During 2017, the Queensland Productivity Commission inquired into service delivery in over 40 remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The report and the Queensland Government’s response are now available. Around 20% of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lives in remote or discrete communities. Outcomes and opportunities for those citizens are however lower than the rest of the state. Charged with examining how resources for service delivery could be better used, the Productivity Commission made 22 recommendations for structural, service delivery and economic reforms to enable communities to develop their own strategies. Some of the reported data includes that discrete or remote communities have 50 to around 2700 residents, and government expenditure per annum is around $1.2 billion ($29,000 per person). Hopevale is highlighted for having a population of about 1125, 46 different service providers, and 78 different services, including through 44 funding programs across 11 Queensland government agencies. The government’s response commits to addressing the disadvantage in these communities by transferring accountability and decision making closer to communities and service users, reforming service delivery to put communities at the centre of service design, and facilitating economic participation and community development.
