Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. I wasn't going to reveal that you'd given us the heads-up, but thank you for doing so. I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with a decent answer, and I invite the opposition to give us a heads-up about any questions so that we can provide you with full and frank advice as well.

These are serious issues, obviously. As I was saying on the legal services matter, a review of the funding arrangements will start shortly and be completed by the end of the year. That will include an assessment of unmet legal need and demand among disadvantaged groups across regional, rural and remote Australia, and I have no doubt that it will look at some of the issues that you've been raising, including in relation to family and domestic violence. The review will also specifically look at options for alternative funding arrangements for these legal services. The Attorney-General's Department is working closely with states and territories to support the continued provision of frontline services to First Nations people, and I know that the Attorney-General is personally committed to this.