FIRST PEOPLES DISABILITY NETWORK AUSTRALIA IS PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF THE COALITION OF PEAKS
FPDN has been advocating for many years with Federal and State Governments alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Peak organisations for disability to be included as a Closing the Gap target.
Disability is not just a health issue, it is prevalent under all existing Closing the Gap target areas: families, children and youth, housing, justice, including youth justice, health, economic development, culture and language, education, healing, and eliminating racism and systemic discrimination.
WHAT IS THE COALITION OF PEAKS?
FPDN is a member of the Coalition of Peaks, a National representative body made up of around fifty Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and members who have signed a National Agreement with Governments to work together in shared decision making on improving the life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through Closing the Gap.
The Coalition of Peaks came together to change the way Australian governments work with our people. As community-controlled organisations, the Coalition of Peaks work for and are accountable to our communities, not governments. We share a belief that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should have a meaningful say on policies and programs that impact on us through formal partnerships with Australian governments at all levels.
The Coalition of Peaks together with Australian governments have signed the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement). The National Agreement has been built around what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people said is important to improve their lives. The National Agreement is available here
The National Agreement is being built around four “Priority Reforms” to change the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and people across the country to accelerate improvements in Closing the Gap.
The Priority Reforms have arisen from the Partnership between Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks; they respond to the voices and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and were overwhelming supported during the formal engagements in 2019.
Each Priority Reform has its target and indicators and they are available here.
The Priority Reforms also protect and support the strengthening of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through:
- Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander own governance and decision-making structures are supported.
- Recognising community-controlled organisations are an act of self-determination where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deliver services to their communities based on our own needs, cultures and relationship to land.
- Confronting institutionalised racism in government mainstream institutions and agencies to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access the services they need in a culturally safe way.
- Sharing data and information with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have more power to determine their own development.
In addition to the Priority Reforms targets, the National Agreement establishes 17 socio-economic targets to help bring focus to new areas and help monitor progress in improvements in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Read more about the 17 socio-economic targets here
FPDN is also a member of the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisation (CAPO NSW). You can read more about the work of CAPO here
