Two thirds of Australians believe this country will never have an Indigenous Prime Minister during their lifetime, according to a recent Newspoll survey, and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) is on a mission to prove them wrong.
In Saturday's edition of The Australian newspaper, a full page advert depicted a portrait of an Indigenous man in a suit, standing in a government office, and the words “This will never happen” and the Twitter tag “#indigenousPM.”
It sparked conversations on Twitter, with users wondering who was behind it, what it meant, and whether they agreed with it.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Today, with the launch of the campaign, AIEF revealed the meaning behind it.
The Newspoll research commissioned by the Foundation found that two in three Australians believe they will never see an Indigenous Prime Minister during their lifetime.
AIEF's CEO Andrew Penfold told SBS the Newspoll statistic reflects community perceptions about previous Indigenous programs.
“There are so many programs and so much money that's been spent over the decades that has achieved very little progress in terms of real results, and so whilst we were surprised the number was so high, it does reflect an attitude in the community that there are very few examples of things that have actually been shown to work.”
“A good education can open doors to boardrooms, cabinet and even high office” says AIEF's promotional video.
“We really think that education is the key to overcoming decades of entrenched disadvantage and the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous and we know that education is the key to overcoming that and unlocking that,” said Mr Penfold.
“That's been the same throughout human history no matter what race, colour or creed.”
The non-profit organisation is the product of a partnership between the Australian government and the private sector, giving Indigenous students access to quality education through scholarship programs.
On average just 50 per cent of Indigenous students finish Year 12, however the AIF currently boasts a rate of 90 per cent among its scholarship recipients.
“And we think that if Indigenous students and Indigenous children do have access to great quality education then they can challenge that perception and aspire to any office in the country including being Prime Minister,” Mr Penfold said.
The 'Indigenous PM' campaign launched today, hoping to increase its funding goal from the current $44 million to $140 million.
“A few years ago the government provided $20 million in funding to AIEF for the establishment of its scholarship program, and gave us 20 years to go out and match that with another $20 million from the private sector. We actually did that in two and a half years,” said Mr Penfold.
The money allows for 2000 Indigenous students to attend a high quality school, but the Foundation aims to raise that number to 7000.
The big increase is backed up by their results, said Mr Penfold.
“We're trying to encourage the government to invest in this work given that it's got proven results and that it's scalable. And given that the government's own statistics show that it's the most successful program in the country when it comes to Indigenous year 12 completion rates.”
The scholarship program is open to all Indigenous Australian students. The Foundation doesn't seek out the academically gifted, but rather students who are really enthusiastic about the opportunity to receive a better education and “make a difference for themselves and for their family and community and for the nation.”
That's why the campaign is centred on the prospect of an Indigenous PM.
“We want to have aspiration for the children and for them to have aspiration to reach the highest office in the land.”
