Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

A key target in Closing the Gap and ending Indigenous disadvantage is access to early childhood education for Indigenous children, whether they live in the city—Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane—in regional areas like Ipswich, Townsville, Logan or Newcastle, or, indeed, in remote communities like Utopia homelands, Fitzroy Crossing, Alice Springs or Halls Creek. We, when we were in government and the member for Jagajaga was the responsible minister, negotiated our National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Childhood Development. That was about making sure that $565 million was provided, including $75 million from the states and territories, to establish 38 of these centres around the country. I have visited a number of them. I visited Kambu Medical Centre and Kambu early childhood education centre in Ipswich in my electorate, as well as in Fitzroy Crossing, where Baya Gawiy is an important employer.

What do these organisations do? They provide op shops, maternal and childhood welfare, sexual health advice and other services. On 30 June the national partnership expires. If tonight there is not funding for this particular program in the budget, 38 of them will close. That is the risk. Tonight I call upon the Prime Minister to not cut the program. You cannot close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage by cuts, and tonight is D-day for all these centres.

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