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Indigenous Budget Statement 2007-8
This is a copy of the Indigenous Budget statement issued by Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon. Mal Brough, MP on 8 May 2007
Hello, I'm Mal Brough, Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
The Budget also provides more than $815 million of new funding for Indigenous specific programs to build on our commitment to create a better future for Indigenous people.
Key to this package is new funding of $294 million over three years to kick-start a seven year Indigenous housing strategy.
Housing is a critical issue for Indigenous people in remote areas, because overcrowding and poor housing make it hard to stay safe and healthy. Kids growing up in these conditions will not thrive.
Housing is also a foundation for better health, education and safety in communities.
Despite massive spending on the Community Housing Infrastructure Program by ATSIC – little progress was made.
From July next year, it will be scrapped and replaced by a new strategy, the Australian Remote Indigenous Accommodation program.
This new program will focus on meeting the backlog of housing needs in remote communities. Land-tenure reform will help people achieve home ownership – if that's what they want. They will be able to own their own home, where they choose to live. We will adopt public housing standards, which will increase the life of houses from the current low of 10 years and give better value for money.
Funding for Indigenous public rental housing will continue under the Aboriginal Rental Housing Program – which provides funds to State and Territory governments – mostly for cities and towns.
We want to help Indigenous people in remote areas have an opportunity that most of us take for granted – the right to buy a home. This is an important part of this strategy.
Recently I handed over the keys to four families who have entered a lease-purchase agreement for houses on two of Wadeye's outsations – at Wadapuli and Nama.
I could see their pride as I presented them with their keys.
They spoke of the stability it would help give their children, keeping them safe. They also said it was creating something for the future.
Complementing our housing measures is our investment in early childhood, expanded opportunities in education, primary health care and measures to advance Indigenous economic independence.
The budget provides about $84 million for early childhood including:
- home visits for newborns and young kids in outer regional and remote areas by health professionals and support teams;
- improved access to child care, playgroups and early childhood services; and
- new funding for research into health and development outcomes of Indigenous babies and four to five year olds.
These measures will help give Indigenous children a better start in life.
Education and training are key to financial independence.
The Budget provides $218 million to expand educational opportunities for Indigenous youth with more boarding hostels in regional centres, more boarding school places and more scholarships for higher education.
The Budget also expands hostel accommodation for renal dialysis patients in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and in Queensland.
But education and training mean nothing if there are no jobs. This Budget converts almost 800 jobs in CDEP into real jobs in government service delivery, at a cost of $97.2 million over the next four years.
The importance of Indigenous culture is also recognised in this year's Budget, with specific measures to preserve materials held by the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and funds to repatriate cultural property held in Australian museums.
This budget is a big investment. It builds on last year's budget, which focused on leadership, governance and law and order initiatives.
We've made a strong start. But there is much more to do. Together, I believe we can build and achieve a better future for all Australians, particularly our first Australians.
http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/budget/budget2007-07_vid_indigenous.htm
