Mr SNOWDON (Lingiari) (15:43): I was wondering, as I was sitting here during question time, what parallel universe we actually live in here, especially when the foreign minister, the member for Curtin, got up and berated us after she had received a piece of paper from the Attorney-General's office telling us how much they had spent on legal services across the country. But, of course, what she said belies the truth. Can I just enlighten the chamber—and you particularly, Mr Deputy Speaker—on some comments made today by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory about 'people in custody who are waiting' and 'witnesses whose memories are fading' because a legal aid agency does not have enough money for lawyers. The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, or NAAJA, has proposed to vacate seven trials in which it was to defend people in the Northern Territory Supreme Court today because it did not have enough federal funding to handle its caseload. NAAJA principal lawyer Jonathon Hunyor told the court: Our resources aren't keeping up with the demands … we don't have staff to meet our commitments. Mr Hunyor said NAAJA no longer had access to the Expensive Indigenous Case Fund, which allowed it to outsource help for cases that would cost more than $20,000. Very serious alleged crimes such as murder and sexual assault are the most expensive. Chief Justice Trevor Riley said: I'm concerned about underlying insufficient funding for lawyers on the ground. This is not us speaking, foreign minister. This is not us speaking, justice minister and Attorney-General. It is the Chief Justice of the Northern Territory Supreme Court. Following the 2015-16 budget, where the federal government funding was found to be insufficient to keep up with the exploding case load, Chief Justice Riley described the funding situation as 'a blow to the heart of the Northern Territory justice system'. Call me naive, but you would reckon he might know. You would think the foreign minister might actually think before she opens her big fat trap and says stupid things in this parliament. Mr Tudge interjecting— Mr SNOWDON: You are taking offence? These are the people who call us racists. They take offence at me saying someone has got a big fat trap. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Goodenough ): Order! The member for Lingiari will take his seat, please. The member for Aston on a point of order. Mr Tudge: I ask the member for Lingiari to withdraw that offensive comment he made. It is an unparliamentary comment. Mr SNOWDON: I withdraw. Nevertheless, it remains the fact that this afternoon we saw an object lesson in why we cannot believe this government and why the people— Mr Tudge interjecting— Mr SNOWDON: This is the same bloke who was defending $500 million worth of cuts from last year's budget for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is the same bloke who is defending the cuts of $160 million from Aboriginal health programs. This person seeks to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests as a parliamentary secretary. He wouldn't know his backside from his elbow. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Lingiari, please resume your seat. The member for Corangamite on a point of order. Ms Henderson: Mr Deputy Speaker, I would ask the member opposite to refer to members by their correct title. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. Member for Lingiari, please resume. Mr SNOWDON: The member for Aston is a delightful individual! Sadly, he knows very little about this subject, which he is supposed to be representing the government on, and he does not defend the interests of those people whose interests he says he is looking after in the executive of this government. He does not look after their interests. I have just spoken about one community legal service. In its two years in power, the Abbott government has taken an axe to vital legal assistance services across this country. It has been evidenced today by the comments in the Northern Territory Supreme Court. The government has cut from every type of service. It has cut from legal aid, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services, from family violence prevention legal services and from community legal centres. And these cuts are continuing. In the 2014 budget, the government took another $15 million from legal aid and another $6 million from community legal services. Earlier this year, the government tried to back away from some of their cuts to the CLCs. They cannot be believed. When the member for Curtin got up here this afternoon and so glibly spoke about what the government says it has been doing, she was actually telling us a giant fib—because we know and it is the experience on the ground that the savage cuts they have made are hurting people across this country. (Time expired)