On Kaurna Country in Adelaide on 8 March 2024, the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group (Leadership Group) and Community Services Ministers from across Australia came together for the first time as the Safe and Supported Shared Decision-Making Committee.
This historic meeting signifies our commitment to shared decision-making, and the importance of working together to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and embeds our agreement to share decision-making in-line with Closing the Gap.
Reflecting this commitment, the Leadership Group and Community Services Ministers were delighted to jointly launch the Safe and Supported Partnership Agreement for Shared Decision-Making.
The Partnership Agreement provides the strong foundation for the Leadership Group and all governments to continue to work in genuine partnership and to share in decision making in implementing Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031 and its two Action Plans.
As part of the Shared Decision-Making Committee meeting, the Leadership Group and Ministers also discussed progress to implement the two Action Plans under Safe and Supported: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan and the Safe and Supported First Action Plan, which is for all children. The Committee agreed to focus on implementation progress at their next meeting.
Lastly, the Shared Decision-Making Committee discussed progress on developing the National Child and Family Investment Strategy under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan.