Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

I just want to make a few remarks to thank the House for staying here to consider three important pieces of legislation, and I do mean that. I want to thank the senators as well for considering the legislation at this late hour. There are three bills that go together known as the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory legislation and they are accompanied by $3.4 billion and a 10-year commitment by the government to work with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. I think everybody in the House would agree that this is very urgent work and I know members of the opposition support it. It is all about addressing the disadvantage that Aboriginal people face in the Northern Territory.

We have heard loud and clear from Aboriginal people what their priorities are. It has been very plain that they are about tackling alcohol abuse, putting in place proper alcohol restrictions, strengthening penalties for grog-running and strengthening arrangements for local alcohol management plans such that they focus more on harm minimisation in the future.

Another priority has come through loud and clear from Aboriginal people and is shared across this parliament. We all want to make sure that children go to school on a regular basis. If you do not go to school every single day, it is impossible to get a decent education. That is why we are very pleased that these bills support and improve school enrolment and attendance measures, which will be very important for these children. This means that, if children fall below a set attendance benchmark, schools and Centrelink will work with families to make sure that the children are attending on a regular basis. It will only be as a last resort that, where parents do not meet part of the agreed attendance plan, we will see income support payments suspended.

Another area that has been demonstrated to be very important—a success from the Northern Territory Emergency Response—is the licensing of stores to make sure that people have access to healthy food. And I can inform the House that the bills also provide extended opportunities for voluntary leasing to community living areas and town camp land to support economic development and opportunities for people to own their own homes.

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