Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs (Senator Scullion) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today relating to funding for services for Indigenous Australians.

Today I and my colleagues attempted to seek some clarification and find some facts about what is actually happening in terms of funding for Indigenous programs in our country. I sought clarification and I quoted the budget papers, which say:

The government will achieve net savings of $534.4 million over five years through efficiencies resulting from the rationalisation of Indigenous programs, grants and activities administered by the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Health portfolios.

That is irrefutable. It says absolutely clearly in the budget papers that there will be net savings of $534.4 million over five years. That is why, again, Labor senators have asked how the minister can say, as he did on ABC radio recently, that there will be no cuts at all? He said it in here and he said it on the radio.