Labor inks $840m deal with NT to Close the Gap

Labor has inked an $840m deal with the Northern Territory to massively boost support for remote Indigenous communities.

The Albanese government has inked an $842.5m deal aimed at bolstering service delivery for Indigenous communities in the remote Northern Territory.

The record federal funding will be delivered over six years and create some 570 jobs, including more than 270 jobs for First Nations Territorians.

Anthony Albanese hailed it as “the largest investment in remote communities that we have seen” when he formally unveiled the agreement in Alice Springs on Friday.

The Albanese government has inked an $842.5m deal with the Northern Territory. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Speaking alongside Lia Finocchiaro, the Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party Chief Minister, the Prime Minister said the funding was “about building Australia’s future and making sure people in remote communities and First Nations people are not left behind”.

“Australians want to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and we know that we’re, frankly, not doing well enough, and no governments have done well enough, which is why so many of the indices that will be released next week simply aren’t up to scratch,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“So this is about doing better. This funding will deliver essential services for remote communities, including policing, women’s safety, children’s health, education and alcohol harm reduction.”

The funding will also go towards bolstering Aboriginal interpreter services and establishing Indigenous-led service hubs as well as development hubs to improve access to training and employment opportunities.

Ms Finocchiaro welcomed the fresh federal funds, particularly the some $200m earmarked for remote policing.

“We know that community safety is the No.1 priority of Territorians, no matter where they live,” she said.

“But this funding will go further than remote policing, which is critical.

“It will also support better health outcomes for Aboriginal people living in the bush, greater empowerment and decision making and. of course, making sure that our remote communities are invested in.

“This is a significant point in time for the Territory. We welcome the funding.”

The Albanese government has prioritised making progress on Closing the Gap targets since coming to power.

They consist of 17 socio-economic goals aimed at improving outcomes for Indigenous Australians in key areas, including health, safety and housing.

Most of the targets are due in 2031, but only a handful have had any meaningful progress.

The targets have also chopped and changed since their earliest iteration in 2008.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visited Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

The announcement comes just more than a week after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton visited Alice Springs, where he highlighted the city’s crime problem.

“We have been taking an interest in trying to support the people of Alice Springs for a long time,” Mr Dutton said during his visit.

“In the previous Labor government, here in the Territory, there was no will to listen to the people of Alice Springs.”

Originally published as Labor inks $840m deal with NT to Close the Gap