Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly think it's a very good thing that this government, the Albanese Labor government, has invested another $800 million in the community legal sector beyond funding that was already in the budget, and certainly beyond anything we've seen from any government before. My understanding is that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, in particular, will be beneficiaries, as they should be, of the extra funding and of what it will do for pay parity, particularly for the women who work in those legal services. As I say, the $800 million that we have dedicated is in addition to current funding which is already being provided, so this does mean that all parts of the community sector involved in legal advice will receive more funding. That includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services. They do terrific work, and they deserve the extra funding that they'll be receiving as a result of our government's decision.