agencies, to 2% by 2010 and maintain or better those levels through to 2014.
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