Prime Minister says no cuts to new $842.6m funding for NT if Labor retains its Territory seats
A re-elected Labor government will ensure an $842.6 million agreement is not just another promise that fades away, the Prime Minister says – as long as they retain two key NT seats.
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The only way to make sure $842.6 million the federal government has committed to Territory Aboriginal organisations isn’t cut is to “re-elect a Labor government” to two hotly contested Territory seats, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Mr Albanese made the comment in Alice Springs on Friday inside the construction site of a new building for the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress.
The $842.6m “will be in our budget” according to Mr Albanese, who said there was a “range of audit processes in place” to make sure “every single dollar from the Commonwealth goes to making a difference to people’s lives”.
The $842.6m is an agreement between the federal and Territory government and the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory.
Mr Albanese said the funding would come from the Commonwealth and will be delivered across six years.
“If things aren’t working, we’ll change them. We’ll intervene to make sure that the dollars go to where they are anticipated, which is improving the lives of Territorians,” he said.
“We have high expectations of organisations that deliver taxpayer funded programs on royalties issues.”
The announcement was made within the federal seat of Lingiari, which Labor MP Marion Scrymgour narrowly won in the 2022 federal election.
“Re-elect a Labour government, re-elect Marion Scrimgour as a member for Lingiari, Luke Gosling as the member for Solomon. That’s how you stop the sort of cuts that we saw under the former government,” Mr Albanese said.
“We’re providing six years funding certainty in the budget.”
“This funding will deliver essential services for remote communities, including policing, women’s safety, children’s health, education and alcohol harm reduction.
“It will increase funding for Aboriginal interpreter services and deliver new funding for community development.
“It will strengthen support for Aboriginal community controlled organisations and enable the transition of services from government to community control over time.”
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who flew into Alice Springs to meet with Mr Albanese, also provided an update on her seven requests to the federal government.
Last week, when federal opposition leader Peter Dutton flew into Alice Springs, he committed “in principle” to all seven requests.
So far, the only request which has been fulfilled is CASA restrictions around drone use being lifted.
“We’ve stood up a working group between the territory officials and Federal officials and certainly the territory will do the heavy lifting around making sure we expand referral pathways to the Commonwealth for greater income management of people who are neglecting their children, particularly failing to send their children to school,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
“We certainly accept the NT government referrals for parents who neglect children to income management,” Mr Albanese said.
However, there are a number of “regulations and changes” the Territory government must make “in order to achieve those objectives”, Mr Albanese said.
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