Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Measuring outcomes
for
Indigenous Australia
Robert Fitzgerald AM
Commissioner
Productivity Commission
ABS NatStats conference
20 November 2008
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
The power of data
Statistics are most powerful
when they not only tell what is
but drive us to do what should be done.
2
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
New COAG emphasis on accountability

Specific Purpose Payments- indigenous

COAG targets – closing the gap

COAG Working group on Indigenous Reform- Building
outcome indicators
blocks framework


Expenditure- on services to Indigenous Australians
PM’s Annual Report to Parliament
3
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
A national integrated reporting framework
To reach the targets, we need information on:

High level outcomes:


Expenditure on services:


Are we making progress towards the targets?
Can expenditure be linked to outcomes?
Program effectiveness:

What contribution do programs/services make
 to achieving outcomes?
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
6
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
‘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
7
A preventive model:
multiple causes – education
Year 10/12 attainment
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Tertiary attainment
Early child development

Hearing impediments
Education and training


Literacy and numeracy
Attendance
Substance abuse
Safe & supportive communities
etc...
8
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
A preventive model:
multiple causes – health
Disability
Chronic disease
Life expectancy
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
9
A preventive model:
multiple effects – overcrowding
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Health
Overcrowding
in housing
Domestic violence
School attendance
and performance
Substance abuse
10
A preventive model:
multiple effects – alcohol
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Health
Alcohol
consumption
and harm
Employment
Imprisonment
Domestic violence
11
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Proposed ‘aligned’ framework
Safe, healthy and supportive
family environments with
strong communities and
cultural identity
Improved wealth creation
and economic sustainability
for individuals, families and
communities
Tier 1
COAG targets added to
Headline Indicators
Positive child development
and prevention of violence,
crime and self-harm
&
COAG Targets
- Infant mortality
- Life expectancy
- Early childhood education
- Reading, writing & numeracy
- Year 12 attainment
- Employment
Headline indicators
- Disability and chronic disease
- Post secondary education
- Household and individual income
- Substantiated child abuse & neglect
- Family and community violence
- Imprisonment & juvenile detention
Tier 2
WGIR Building Blocks
aligned with
OID Strategic areas
Early child
development
Education
and training
Healthy lives
Economic
participation
Home
environment
Safe and
supportive
communities
Governance
and
leadership
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
The priority outcomes are unchanged
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
COAG targets added to headline indicators
COAG TARGETS
&
HEADLINE INDICATORS
Infant mortality
Disability & chronic disease
Life expectancy
Household & individual income
Early childhood education
Substantiated child abuse &
neglect
Reading, writing & numeracy
Post secondary education
Year 12 attainment
Employment
Family and community violence
Imprisonment & juvenile
detention
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
WGIR Building Blocks aligned
with OID strategic areas for action
COAG targets & Headline indicators
Early
child
development
Education
&
training
Healthy
lives
Economic
Home
participation environment
Safe and
Governance
supportive
&
communities leadership
Strategic change indicators include:
• OID indicators
• WGIR indicators
• SPP Indigenous indicators
15
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
16
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
17
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
19
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
Statistics can’t measure everything
‘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
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Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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
21
Steering Committee for the
Review of Government
Service Provision
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.
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