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

Well, I can just tell you if you will do me the courtesy there, Senator McLucas. We already operate at what I think is the real cutting edge. We have had a real go at fixing the school attendance: we have invested $46.5 million over two years. We invested $54.1 million for a permanent police presence in communities—that is right, safe communities—and $2.5 million for community engagement police officers, because that was actually what was needed in the communities. There is $3.8 million for a child abuse task force, $13.4 million for Indigenous education through the Sporting Chance Program, and $10.6 million for outback power—that was the old remote renewable energy repair and maintenance program. So overall the funding levels for Indigenous health are going to continue to grow over the next four years.

It is amazing they did not talk about this to our First Australians. They did not share the complete story, which shows just how completely disingenuous the story from that side is. From 2014-15 to 2017-18, we will invest $3.1 billion in Indigenous-specific health programs and activity, an increase of over $500 million compared with the figure from 2009-10 to 2012-13. This does not include funding provided through Medicare and the PBS, as one would expect. So, as part of this budget, we expanded our programs that demonstrated their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. That is right: we backed what was working, and we stopped backing what was not working.

We will invest $94 million through 2015-16 to expand efforts to improve child and maternal health through Better Start to Life. That includes $54 million to expand New Directions: Mothers and Babies—I thought we all supported that, a little like motherhood—and $40 million to expand the Australian Nurse-Family Partnership Program. It is funny you did not mention all of those figures. What about the $36.2 million from 2015-16 to expand the Healthy for Life program into a further 32 Aboriginal community controlled health organisations? It goes on and on.

Since the budget, two very significant measures—I know they are well known—were announced in December as part of MYEFO. We are providing an additional $94.9 million and redirecting existing funding of $1.5 billion over four years from 2014-15 to reform the Remote Jobs and Communities Program, implementing Work for the Dole in remote communities. You are not going to do that cheaply, because it has to be decent jobs and proper engagement, and it is going to cost that money. The measure will assist in providing real work-like activities. We have also provided $46.3 million in transitional funding in 2014-15 to allow the Commonwealth to support the delivery of municipal services in remote communities whilst we are negotiating the transition of responsibility to the state government.

Those are the facts of the matter. To say to Australians that we have cut without saying what we have reinvested in, which is far greater, is completely disingenuous. I was three years in opposition in this portfolio. Let me tell you: for whoever is standing here, there are plenty of real things to knock us about without making it up. There is a reason we are here. Do you think there needed to be any cuts at all? Do you think we needed to put four per cent back? Do you think we needed to have the fights with Joe Hockey? Right at the moment, this nation is paying $1,000 million dollars a month plus every month. Imagine what we could do with that, Senator Peris. Imagine what we could do with the investment. I know where you would invest it. You would invest it wisely, as I would.