Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The removal of consultation that is involved in this legislation is one of the great grievances from the Indigenous communities who handle their affairs well. If it is for five years, it may well be for 50 years or forever. The question remains about the government’s intention here. The minister talks about 22 people per household and this being an emergency. This was an emergency early in 1996 when Prime Minister Howard took over the reins of government in this country. For 10 years he turned his back on that emergency. In fact, he began by taking money out of the Indigenous communities, some of which would have gone into housing, health and so on—and I am talking about very large amounts of money: $400 million in that first budget. So things were made worse. This emergency has been made worse by the government’s own behaviour, and that comes right from the Prime Minister.

Now there is action being taken here which cuts right across the rights of First Australians to even be consulted. I want to ask the minister: after this decade or more not just of failure but of compounding and making the situation worse by the Howard government, what is the estimated cost of the house-building program for the next five years that will bring Indigenous household habitation to the levels of the rest of the community? I agree that there is evidence—including from the World Health Organisation—that, where you have massive overcrowding, the rate of violence including child abuse goes up, and that it would be a good thing if we can bring that down.

I do not accept, Minister, by the way, that consultation is out the window here. I think it is a grievous stealing of the right of Indigenous people to be treated as adults who know their own lands, their own communities and what is best in those communities. That being swept aside by this legislation, I ask the minister, who has given a justification: if we are going to end this emergency within five years, what is the plan and what is the price being applied to that plan to bring house occupancy levels in these communities to those which approximate those of the rest of the Australian community?