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

Thanks, Senator Thorpe. I'll answer this question in a couple of ways. The legal services that you're talking about are, of course, covered by the broader National Legal Assistance Partnership agreement that the government has. We do as a government recognise the pressures that legal assistance services are under, whether it be Aboriginal legal services or more broadly. We definitely support and note the importance of strengthening this sector because, of course, legal assistance is essential to ensuring access to justice and equality before the law. That is exactly why the Albanese government announced in this budget $44.1 million of urgent funding for 2024-25 to help legal assistance providers address current resource and workforce issues until the new National Legal Assistance Partnership agreement commences on 1 July 2025.

The National Legal Assistance Partnership between the Commonwealth and all states and territories is a five-year agreement to fund vital legal assistance services for the most vulnerable Australians. As I understand it, one of the ways in which that funding will be used will be to index the wages of the very hardworking staff in those legal services, many of whom I know personally. That's the first way in which we're dealing with the issues that you've raised, Senator Thorpe. The second way, of course, is through the ongoing funding that we're providing for Indigenous justice initiatives. Achieving justice targets under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap is a key priority for the Albanese government, and it is vital—