Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese government is committed to improving health for all Australians, and in my electorate of Lingiari many Territorians living in the urban centres like Palmerston and in towns like Alice, Katherine and Tennant will benefit from initiatives that have been backed in by the budget. What is being undertaken is broad systemic reform. We are making medicines cheaper and making it easy for our most vulnerable to see a doctor by tripling the bulk billing incentive and establishing two urgent care clinics—one in Palmerston and the other in Alice Springs. But I particularly want to speak today about measures which will assist First Nations communities. In the first 12 months of the Albanese government, there has been approximately $1 billion invested in First Nations health initiatives, and in this recent budget there were many commitments targeted specifically at First Nations communities. There were, of course, many other general health initiatives that will significantly benefit and assist First Nations communities. Instead of rushing through a shopping list of items, which are there to be noted and are welcome, I'm going to limit myself to four things which will resonate with most Aboriginal Territorians.

The first one is renal health. Indigenous people in this country suffer kidney disease and failure at significantly higher levels than the general population, in particular in the Northern Territory. The extent of this problem has substantially escalated since the 1950s, pointing to the negative impact of processed foods, alcohol and more sedentary, non-traditional lifestyles. But even in individuals who have led careful and health-conscious lives, it still affects too many. An important and timely proposal driven by my good friend and Northern Territory colleague the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, Senator McCarthy, is the allocation of $30 million for renal services upgrades across the nation. Already additional dialysis chairs have been announced in Atitjere, which is in Harts Range in Central Australia, and Borroloola and Ti Tree, also in Central Australia. These additional chairs will make a huge difference for those families. It means that dialysis patients can access treatment in their home community rather than travelling the hundreds of kilometres to urban centres. That is being complemented by a $15 million investment in clean water infrastructure. This is the first time that there has been any money in any federal budget for clean water infrastructure. Dialysis, as we know, cannot work without clean water.

Another issue is fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. It is a tragic and insidious condition which blights the future of children without them having any say in the matter. A pregnant mother, often someone who is grappling with forces beyond her control like domestic violence or mental health issues, drinks alcohol regularly and to an excess. The child she is carrying is permanently affected, and while the sentinel physical characteristics may manifest themselves at or soon after birth, the mental and cognitive effects may take years to be fully revealed. FASD causes significant development, physical and intellectual impairment for young people, and it is disproportionately particularly prevalent in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.

In Central Australia, through the Central Australia plan, there will be $23.5 million in funding for health services. This will particularly focus on diagnostic and treatment services for FASD. During a meeting with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, the Minister for Indigenous Australians and I were told that congress were working with many families who are suffering. For the first time it has been identified that, for a lot of those families, it is their third- or fourth-generation iteration, which has never been picked up before. That is certainly going to do damage in the social services area and needs to be looked at.

There is money in the budget for aged care. I was particularly heartened by the funding that was in the budget that particularly will target mental health services for Aboriginal people. The budget measure to increase mental health support for First Nations people is important, particularly during this period of the referendum, which is going to have some serious impact, and its aftermath.

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