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Macklin: Abbott does not care Scullion: Labor has no plan
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t depends how one looks at the Budget delivered by federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, on Tuesday night. Labor’s Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin says the coalition don’t have their priorities for Indigenous Australians, and Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Senator Nigel Scullion counters Labor’s claims with a claim of budget mismanagement where Indigenous Australians are concerned. Media release from Jenny Macklin MP. Tony Abbott’s speech [Thursday] night didn’t include a single sentence on his priorities for
Indigenous Australians – but that doesn’t mean Indigenous people aren’t in his sights. Buried in his speech was Tony Abbott’s real plans for Indigenous programs and organisations: “by not implementing any of the budget spending measures unless specified” - Tony Abbott, Budget in reply, 16 May 2013 Tony Abbott wants to keep it a secret, but the fact is he will make savage cuts to programs and organisations that improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. This week’s Budget continued the Gillard Labor Government’s unprecedented investments to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. The Budget included $1.6 billion
in funding for improved health, education, essential services, welfare reform, recognition and advocacy. Funding included: • $777 million for a new National Partnership Agreement to improve health services for Indigenous Australians; • $22 million to help young Indigenous people finish secondary school and go onto university, including a $10 million boost to the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation; • More than $24 million to continue the Cape York Welfare reform measures, building on the significant gains we’ve already made for Indigenous families in these communities; • $12 million to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, which assist people in the juvenile and criminal justice system and help Indigenous women to escape domestic violence; • More than $44 million to help deliver services in about 340 remote Indigenous communities, including power, water and road maintenance; • $15 million to continue supporting the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, which provides Indigenous people with a strong national voice; • More than $6 million to refurbish hostels that provide Indigenous people with safe and affordable temporary accommodation; and
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$1.3 million to continue building support for the recognition of Indigenous people in our Constitution. This funding directly improves the lives of Indigenous people – so why does Tony Abbott want to take it all away? It’s clear that Tony Abbott will cut services to the bone if he is elected Prime Minister – and Indigenous people won’t be spared. He wants to keep it a secret – but the truth is already out. “Coalition sources confirm Aboriginal Affairs will see the axe wielded, should Tony Abbott take Government in September.” - Paul Bongiorno, Ten News, 19 April 2013 After years of underinvestment and neglect under the Howard Government, this Labor Government has made unprecedented investments to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, with more than $5.2 billion in funding for employment, education, health services, community development and community safety. We have set out a clear pathway to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, and we’re making the investments that are needed to get there. The progress we’ve made over the past five years in partnership with Indigenous people has delivered encouraging results. Mr Abbott puts all of this progress at risk. Only Labor can be trusted to deliver for Indigenous Australians. Media release from Nigel Scullion MP. Indigenous Affairs has not escaped the Gillard Government’s financial incompetence with shambolic budget mismanagement creating more uncertainty and more waste, Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Senator Nigel Scullion said. “Labor announced they are
Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Senator Nigel Scullion accused the Labor Government with financial incompetence in the budget. Image supplied
spending $12m over four years for the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program but failed to say that in last year’s budget that they cut $22.8m over four years from the same program. “Garrett says the restored funding is providing for 204 new scholarships but nothing about the 900 students who missed out because of the cuts from last year onwards. “They are also spending $10m less on the working on country ranger programs. “There is nothing new in this budget for Indigenous Australians with Labor’s business as usual approach -the same old bureaucratic strategies, red tape
and waste with not enough of the money hitting the ground. “Most of the so called new measures are just continuing funding for existing programs, many of which have had questionable success, and rebadging of programs such as abolishing CDEP and the Indigenous Employment Program from July 1 for the experimental Remote Jobs and Communities Program. “How is it that with the Gillard Government’s poor results in the Closing the Gap targets, with many going backwards, that their strategy has remained the same? Labor has no plan to turn around the dreadful Closing the Gap results,” Senator Scullion said.