Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for getting me back on track. Of course, there is a whole-of-government approach. We have said across the board that we need to ameliorate the challenges that poverty provides. You have two choices—you go to school, you have a chance of an education; or you do not go to school, you go to jail—and the Indigenous statistics are exactly that. So we are encouraging kids to go to school.

We know that for the demographic who have a purpose, who have a job and who are engaged have a much lower likelihood of getting engaged in the justice system. That is why we are introducing new mechanisms and we are working with all parts of parliament to ensure that people get into work so they have a purpose in life. Right across government, we have ensured that we need to lift the number of people who are employed. So we have actually employed and engaged 50 people a day—that is right, 33,000 people since I have had this job. That is ensuring that we are not only providing leadership but providing a purpose in life for those Australians. (Time expired)