Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Nigel Scullion and the Liberal Party for their support on this motion. They have recognised that there has been a systemic cover up and an abuse of federal funds intended to support all Tasmanian Indigenous and a need for a forensic audit into how the abuse was allowed to occur for the many years that it has. I am deeply disappointed that Labor has indicated they will not vote for this motion. Amendments suggested by Labor were pedantic and lacked substance. What is important here is the essence of the motion, which is the abuse of federal funds for many, many years and the refusal of support and Indigenous identity to almost 20,000 Indigenous Tasmanians for many, many years. Labor has been aware of this issue for a long time, and it should not have taken me to fix it.