Hundreds of millions of dollars will flow towards First Nations health, housing, justice, and an Indigenous Voice in the federal budget, as the government prepares to tighten its belt.
Handed down on Tuesday evening, the budget was focussed on reigning in spending at a difficult time for the Australian and global economies, while also delivering on Labor’s election commitments.
Here are some of the major spending commitments in the budget papers for First Nations people.
Health
Over the next five years, $314 million has been set aside for Indigenous health initiatives, the highest allocation of funding.
But only $30 million of that has been allocated for this financial year, with the rest in the forward estimates.
Just over half of the total figure will go towards investing in modern health clinics in areas with large or growing Indigenous populations.
Five hundred First Nations health workers will be on the receiving end of $54.3 million for training - the funding will help train participants in a Certificate III of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care.
Meanwhile, $45 million has been set aside to buy 30 new dialysis units for people with end-stage kidney disease.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart
With a pledge to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the constitution being a key Labor election commitment, it’s no surprise $75 million was set aside for preparatory work on a referendum.
Just over two-thirds of that will go towards the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), National Indigenous Australians Agency, the Department of Finance, and the Attorney-General’s Department over the next two years.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney is committed to delivering the Uluru Statement From The Heart in full. Source: AAP / AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
An extra $16.1 million will be given to the AEC to help them increase the enrolment rates of Indigenous people before a national poll.
The government has also set aside $5.8 million over the next three years to begin work on a Makarrata Commission. This body would oversee treaty-making and truth-telling processes.
Housing
Housing will receive a financial boost after the federal government reached a deal with the Northern Territory government over fortifying homeland communities.
Homelands across the NT will also receive $100 million from the federal government as part of the deal, with the money going towards housing and essential infrastructure in those communities. $25 million is set aside for this year and $75 million for the next financial year.
Meanwhile, the government also promised to use the returns from its $10 billion investment in the Housing Australia Future Fund for housing.
$200 million of those returns will be spent repairing, maintaining and improving existing housing in remote Indigenous communities over the next five years.
The government will also spend $9.2 million over the next three years to create a Closing the Gap Housing Policy Partnership, to help meet its commitments under the National Agreement.
Justice
Ninety-nine million dollars has been set aside for First Nations justice projects, $69 million of which will go towards community-led initiatives aimed at dealing with the underlying causes of incarceration.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services around the country will also get $13.5 million so they can help families get legal assistance during coronial inquiries into the deaths of loved ones.
Furthermore, the government said it wants to explore options for a national real-time deaths in custody reporting service, however, no further details or specific funding was set aside in the budget.
Social Services
Abolishing the controversial Cashless Debit Card will cost the government $217.7 million over the next four years, including moves to transition people to voluntary income management.
However, the exact breakdown of the financial implications for Services Australia have not been published, with the budget papers citing “contractual sensitivities”.
Support services for people planning to stop using the card will be extended and expanded.
Environment
A new Torres Strait Climate Change Centre of Excellence will be created using $15.9 million over the next four years, with the aim of helping communities mitigate and adapt to the affects of climate change.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Protected Areas program – aimed at supporting Traditional Owners to manage their Country - will be extended for an extra five years at a cost of $66.5 million. 10 new areas are also planned to be created by 2028.
Other funding
The government has also settled a legal challenge brought against the Commonwealth by Eileen Cummings of the NT Stolen Generations Corporation.
The settlement, worth $50.5 million, will go towards compensating the deceased estates of Stolen Generations survivors and kinship group members, as-well-as living kinship group members.
Meanwhile, families of people who were affected by the collapse of the Youpla Group, or the Aboriginal Community Benefits Fund, will have access to a new funeral benefits program run by the government.
$7.2 million will go towards creating the Youpla Group Funeral Benefits Program, which will meet unpaid funeral claims of deceased fund members who had Youpla funeral expenses policies that were active after the 1st of April 2020.
