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

If I can just continue on the previous question, because I have got the time to answer on both—

Opposition senators: No!

In terms of municipal services, I am very pleased to note that your state, Senator Furner, only last week, was the first to agree to a change in municipal services, and they are now providing that service themselves.

In terms of Torres Strait Islanders, if you do the maths you will find that $3.4 million is in fact 4.5 per cent of their budget, which is a budget that has been taken across to services. I was in the Torres Strait recently and I can assure you: with the assistance of the TSRA, we think that, as to that 4.5 per cent harvesting of efficiency dividends across the portfolio, we are able to make that without actually having any impact on the ground.