Chris Ketter (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a brief contribution on the Treasury Laws Amendment (National Housing and Homelessness Agreement) Bill 2018. As Senator O'Neill has indicated, we do not oppose the bill, because of the amendments that have been made. But I do want to add my voice today to those on our side of the chamber who are speaking up for some of the most disadvantaged in our community. I refer to the first nations people in remote communities who are now wondering whether or not the Commonwealth is moving away from funding for remote Indigenous housing. I've been involved in exchanges with the minister at estimates on this matter, to establish what is happening, and I note that the minister earlier this week responded on this issue. But this is related to the bill in the sense that states are now wondering whether or not the money that has been allocated to them by the Commonwealth is going to have to be used for remote Indigenous housing. Whereas, for at least the past 10 years, the Commonwealth has put in $5.4 billion to assist with reducing overcrowding in remote Indigenous communities, the states are now wondering what's going to happen with that. When closing the gap is so high on the agenda and the government makes all sorts of comments about whether or not it's committed to this process, it is disturbing that we are now in March and in a few short months are going to see the end of the existing agreement on remote housing and there is no certainty as to what is happening.

The minister indicated to me in estimates on 2 March that he hadn't walked away from the negotiations and that there were negotiations happening. But I want to respond to something that the minister said on 2 March. I had raised concerns that the Local Government Association of Queensland had raised with me about the Commonwealth walking away. The minister said to me on that day:

The Local Government Association of Queensland are satisfied now that that has happened.

He's referring to the fact that there is going to be activity beyond 30 June. But I can assure the minister that the Local Government Association of Queensland remains of the view that there is no Commonwealth dedicated funding for remote Indigenous housing beyond 30 June. That is an absolute disgrace, as I say, when the existing arrangements will expire shortly, in a couple of months.

I also want to inform the chamber that yesterday a number of Indigenous mayors in Queensland gathered together under the auspices of the Cairns Regional Council and issued a statement. That statement read:

Mayors and local government leaders of Queensland's remote indigenous communities have vowed to increase pressure on the Turnbull Government not to walk away from ensuring a decent level of housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.

A high level meeting of indigenous councils in Cairns today resolved to continue pushing for a continuation of the National Partnership on Remote Indigenous Housing, saying anything less would reverse the gains made in reaching Closing the Gap targets in relation to health, justice, education and community well-being.

The meeting was attended by mayors and representatives of the following councils: Palm Island, Torres Strait Island Regional Council, Wujal Wujal, Napranum, Yarrabah, Pormpuraaw, Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council, Hopevale, Woorabinda, Mapoon, Kowanyama, Torres Shire and Cook Shire. There we have it; the Indigenous mayors have spoken. They are concerned at this late stage as to the Commonwealth's intentions on this critical issue of remote Indigenous housing. At this late point, I call on the government to get down, make an offer. Let's close these negotiations on a bipartisan basis and give certainty for Indigenous communities.