Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I draw to the attention of the senator that the federal government has made a large commitment in terms of addressing many issues around the Closing the Gap targets. One of the things that the federal government has offered to fund is a custody notification service for each state and territory, so that we can make sure that we are providing culturally appropriate services to people who find themselves incarcerated, and also make sure that the supports that they need and the support agencies that are able to provide those services are notified in an appropriate time frame to make sure that Indigenous people who are incarcerated are able to get access to those services. This custody notification scheme provides an important means by which to reduce the likelihood of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody by making sure that we provide Indigenous Australians with appropriate support services should they find themselves in jail.