Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I apologise to the member for Bowman. I was just trying to enlighten my colleague the member for Isaacs. He asked the question. He came and sat here to hear the answer. Abstudy was cut by almost $39 million and no assistance was given to people by way of away from home study entitlements. We had the stolen generation—the stolen children—report. Most of that was glossed over. Aboriginal input into national policy was reduced and ignored. Aboriginal reconciliation could not go forward. There was no national policy or political will to combat the misinformation. No policies were put in place and we had an increase in racism. That is what the Howard government contributed to Aboriginal communities. Children’s services programs were cut by $800 million, childcare benefits for low-income women were eroded—

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