Mal Brough (Longman, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We have made that position very clear. It was never going to Halls Creek. At a meeting at Halls Creek with Minister Roberts from the Western Australian government she had told me at that point that they were keen to put new money, additional money, on the table for Indigenous affairs. I think that is part of my duty: to be able to leverage other state governments and territory governments to put more into this particular area, with real reform. That is one avenue that is being explored. Another avenue that is being explored is in the Territory. We have had favourable responses from communities that wish to participate in trying to improve their lot, and we will continue to have discussions with them. I will not make those communities known publicly at this point until such time as they wish that to happen; I think that is reasonable.

The offer that I have left on the table is that we would not walk away from Alice Springs. I cannot guarantee $60 million, because that means I will sit on my hands with that money, on a hope and a prayer that one day someone will see sense about what needs to occur. If that is never to happen, we would probably be back here next year—if you were in that place and I was in this—with you asking: ‘Are you rolling over money again? Why haven’t you expended this money when it has been sitting there and there are other needy communities?’ So that is a judgement call that I as the minister have made.

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