Ms LEY (Farrer—Leader of the Opposition) (12:23): Today I rise to acknowledge two moments of national significance: the tabling of the latest Closing the gap report and the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. Both invite us to reflect not only on how far our nation has come but on the distance that we still have to travel together. I acknowledge first those members of the Stolen Generation and their families who are here today and those watching the broadcast from home, and I pay my respects to members of the Stolen Generations who are no longer with us. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land where parliament meets. I also acknowledge the presence of Minister McCarthy, senator from the other place; the member for Lingiari; shadow minister Kerrynne Liddle; other senators and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of parliament. On behalf of the coalition, I extend a warm welcome to those representing Coalition of Peaks and Catherine Liddle from SNAICC. I thank you for your leadership and your work. The apology delivered in this parliament 18 years ago was an important moment in Australia's story, and I was privileged to be here in the chamber. It was an acknowledgement of profound wrongs: the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities and cultures, and of the enduring pain that those policies caused. For many survivors and their families, the apology mattered because it said, plainly and publicly, we were wrong. An apology, however important, is not an end point. It must be matched by sustained action, by honesty about outcomes and by a shared commitment to do better. The Closing the Gap framework was intended to be one such commitment—a practical expression of our responsibility to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have the same life opportunities as every other Australian. The report outlines the Albanese government's response to a deeply concerning picture. While there has been progress in a small number of targets, only four are on track and four have gone backwards. Outcomes in health, education, housing, justice and economic participation continue to fall short of what any of us should accept. These are not abstract statistics. They represent lives shaped by disrupted schooling, unsafe housing and contact with systems that too often intervene late rather than support early. It is especially troubling that, generation after generation, disadvantage remains entrenched in many areas. That reality should trouble all of us regardless of party, ideology or position. Closing the gap must never become a box-ticking exercise or an annual ritual in this place. It is a national obligation that demands seriousness, discipline and long-term focus. I want to address, as I have so many times in this place, the importance of all our efforts to end violence against women. This week, the government launched its national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-2036. I congratulate those who advocated for this plan and contributed to its development. The work on this standalone plan began under the coalition government and, though it has taken four years, it has now been finalised. What matters most is not the words of any plan but the tangible actions which must be undertaken. Our efforts to eradicate violence against women and seek justice for victims are often sharpened in moments of national attention. We talk privately and sometimes very publicly about why this keeps happening. Just weeks ago in Lake Cargelligo, which is not that far from where I live, we saw another tragedy with multiple deaths, including that of an unborn child. Sometimes we see reports that do not carry photos or names and we know too often these are Indigenous women whose lives have been taken. We mourn that we do not know more about these victims, because inevitably these women are best known as sisters, daughters, mothers and friends. The prevalence of violence against Indigenous women is devastatingly higher—with around one third of intimate-partner homicides involving Indigenous women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 27 times more likely than other Australian women to be hospitalised due to family violence. The biggest risk factors are well known: the involvement of alcohol, mental health issues and relationship stresses, especially financial strain and prior criminality. As I have said, while we continue to support the primary violence prevention efforts led by bipartisan intergenerational campaigns, we must also confront reality, and the reality is that there is more to be done to address risk factors, to support men to change and to ensure the justice system operates to keep women safe. While recognising the role of men's personal responsibility, attitudinal and behavioural change, the plan importantly says: … the majority of men in our communities are not using violence against women and children. The positive role of men cannot be ignored and the role of families as a positive protective factor cannot be diminished. Family and domestic violence is not excluded from Closing the Gap reporting because it is unimportant; it is sadly excluded because the data is complex, underreported and nationally inconsistent. That needs urgent attention. We stand ready to support the government to better address the drivers of violence against women. What the coalition has not committed to is simply agreeing to every proposal which is put forward. We will make principled decisions, we will carefully scrutinise legislation, and we will always consider whether proposals are improving the lives of Indigenous Australians. We took one such principled position this week, on legislation for a new national commissioner role. We saw that it was bureaucratic, was duplicative and focused heavily on symbolism without concrete ways to offer solutions. There are enough reports and enough consultation. What there isn't enough of is action and accountability. The coalition will always prioritise practical action over symbolic gestures. That is our responsibility to the Australian public at large and, most importantly, to the people who need our attention the most. Reconciliation is not advanced by flourishes of symbolism, nor by rhetoric that outpaces results. It is advanced when children are safe, when young people complete school with real opportunity ahead of them and when adults can access jobs and health care. The coalition believes that improving outcomes requires policies that are practical, locally informed and genuinely accountable. However, we must not get lost in our differences. While we may not always agree across this chamber on how best to achieve outcomes, our resolve to achieve them is unquestionable. I highlight where there are important bipartisan gains under Closing the Gap, especially in education—an area that was a strong focus for the coalition government. One of the coalition's flagship programs was Connected Beginnings, targeted to provide Indigenous children with the best start in life by bringing together access to maternal and child health services, family supports and early childhood education and care. In 2021 the coalition committed to expanding this program to 50 sites, supporting around 25,000 Indigenous children in those critical years before school. I am pleased the 50th site was successfully announced last year. The Closing the Gap targets in early childhood education are especially important. While preschool enrolment is on track, attendance is down. The latest Early Development Census shows that measures of school readiness for Indigenous children have flatlined. We need to see this improve. That is why new approaches like the intensive support trial, funded by the Department of Education, and its evaluation are critical. As a mother, and a grandmother with six grandchildren in their early years, my aspiration for the next generation burns strongly for Indigenous children and for all Australian children. We are entrusted with the responsibility to leave a better future for all of them. As Liberals we believe deeply in the power of the individual, in the idea that people should be free to make choices about their own lives and that the role of government is to enable, not dictate. We see how individual personal responsibility and families are at the core of strong communities. We believe in the role of enterprise and business, in aspiration and in keeping more of what you earn. As Leader of the Opposition, just like I did many years ago as Minister for Health, I undertook to spend time in remote Australia to better understand the issues facing Indigenous people. I spent several days with Senator Liddle and the member for Durack in the Kimberley last year, where we intentionally travelled to meet with community members, non-government organisations and business owners where they live. At the Kununurra chamber of commerce, the message from Indigenous business owners was the same as I've heard constantly over the past few years: they want the opportunity to grow their business, lower regulatory barriers and taxes, and a government that is a smaller, not bigger, presence in their lives. It was the very same story at an Indigenous owned civil construction company I visited recently in Western Sydney, and, indeed, it is a familiar story for businesses across the country. These Liberal values lead to a very practical approach to closing the gap. It means backing aspiration. It means investing in education, because education remains the single most powerful tool for empowerment. There are no benefits from enrolling in education—only in attending. Families have the responsibility to make sure that children get to school. It means building safe communities, because no child can flourish without a safe and secure home. When these things come together without disruption, people find themselves healthier, happier and with jobs to support their families and their future. It also means listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and communities, measuring what works and being honest about what doesn't, and having the courage to change course when programs fail to deliver. With only four of the 19 targets now on track—one less than last year—now is the time for courage. Governments alone cannot close the gap. Real progress depends on strong families, safe communities, quality schools, meaningful employment and health systems that reach people early and effectively. These foundations require cooperation across governments, service providers, community organisations and the private sector. Today, this parliament should recommit itself to the hard, unglamorous work of delivery; to policies grounded in evidence; to transparency in reporting; and to a shared determination that the next generation of Australians does not gather here to mark the same failures again. The Closing the gap report is not just a measure of Indigenous outcomes; it is also a measure of our national resolve. On this anniversary of the apology, let us honour its spirit not only with words of regret but with action worthy of the responsibility we carry.