Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question and for her support on our work on closing the gap. The Albanese Labor government is working in partnership with First Nations communities, the Coalition of Peaks and state and territory governments to try to improve the outcomes for First Nations Australians. Our Closing the Gap plan demonstrates the progress we have made and the work still ahead. We promised at the last election to create 3,000 jobs in remote communities, and I am delighted that we're doubling that number to an incredible 6,000 jobs, as the Prime Minister announced. It's an investment in real jobs, with proper wages, superannuation and career pathways. And we're tackling the cost of living. Our Low-Cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme is already saving families at the checkout in 113 remote stores around the country. It's slashing the cost of 30 essential items so that families can put more food on the table. We're now expanding that program to all 225 remote stores right around the country.

In health, we're upgrading critical Aboriginal community controlled health services, and we're making sure our public hospitals better support First Nations people through a joint $450 million boost through the National Health Reform Agreement. We're delivering the first standalone national plan to end violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, and we're backing it in with an immediate $218 million injection of funds into frontline services. We are building stronger futures for First Nations Australians.