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

If the Indigenous job sector is to take advantage of things like the China-Australia free trade agreement, we need to ensure that our First Australians are in fact job ready. In remote areas, since the previous government's remote jobs and community programs, almost 60 per cent of job seekers are not engaged in any activities. There is broad agreement. I have to again acknowledge the opposition and their work to rectify that. They are working very closely with the government.

We are readying communities for change. More than 16,700 Indigenous Australians have been supported by the Commonwealth into jobs in the last financial year. That is 50 Indigenous jobs every day. They have not stayed there the whole time, but there have been 50 jobs every day. When this free trade agreement is signed, they will have a job to move into. (Time expired)