Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take note of the answers given by Senator Scullion to questions by Senators Peris and Sterle. I wish to place on record my appreciation and congratulations to this minister for the excellence of his role as the Minister for Indigenous Affairs in this particular government, and to compliment Senator Scullion on his deep engagement and his deep understanding of his portfolio.

He made mention this afternoon, when challenged, of the funding in his portfolio. He very, very expertly—and, I think, adroitly—outlined what a small proportion of his $1.2 billion budget was being reduced. Of course the proof is the fact that, when you get a person as competent as Senator Scullion is in handling the matters of his portfolio, when you get somebody from the Northern Territory who deeply understands the challenges, who deeply understands the solutions, who has the cooperation and support of those people to actually enact the policies he is implementing and so expertly addressing to this chamber, then I have every confidence that the very, very modest reduction about which he spoke will be as nothing in a $1.2 billion program.

He mentioned in his answer, as I recall, the $3.8 million in the Aboriginal child abuse program which deals with the terrible problem that we all know exists and has existed for so long in urban, regional, rural and remote Aboriginal communities. He spoke about the $13.4 million that the then Labor government, whilst they took all the media attention about its allocation to the Clontarf Foundation, conveniently forgot to actually put into their forward estimates. I speak with some pride about the Clontarf Foundation, named as it is from the original Clontarf College, which was a program established very much with the cooperation of Mr Harry Neesham. It was bad luck for me that he was the coach of the Dockers, but he then saw the light. I also draw attention to Mr David Wirrpanda, a great Eagles footballer, an Indigenous man, who is doing great work with young Indigenous boys and girls to try to encourage them into another of Senator Scullion's great programs, the Back to School Program. Senator Scullion spoke eloquently in this place today about those programs, about his intentions and policies and about the implementation of them. Whenever I have travelled in rural and remote Western Australia in recent times I always seem to see Senator Scullion engaging with those communities.

In the few minutes left to me I wish to reflect on what would have to go down in history as one of the scandalous failures and act of bastardry of the Labor government in its time. That was the action taken on 8 June 2011 when the then Prime Minister, Ms Gillard, and the then Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Ludwig, completely and utterly cut the guts out of the live export trade in this country. They particularly decimated the industry associated with Aboriginal cattle stations across the north.

It is disappointing that Senator Sterle, who asked one of the questions, was himself a champion of the process which helped us all to reverse that disgusting and despicable decision that was taken. The impact that it had on Indigenous Aboriginal stations in the Kimberley and particularly in the Territory is still resonating today. It was a program run by Aboriginal people, an excellent program of cattle management, a program that was adding employment opportunities for young Aboriginal people and middle aged Aboriginal people as they worked on the stations, as they managed the stations, and as they properlly got stock ready for export alongside the other pastoralists in Northern Australia. It gave them the opportunity to gain the self-respect that so many of us know was lacking among Aboriginal people. This action taken by the then government would stand them condemned when it comes to the aspirations of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders in this country.

I speak with some pride as I listened to the answers by Senator Scullion in outlining his policies, procedures, actions, challenges and solutions in the Indigenous affairs portfolio. I look forward to his success. (Time expired)