Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Attorney-General, Senator Watt. The First Nations legal sector, which is under hugely increased demand, as you know, needed $229 million in the budget to ensure they can continue to deliver their critical services, including assisting women and children escaping domestic violence. The $15 million in your budget is shamefully inadequate and is an insult to our people and the sector. Will the federal government increase funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services this year beyond the measly $15 million in the budget?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to 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—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt. Senator Thorpe, a point of order?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, this is about black women and black children escaping violence, and he's talking about something else.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, resume your seat. That's not a point of order. The minister is being relevant. Please continue, Minister.

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

Senator Thorpe, I've already spent the bulk of this answer talking about the additional funding that we're providing to legal assistance services, including Aboriginal legal services. Under the National Legal Assistance Partnership, overall we're providing more than $2.4 billion over five years for legal assistance services across Australia.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, first supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Assistance for First Nations women and children experiencing family violence requires tailored approaches that only Aboriginal legal services can provide—put your mates aside. Why hasn't the government's response to the urgent crisis of gender based violence included adequate funding for First Nations legal services that support our women and children?

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

As I say, the government has, through this year's budget, provided additional, immediate crisis funding to help the legal assistance services that perform that incredibly important work of assisting First Nations women, among others, who are escaping domestic and family violence. As I say, in this budget we've committed $44.1 million in immediate crisis funding to help legal assistance services address current resource and workforce issues, while negotiating—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Thorpe?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order—relevance.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being relevant to your question. Thank you, Senator Thorpe. Please resume your seat. Minister Watt.

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

As I was saying, that funding that we provided in the budget this week will flow to legal aid commissions, community legal centres, including women's legal centres, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services and family violence prevention legal services. They're exactly the kinds of services that you're asking about, Senator Thorpe. That funding includes $16.9 million to provide an indexation boost to legal aid commissions, community legal centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services for the last year of the Legal Assistance Partnership, in addition to $27.2 million for crisis funding. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, second supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, what do you say to the black women watching right now, particularly those from family violence prevention legal services who are listening, Minister—or senator or whatever you are?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, you can either address the senator—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's not listening.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm not repeating myself and then calling a point of order.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, you are not in a debate with me. You can address Senator Watt as either Senator Watt or Minister. You asked the question. I've responded. Please continue.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What do you say to the First Nations women watching right now who are being denied access through the door for justice to leave the violence right now? What do you say to them?

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

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. What I say to those women is that the Albanese government is providing the funding that those legal services need to provide the vital work to protect them—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're not. They can't even get in the door.

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

from domestic and family violence.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe!

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

So—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Another black death in custody—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Thorpe, you are out of order. I've asked you to listen respectfully. The minister is responding—

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This place is out of order!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe! Minister Watt, please continue.

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

Senator Thorpe, as I say, the $44 million—and I note Senator Thorpe seems to be on her way out of the chamber—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please withdraw that. We don't—

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

Okay, I withdraw. The funding that we're providing includes $16.9 million to provide an indexation boost to community legal centres—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Are you on a point of order, Senator Thorpe?

Senator Thorpe, it doesn't need a response. If you're not on a point of order, please sit down, or, if you are leaving the chamber, that's fine. Minister Watt, please continue. You're done? Okay.

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Watt. The Prime Minister has said that helping Australians with cost-of-living relief is the government's No. 1 priority. I note that Tuesday's budget included tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer, provided new energy relief, invested in affordable housing, delivered cuts to student debt, strengthened Medicare and delivered cheaper medicines to Australians. How does the Albanese Labor government's budget help Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn, and why is it important that Australians receive the cost-of-living support that was outlined in the budget?

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

Thank you, Senator Ghosh, for arguably the best question of the week, I think. There have been some other good questions, but that's an absolute cracker. This budget is responsible and restrained, which eases cost-of-living pressures, puts downward pressure on inflation and invests in a future made in Australia.

Tonight, of course, it is the opposition's turn to set out their plan for Australia. We've seen a lot of noes from Mr Dutton and the opposition, but Australians now want to know what he will say yes to. We know what the Albanese government is for. We're for more cost-of-living help, including energy bill relief for every household and a tax cut for every taxpayer. But where does Mr Dutton stand on that? Will he back that in tonight? It is really hard to know where Mr Dutton and the coalition stand on these issues, given the reactions of their colleagues over the last few days.

A couple of days ago on 7.30, Mr Taylor, the shadow Treasurer, was asked if he will support the government's cost-of-living relief going to Australian households. Mr Taylor said, 'Sure.' But the next morning, on ABC NewsRadio, Mr Littleproud, the temporary Leader of the Nationals, was asked about energy price relief, and he said, 'No, I think it should have been means-tested.' So we're yes one day and we're no the next. We're yes when we're a Liberal; we're no when we're a National.

But it didn't stop there. They're all over the shop when it comes to what we should do about spending. On 14 May—this week—on 7.30, Mr Taylor is asked about spending, and he says:

… most of all we would have been showing restraint.

Senator Hume, the shadow finance minister, backed him in the same day when she said:

What we want to see is restoring a standard of living, taming inflation, fiscal restraint, bringing back that fiscal discipline …

But, unfortunately, Senator Hume couldn't even last 24 hours before contradicting herself, because the next day she was on TV, saying:

Well, everybody needs $300 off their power bill. In fact, we'd like to see more.

So on Tuesday she's for less; on Wednesday she's for more. That's the kind of finance minister we'd get under the coalition.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ghosh, first supplementary?

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Low wages were an intentional design feature of the Liberal-National economic plan when they were last in government, and Australian workers this week have welcomed continuing growth in real wages in Australia—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, I'm struggling to hear the question.

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but we know that wage stagnation cannot be fixed overnight. Minister, can you tell us what we're doing for cost-of-living relief in this budget?

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

Thank you, Senator Ghosh—and aren't they touchy about their record for being about low wages! For starters, under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, all 13.6 million Australian taxpayers will get a tax cut. But we know that, under Mr Dutton and the Liberals, those tax cuts would be taken away. It wasn't that long ago that Senator Hume, as the shadow finance minister, was saying about the tax cuts, 'We'll have to go back to the drawing board.' Well, tonight's the night for the drawing board to come out of the closet! Tonight's the night. Under Labor, wages growth is up, which is helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. We know Mr Dutton wants to strip back workers' rights and force Australians to work longer for less.

Our cost-of-living plan has been widely endorsed, even on radio station 2GB, where Chris O'Keefe this week said: 'I reckon it is pretty good. I don't see what the issue is with giving every household $300 off their power bills. It's one of the great misnomers that the coalition are better economic managers.' Imagine being Mr Dutton, turning up for a weekly cuddle with Ray Hadley on 2GB, and then his own announcers turn around and stab him in the back.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ghosh, second supplementary?

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know Australian workers are under pressure. Minister, what are the barriers that stand in the way of Australians receiving much-needed cost-of-living relief under this budget?

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

Senator Ghosh, I actually am surprised you had to ask that question, because those barriers are sitting right in front of you—from about there right through to about there. That's where all the barriers are for the cost-of-living question.

Our plan to combat the cost of living is putting downward pressure on inflation and helping working Australians right now. I've spent the last few months, as I know many of my colleagues, including Senator Ghosh, have been, going around the country meeting with workers, with farmers and with business owners, and searching far and wide for one single idea of what Mr Dutton stands for.

I was in Armidale recently, in the electorate of Mr Joyce, where the mayor of the town in his own electorate is backing a number of renewable projects in the region. But could I find any hint of a plan from Mr Dutton? None whatsoever. Last week I was at the beef exhibition, with every member of the National Party and a few of my own colleagues in Rockhampton, and I bumped into Mr Dutton in a brand-new checked blazer from Mitchell Ogilvie in Brisbane—all $5,000 worth—but could I find evidence of a plan? No. Tonight is the night. Tell us what your plan is.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on notice.