Nova Peris (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. I refer to the $1 million cut in federal funding to the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, commonly known as NAAJA, which has forced the closure of its office in East Arnhem Land. How is this cut consistent with the promise from the Minister for Indigenous Affairs that the $½ billion cut to Indigenous programs in the government's first budget will not affect front-line services?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Peris, for that question. The government is trying to do what it can to protect front-line legal assistance services, not merely to Indigenous people but to all Australians, but there is, unfortunately, Senator Peris, as you would be aware, a budget emergency in Australia today.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left!

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that there is mocking laughter from the other side, but it is an incontrovertible fact that when the Labor Party were elected to government, not quite seven years ago, this country had no public debt. When the Labor Party left office last year we had the greatest level of public debt in Australia's history and they returned not a single surplus budget—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Do you have a point of order, Senator Moore?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is on direct relevance to the question about the legal services provided by NAAJA and how budget cuts impact on front-line services in the Northern Territory.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore.

Senator Moore interjecting—

Order! Senator Moore, you have raised your point of order. The minister has just under one minute left to answer his question. I draw the minister's attention to the question.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I am just trying to contextualise the fact that there is not as much money as we would like for some of these services because the Labor Party left no money in the budget for them. That being said, I can inform Senator Peris that NAAJA will be funded in 2014-15 to the extent of $290,000 through the safety and wellbeing program. I can also inform Senator Peris that all funding provided under the Indigenous legal assistance program to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services remains in place until at least 30 June 2015. I can finally inform Senator Peris that the government has recently provided a one-off funding allocation— (Time expired)

Nova Peris (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that if you are born Aboriginal in this country you are 15 times more likely to end up in prison? Given programs run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services have been proven to cut crime and reduce reoffending, will incarceration rates increase as a result of the government ripping $13 million out of Indigenous legal services?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I address that, can I finish what I was about to say. The government have provided a one-off funding allocation of more than $600,000 to NAAJA for front-line legal services. That is what we are doing for NAAJA.

In relation to Senator Peris's most recent question, the government is certainly aware that the need for the provision of front-line access to justice services in Indigenous communities is the greatest relative need in that system and that is why it is where the government spends relatively the greatest amount of funding. Of the elements of Commonwealth legal assistance to state and territory legal aid commissions, to community legal centres and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services, proportionately the greatest concentration of that funding is on the latter of those for the very reason you identify.

Nova Peris (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The NAAJA office in East Arnhem Land is due to close in January. Will the Attorney-General today guarantee to visit the East Arnhem Land office in order to witness firsthand the important work they undertake before government funding cuts force its closure?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Peris, I would very much like to do that. In fact, I will be visiting East Arnhem Land next month to attend the Garma Festival. If I can fit in a visit to the NAAJA premises I will.