Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

I bet you're happy about that! My question is for the Minister for Indigenous Australians. My recent OPD about the Northern Territory's remote Aboriginal housing agreement revealed that more than $330 million in Commonwealth funding that was due has not been delivered and that the Northern Territory government has provided no progress reports. Between the Commonwealth and the NT, more than $660 million for Aboriginal housing seems to be missing. Why has that money not been delivered as promised?

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

Thank you, Senator Thorpe, for the question. It is interesting, actually—the direction from which your question is coming. I'm usually asked by you why we're paying the Northern Territory government any money. In fact, that is the constant that I get. In the NTRA, the reason the Northern Territory doesn't get any funding is that it may not have met certain criteria. When it meets certain criteria, the Northern Territory government will receive the funding—which is not too dissimilar to federal funding arrangements more broadly across the country.

The difference this time, though, is that, for the first time in Australian government history, we have Aboriginal organisations at the table as part of monitoring how the Northern Territory government is going to go, so I expect a report from the Aboriginal peak organisations as well as the Northern Territory government before agreeing to release any funding.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, first supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

():  Thank you—speaking of which, the OPD revealed that Aboriginal joint steering committee members told you that the NT is not sharing data and is sidelining them and that their confidence in the NT government is diminishing. Do you agree with the Aboriginal members that the NT government is failing?

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

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. Well, this is why I've built into the agreement that Aboriginal peak organisations have an opportunity to have a strong voice at the table in terms of the funding arrangements. We are in the process now, in fact, in regard to housing, with the $4 billion remote housing project—where $2 billion comes from the Northern Territory and $2 billion comes from the Commonwealth.

The joint steering committee is made up of the Aboriginal land councils, Aboriginal Housing NT and also the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. At this particular point, the Northern Territory government want more money given to them from the agreement. They don't want to stick to the agreement. They want to remove a certain amount of money from it for administration and for the land in terms of where the houses will be built, in terms of making sure the land is ready— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe, second supplementary?

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

Building is behind schedule, construction targets are being reduced, reporting is missing, funding isn't flowing and mob are telling you that the NT is not working for them. Aboriginal steering committee members have directly asked you: what will you do, Minister, to hold the Northern Territory government to account?

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

Thank you, Senator Thorpe. I believe in my previous answer I gave you that response. It's actually because I've enabled First Nations organisations to be at the table. We are in a position now where the Northern Territory government wants to renegotiate an agreement. That is a 10-year agreement where we're supposed to have 2,700 homes built—270 a year. The Northern Territory government wants to reduce that down to 1,800 or maybe 1,100 homes, if the Northern Territory is lucky. So that's why the joint steering committee is there. I put that there because we needed accountability and oversight over this agreement.