Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What we saw from the Albanese Labor government last week was nothing short of shameful. With the Greens at their side—yes, the Australian Greens—Labor slammed the door on accountability by scrapping the standalone cross-portfolio Indigenous estimates hearing. For the first time in 17 years, this Senate has been denied opportunity for the scrutiny in this area that we've known for 17 years. More recently, this meant that the minister responsible for the portfolio was also at the table, always. Now that's changed.

Despite what the Albanese government have claimed, this is not a question of scheduling; this is about silencing. Since coming into this parliament, my experience in asking questions in senate estimates is to get the runaround—being told, 'Not today; that's on Friday, cross-portfolio day,' and on Friday being told, 'No, not today; that was back on Tuesday,' or Wednesday. How many times did that happen? It was awful, and this is going to be worse. It was already the case that we had a truncated day, and Senator McCarthy, you know that; it was a truncated day. We were short on time, but this is about making the situation much worse. I'm going to look forward to you running around all week to try to get in front of every single committee to answer the questions about your portfolio.

The latest Closing the Gap data tells us exactly why Labor wanted this hearing gone: because, under this government—and in the territory in which you live, Senator McCarthy—youth detention is up by 11 per cent; suicide is up by 9.4 per cent. These are not small numbers. This has happened since 2022.

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Senator Scarr?

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, a point of order. I'm very interested in what Senator Liddle is saying. I think she is making some very, very important points, and I think it would be good to be able to hear her in silence.

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. Could senators observe decorum in the chamber.

Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

These are not small numbers and they've happened since 2022. Adult incarceration is up 3.5 per cent, preschool attendance is down 2.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent fewer children are starting school developmentally—

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scarr, a point of order?

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry, Acting Deputy President. I hope I don't have to speak a third time, but I'm happy to. I think Senator Liddle deserves to be heard in silence.

Dave Sharma (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would ask other senators to respect the right of the speaker to be heard in silence.

Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think one of the most troubling statistics is that five were on track and now there are only four. Guess which one is no longer on track? Sadly, it's baby birth weight. It's one of the data points that you can accurately predict. Every one of those numbers represents lives, families and futures, and every one of those numbers that are going backwards are going backwards under Labor.

There was ending the cashless debit card, the lifting of alcohol restrictions and then standing by and watching nine months before they were put in place and watching NAAJA collapse with its poor governance and doing absolutely nothing to intervene, even though a large proportion of its funding comes from the Commonwealth. People were anguishing in the Northern Territory without even having representation. That was disgusting, and it's factual. The disastrous situation of alcohol restrictions being lifted saw a 77 per cent increase in average monthly domestic violence assaults in Alice Springs, and Central Australia is still a long way from recovery, if ever.

Taxpayers deserve to know and to be able to interrogate why $300 million poured into Central Australia has not delivered a better, safer Central Australia. It simply hasn't. You just need to walk down the street to see that. I've done it many times, and not for work; I've been there as a local and as a visitor. What are more reasons Labor did this? The AIHW health performance framework summary report says the Labor fuelled cost-of-living crisis has made things worse, especially in remote areas and in primary health care. It's got harder than ever. We should know more about that. There are the Indigenous organisations that have failed to file mandatory reports with ORIC, their regulator. How come ORIC seem to think that they need to defend that? Why is it that frontline services are still waiting for funds while bureaucracy holds back the cash? It was done in Katherine less than two weeks ago, and that's a serious situation for those people.

With broken promises and lack of transparency, this is the most secretive government in living memory. The government claims that Indigenous issues will now be part of every day of estimates. What they don't say is what they've actually done to make this much better. It is not. The people who are going to lose out most are Indigenous Australians. (Time expired)