Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all the honourable members for their interest in this portfolio. Australians across the country have called on us to deliver for Indigenous Australians. I'm happy to outline to the Chamber how our government is doing exactly that. Our 2024 budget builds on the significant work we have done to date, because our government is delivering for Indigenous Australians. We are getting on with the job of improving lives. By working with communities to close the gap, we are making a difference.

The week before the government delivered its 2024 budget I was in Maningrida in Arnhem Land. In that community we are building more houses so kids have the space they need to grow up, in safe, secure homes, because we know that overcrowding is a serious handbrake on closing the gap. The budget builds on our strong record of delivery, and the government is making serious investments in closing the gap. We're improving housing with a 10-year plan to halve overcrowding in remote Northern Territory communities. Our $4 billion joint investment with the Northern Territory government will build up to 270 houses each year, and it will fund repairs and maintenance to existing houses. This landmark package means more families across the Northern Territory will live in better quality housing.

We're investing in mental health, suicide prevention and family wellbeing by expanding coverage of the Closing the Gap PBS Co-Payment Program to all PBS medicines. We are making medicines cheaper for eligible First Nations patients. Better access to affordable medicines means better progress on closing the gap.

We're also funding programs that support First Nations students, including $32.8 million for the Clontarf Foundation. Their programs keep First Nations boys and young men engaged in school and education. We are funding legal services and investing in community led approaches to justice. This includes $76.2 million to establish a new First Nations prison-to-employment program; $15.4 million for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services; and an additional $8.6 million to family violence prevention legal services as part of the Attorney-General's funding boost for legal assistance.

Another key part of our budget is the next stage of replacing the failed Community Development program, creating real jobs, proper wages and decent conditions. Those real jobs—3,000 of them—will help deliver services in communities. Our Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program will make a difference. It is a $777.4 million program that will be implemented in partnership with First Nations people. It will build the skills and experience of Indigenous Australians in remote communities and it will help to deliver services to those communities in need.

Health, housing, jobs, education, justice—our government has been hard at work delivering for Indigenous Australians. We've been working with communities to deliver real things that improve lives. Our budget invests in things that will help close the gap and build a better future.

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