Media release - Minister Wyatt

The Morrison Government knows that every portfolio has a role to play in improving the lives of Indigenous Australians and has supported a range of measures in the 2021-22 Budget, both mainstream and targeted, to provide further investments to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to achieve their goals.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP said the Morrison Government is improving the way it works with Indigenous Australians and has set the course for economic recovery.

“The Prime Minister has said on a number of occasions that every Minister in the Cabinet is a Minister for Indigenous Australians, and this is reflected in this year’s Budget,” Minister Wyatt said.

“My colleagues and I have carefully considered the changes we need to make to our programs to back in our commitment to transform the way government works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

“There will be further announcements mid-year alongside the delivery of the Commonwealth’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.”

Across the Commonwealth’s portfolios, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will benefit from:

• A $243.6 million Indigenous Skills and Jobs Advancement package to improve economic, social and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This includes:
  • $128.4 million over three years for a new Indigenous Skills and Employment Program, which will replace a number of existing employment programs.
  • $63.5 million to expand Indigenous girls academies programs across Australia.
  • $36.7 million to strengthen Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs), the organisations that hold and protect native title rights and interests.
  • $10 million over two years to support Indigenous enterprises in the primary industry and land management sectors.
  • $5 million to improve remote food security
• A total of $111 million to the Community Development Program (CDP) to meet the increased caseload resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop a new remote jobs program to replace the CDP from 2023. This program will be designed in partnership with remote communities, with pilots to commence later this year.
• $26 million over four years to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children who have experienced or are experiencing family violence, of which $17 million will expand Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (FVPLS).
• $31.6 million over five years from 2021 22 for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to undertake a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survey on safety and violence to inform future investments in women’s safety.
• As part of the Women’s Economic Security Package, $13.9 million is being directed to support Indigenous women to start social enterprises, improving their safety and economic security.
• Under the mental health and suicide prevention package, $79.0 million over four years will implement the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy providing crisis and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This will ensure culturally-sensitive services as available, better networks are establish across jurisdictions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are delivering a 24/7 crisis line, existing services are properly reviewed and Indigenous leadership are supported to drive down the rates of suicide.
• $117.2 million over four years will establish a national database on service delivery, performance and outcomes across the mental health system and conduct longitudinal surveys on the mental health of children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
• Part of the $58.8 million funding initiatives to attract, upskill and re-distribute mental health professionals will also be used to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health workers.
• $11.2 million will guarantee Medicare and access to medicines for regional and remote Indigenous communities throughout Australia.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been identified as a priority group in the $630.2 million package to improve access to high-quality aged care services in regional, rural and remote areas.
• $31.1 million for trachoma control services and extend the rheumatic fever strategy with States and Territories, improving the detection, monitoring and management of these diseases.
• Enhanced support to victims of child sexual abuse, including $10.9 million for specific supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as part of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse.
• As part of the $29.3 million to improve the application of and reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, $500,000 over two years will support Indigenous participation in decision-making processes and improve Indigenous heritage protection.
• $11.6 million over four years will expand and create new Indigenous Protected Areas that provide greater coverage of Sea Country, protect marine biodiversity and create additional employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• $4 million to expand the role of Indigenous rangers in on-ground pest animal and weed management with a particular focus on the protection of biodiversity and cultural values.
• $2.2 million to build the capacity of the Northern Land Council to facilitate land use agreements and drive economic opportunities in the Beetaloo sub basin.
• $32.5 million will support an Aboriginal Land clean-up project and a Green Waste Grants project in response to the 2019-20 bushfires in New South Wales.
• $16.6 million in 2021-22 to assist boarding providers with a high proportion of Indigenous students to remain financially sustainable during the COVID-19 recovery period.
• $28.1 million over the first four years, with a commitment for $6 million per year ongoing, to assist the Indigenous visual arts industry to grow and innovate, including providing direct support to artists, arts centre and fairs.
• $11.4 million will support tourism in regional areas, which includes further funding for the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program.
• $4.7 million to develop a detailed business case exploring options for a National Resting Place within a broader cultural precinct in Canberra.
• Basketball Australia will use some of the $5 million provided to deliver the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 to encourage more Indigenous women to get involved in the sport.

Indigenous Australians will also play a key role in agriculture and environment projects, development programs in northern Australia, and large-scale infrastructure projects in remote Australia.

Along with the continued investments in the now $5.7 billion Indigenous Advancement Strategy and more than $4.1 billion over the next four years in Indigenous health funding, the Morrison Government is delivering the investments that offer Indigenous Australians the opportunities to get a great start in life, stay safe and healthy, secure employment and contribute to Australia’s recovery.