Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Or even two legal services—another $296,000. But, in the context of the overall $13.4 million net loss for Indigenous legal services, I think the point is clearly made. Indeed, this cut is a short-term, narrow-minded cut to Indigenous services, not a long-term methodical approach to improving service delivery for Indigenous Australians.

What is perhaps more galling about this particular case—quite aside from, as Senator Peris highlighted, the cuts of half-a-billion dollars in Indigenous affairs—is the press release by Ministers Scullion and Brandis, just ahead of question time, talking about the unity that had been achieved in relation to constitutional recognition and how important this unity is. Well, we know what 'unity' there was before the election in a range of areas. We know that this government made promises that it had no intention of keeping—promises in education, which will impact direly on Indigenous education; promises in health that, again, will impact significantly on disadvantaged communities across Australia; promises around the ABC, which we heard of also in question time. But there was also this strongly implied unity of purpose around Indigenous affairs.

Moreover, the Prime Minister takes Indigenous affairs into the Prime Minister's department and continues to pursue the constitutional recognition agenda but then cuts half-a-billion dollars from Indigenous affairs, with no methodical plan—no plan at all. All we have in this chamber is Senator Scullion's commitment that front-line services will not be affected, and what we see from Senator Peris's one area, one issue, today, is that the $1 million cut to NAAJA is leading to the closure of the east Arnhem Land office in January. This service has existed for 20 years, as highlighted by Senator Ludwig, and the impact will be significant. We are not only talking about the incarceration rates of Indigenous people more generally, as Senator Peris highlighted. Let us look at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, for example. They are 25 times more likely to be incarcerated, and they will be impacted on significantly by a loss of representation. These are short-term cuts that will have long-term pain. There is no methodical plan. These are thoughtless cuts. And the minister was unable, through countless questions in this area, to highlight what plan there is.

The government likes to say that this is one area that cannot be excluded from achieving efficiencies. Well, if we heard arguments about efficiencies we might accept them, but there are no justifications for these cuts and no future plan to provide more efficient services for Indigenous Australians.

Senator Birmingham, in his response in this debate, referred to the mocking that occurred in relation to Senator Brandis's reference to the budget emergency. I have to close by saying: I did not expect him to deteriorate further than Senator Nash on— (Time expired)