BUDGET BREAKDOWN WITH PAT TURNER

More employment and education opportunities are promised for Indigenous Australians living in regional and remote areas with the Federal Government pledging new jobs and scholarships.

BUDGET ‘LETS DOWN’ REMOTE COMMUNITIES, ALS, HEALTH

However, Arrente woman and National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations CEO Pat Turner said the massive funding gap in Aboriginal Health had not shifted.

Bundjulan woman and GetUp Election Co-Director Larissa Baldwin said the budget let down people in remote Aboriginal communities.

“Remote communities across the country have battled for decades to get improved housing,” she said.

“Yet, even after two years of Covid highlighting the impacts of overcrowded housing, the government has failed to respond with increased funding for remote housing.”

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service is concerned that no additional funding for legal assistance services or peak justice body will further see more people overrepresented in the criminal legal system.

PILBARA BUDGET 

The Pilbara is set to receive $1.5 billion to diversify its economy and provide incentives for low emissions industries in the region.

This includes $285 million to upgrade Lumbstone Point and Dampier Port.

KIMBERLEY SPEND

In the Kimberley, the Commonwealth has allocated $400 million to seal the Tanami road to the Western Australian border and $2 million over 2 years for the Aboriginal engagement program as part of the Kimberly juvenile justice project.