Senator SCULLION (Northern Territory—Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (16:16): I rise to generally correct the record. I have to say it is pretty nauseating to be lectured by those on the other side about the achievements in Indigenous affairs. I know that my colleague Senator Peris was not here during that time, so perhaps you can just deflect any remarks, because you were not here, Senator Peris. The facts of the matter are that there was not half a billion dollars slashed off Indigenous affairs; in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It is simply disingenuous to say to our first people that $500 million was slashed, because it is simply incorrect. If I can just refer you— Senator McLucas: Five hundred and thirty-four million. Senator SCULLION: I listened in respectful silence, Senator. I would like you do the same. Budget Paper No. 2 says that over five years there was a total of $534.4 million. If that had been spread across, as in a normal budget paper, it would have been easy to understand. Of this amount, $121.8 million is in the Health portfolio, and I will speak about that in a moment. If you use your calculator there, Senator, that leaves you with $412 million. The $412 million includes a saving from TSRA of $3.5 million, which leaves $409 million. The $409 million includes $355.2 million in administrative funding and $60 million which was departmental funding. The $355.2 million is the total save, which we are choosing to reinvest—of course, this is the question that this is just terrible—into new priorities. Senator McLucas: But where is that money? Senator SCULLION: Well, I can just tell you if you will do me the courtesy there, Senator McLucas. We already operate at what I think is the real cutting edge. We have had a real go at fixing the school attendance: we have invested $46.5 million over two years. We invested $54.1 million for a permanent police presence in communities—that is right, safe communities—and $2.5 million for community engagement police officers, because that was actually what was needed in the communities. There is $3.8 million for a child abuse task force, $13.4 million for Indigenous education through the Sporting Chance Program, and $10.6 million for outback power—that was the old remote renewable energy repair and maintenance program. So overall the funding levels for Indigenous health are going to continue to grow over the next four years. It is amazing they did not talk about this to our First Australians. They did not share the complete story, which shows just how completely disingenuous the story from that side is. From 2014-15 to 2017-18, we will invest $3.1 billion in Indigenous-specific health programs and activity, an increase of over $500 million compared with the figure from 2009-10 to 2012-13. This does not include funding provided through Medicare and the PBS, as one would expect. So, as part of this budget, we expanded our programs that demonstrated their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. That is right: we backed what was working, and we stopped backing what was not working. We will invest $94 million through 2015-16 to expand efforts to improve child and maternal health through Better Start to Life. That includes $54 million to expand New Directions: Mothers and Babies—I thought we all supported that, a little like motherhood—and $40 million to expand the Australian Nurse-Family Partnership Program. It is funny you did not mention all of those figures. What about the $36.2 million from 2015-16 to expand the Healthy for Life program into a further 32 Aboriginal community controlled health organisations? It goes on and on. Since the budget, two very significant measures—I know they are well known—were announced in December as part of MYEFO. We are providing an additional $94.9 million and redirecting existing funding of $1.5 billion over four years from 2014-15 to reform the Remote Jobs and Communities Program, implementing Work for the Dole in remote communities. You are not going to do that cheaply, because it has to be decent jobs and proper engagement, and it is going to cost that money. The measure will assist in providing real work-like activities. We have also provided $46.3 million in transitional funding in 2014-15 to allow the Commonwealth to support the delivery of municipal services in remote communities whilst we are negotiating the transition of responsibility to the state government. Those are the facts of the matter. To say to Australians that we have cut without saying what we have reinvested in, which is far greater, is completely disingenuous. I was three years in opposition in this portfolio. Let me tell you: for whoever is standing here, there are plenty of real things to knock us about without making it up. There is a reason we are here. Do you think there needed to be any cuts at all? Do you think we needed to put four per cent back? Do you think we needed to have the fights with Joe Hockey? Right at the moment, this nation is paying $1,000 million dollars a month plus every month. Imagine what we could do with that, Senator Peris. Imagine what we could do with the investment. I know where you would invest it. You would invest it wisely, as I would. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Whish-Wilson ): Senator Scullion, I remind you to direct your comments through the chair please. Senator SCULLION: Sorry, Mr Acting Deputy President. I will put my remarks through you. But this is why we are in this particular parlous situation. It jus beggars belief. We have had Senator McLucas come up and say, 'I've only had people coming into my office and complaining.' I guess that is the nature of those people who missed out, but let me tell you I commend the people who missed out for having a go. But, unlike Senator McLucas, I am not giving money out depending on how many hours you spent with the preparation. It will all be new money and new ideas, and I have those in a repository. There are some fantastic ideas but, because we do not have the funds to fund them all, we have to prioritise. So we have prioritised it, but we are still keeping many of those ideas aside. Perhaps when we do have the funds, when you, hopefully, have the funds in government or when whoever does, we can invest in those ideas. But through this ground that she knocks she did not say that 964 organisations are going to deliver nearly 1,300 programs. Most importantly, instead of just saying we are helping Aboriginal organisations or non-Aboriginal organisations, whilst I care deeply about them all, the people I actually care about are the people on the ground receiving services. That should be the focus of parliament. That should be your focus. Part of the challenge in this particular portfolio is we cannot close the gap if we have services that are being delivered substandard with low expectations. The same people have been doing it year after year after year. That is going to change on 30 June because those who are dong the services are going to be in a contract that basically focuses on outcomes. They will be paid to provide an outcome. It is quite a reasonable thing to do. In the past that has not been the case. For those Indigenous organisations that say are they doing it or aren't they doing it I have said, 'We want to work with you the first year; we want to intensively work with you to ensure that the services to our shared constituency are delivered in the very best possible way.' So, as I have said, it is completely disingenuous to stand up in this place as a matter of public importance and suggest that somehow we have slashed $500 million off the budget, end of story, leaving people with the perception, of course, that that is what happened. That is not what happened; and, if you care about this portfolio, you will start thinking about stopping the politicisation of it. If you are fair dinkum about closing the gap and you are all fair dinkum about engaging with our first Australians properly, you will start taking your hat off. I in this place try day after day to depoliticise this, and those who know me on the other side will acknowledge that, so I do not think it is helpful. I know this was jointly sponsored by Senator Siewert, and I have a great deal of time for the joint sponsors. I do not think this is helpful, because this sends a signal to Indigenous Australians. It might be mischievous and it might be politically the right thing to do in this place, but I really wish you would start to switch on. If we can work together on this, it is going to be far better than the normal adversarial rubbish that we carry on with in this place. That is why I am a bit nauseated for those on the other side to lecture me. Perhaps I should touch on a couple of things in the record of those on the other side. We are going to get kids into school, we are going to get people employed and we are going to provide for safer communities. During your period of office, 87 per cent of people did not get an education. I have arrived and am trying to fix that in a way that really makes a difference. Unemployment during your watch increased by 4.3 per cent, more than five times what is happening in mainstream Australia. Intoxication rates went from 5.7 to 12.1 times the mainstream level. This all happened on your watch. I am not saying there is any mischief or any particular incompetence; it is a tough area. So, once again, this is a matter of public importance, and the importance of this matter is to come into this place and tell the whole truth. Don't just pick up what you like and say, 'Isn't this going to impress people on the front page,' because I can tell you they are not impressed. Our first Australians of this parliament—not this government, this parliament—deserve the whole truth about exactly what is going on, and this so-called matter of public importance serves no justice whatsoever.