Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I don't accept that at all, Senator Hanson. I just do not accept that and the proposition you put. I thought everyone in this chamber accepted that closing the gap and the work that is being done about closing the gap are a shared commitment across this parliament. We are not making the gains that we would have hoped, and that's why our focus is on jobs, through the work that Minister Burney is leading; our focus is on housing; and it is on health. And it is to make sure that, where First Nations Australians live, particularly in those remote communities, they have adequate and appropriate housing. As I said, all of the evidence shows that, when there is adequate and appropriate housing, it delivers other social benefits as well, whether it be access to education, whether it be access to employment or whether it be around supporting family members who require care. For all of those, housing is fundamental to that. (Time expired)