Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, representing the Attorney-General. Will the minister update the House on the Morrison government's commitment to improve access to justice for all Australians, particularly Indigenous Australians?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and for her longstanding interest in the education and advancement of Indigenous Australians and her deep experience in the field of education. The Morrison government is committed, of course, to the refreshed national agreement on Closing the Gap, and I particularly congratulate the Minister for Indigenous Australians on his leadership. There are two justice targets within that agreement—to reduce incarceration rates of Indigenous adults by 15 per cent and to reduce incarceration rates of Indigenous youth by 30 per cent.

The minister, with the support of the Prime Minister and the cabinet, has delivered and committed to an implementation plan, with more than $1 billion in total in new measures. I'm pleased to say that that includes a $25 million package of funding directed to the justice targets that form part of the plan. It includes $9.3 million for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services for expensive and complex cases and to support criminal justice reform through coronial inquiries. It includes $8.3 million in funding for culturally safe and appropriate family dispute resolution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes $7.6 million in funding to establish and support the justice policy partnership between all Australian governments and Indigenous representatives, and it includes funding to provide support for the jurisdictional implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The funding for culturally safe and appropriate family dispute resolution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will enable selected Aboriginal community controlled organisations to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to resolve post-separation parenting and property disputes through culturally safe and tailored models of family dispute resolution to best meet the needs of those families.

The Commonwealth's investment in the justice policy partnership is a key first step in improving justice outcomes through a joined-up, Australia-wide approach, in line with the commitment under priority reform 1 of the national agreement. The actions I've mentioned in relation to the implementation of the optional protocol for the convention against torture directly contribute to achieving justice targets 10 and 11.

Our government is committed to this very important work, and we are backing that commitment with a substantial allocation of financial resources.