Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Attorney-General, Senator Ludwig. A number of recent reports have revealed that Indigenous adults in Australia are 14 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous adults. For juveniles, the detention rate is 397 per 100,000, which is 28 times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous juveniles. Between 2000 and 2009 the imprisonment rate of Indigenous Australians increased by 66 per cent, while the rate for non-Indigenous Australians remained steady. Can the Attorney-General please explain why, if the Commonwealth government is serious about closing the gap, the allocation of grants for the 2011-12 financial year saw a significant number of organisations that are dedicated to helping Aboriginal prisoners make meaningful change in their lives have their funding totally or partially cut compared with the 2010-11 financial year?