Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the supplementary. The philosophy that, for some reason or other, we need to have some differential in the politics of looking after Indigenous Australians I think is a pretty cynical approach. The symbolism of saying, ‘Let’s have another Indigenous body that somehow is representative of Indigenous Australians; let’s build another ATSIC,’ simply to have some sort of cynical differential for some political purpose is not having the interests of the Indigenous Australians at heart. I call on the other side simply to completely embrace the policies of this government and get on with the job of representing the best interests of Indigenous Australia.