Australia’s only First Nations-led justice coalition Change the Record has condemned the 2021 Budget as failing to live up to the Government’s talk of ‘closing the gap’. It instead entrenches more of the same:
- Inadequate funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal and family violence prevention services;
- Failure to invest in real measures to address the crisis of Black deaths in custody;
- Failure to extend the Disability Royal Commission and address the huge barriers First Nations peoples with disability face when seeking support
- Failure to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families have access to the support and services we need
JUSTICE
Change the Record Co-Chair Cheryl Axleby:
“It is shameful that after seven deaths of our people in less than two months there has been no plan from the Commonwealth Government to address the crisis of Black deaths in custody. There is no funding in the Budget to address the mass-incarceration of First Nations peoples by establishing a National Justice Reinvestment Body (despite this being a key recommendation) and no funding to support states and territories to Raise the Age to keep primary school aged children out of police and prison cells. This is not a budget for the future, this is a Budget that entrenches the inequalities and injustice of the past.”
NATSILS Chair Priscilla Atkins:
“Given the alarming rates of over-incarceration and Aboriginal deaths in custody, it is more important than ever for ATSILS to be properly resourced and accessible across Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services are already suffering from a demand we cannot meet due to substantial delays and understaffing. More funding and job-creation for ATSILS means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access culturally safe legal support when and where they need it, which supports our communities and reduces the over-incarceration of our people.”
FAMILY VIOLENCE
Change the Record Co-Chair and Chair of the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Antoinette Braybrook:
“We are facing a national crisis of family violence against First nations women, but today the Federal Government has again failed to meet this crisis with the funding we need to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women safe. We have been clear, to provide the crucial front-line services our women need, our 14 family violence legal prevention services require an additional investment of at least $28 million per year. The 2021 Budget delivers less than a quarter of that vitally needed funding, and contains no dedicated funding for our National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum, denying First Nations women a voice shaping the policy decisions that affect our lives.”
DISABILITY
First Peoples Disability Network CEO Damian Griffis:
The First Peoples Disability Network will be looking closely at tonight's Budget to see dedicated funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. We won’t see change until governments make significant investments in the wellbeing of our community. We have been calling for an urgent extension to the Disability Royal Commission to ensure our peoples’ experiences are heard, and we are disappointed not to see confirmation of that tonight. We need real funding commitments to make the National Disability Strategy and the National Disability Employment Strategy a reality that actually deliver economic equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle:
“The Budget includes important new measures for children and families, including increased investment in early education and care and to prevent family violence. But, much more is needed to achieve the ambitious targets for our children in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The Government must invest more in quality early education and care, scrap the ‘activity test’ and remove barriers to ensure access to 30 hours of free or heavily subsidised care for our children each week. In line with the National Agreement, funding must go to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled early childhood and family support services that are best placed to provide quality and culturally safe services for our families.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Change the Record - Sophie Trevitt - 0431 843 095
NATSILS - Lucy Brown - 0435 866 462
Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services - Nina Catovic - 0408 812 830
First Peoples Disability Network - El Gibbs - 0419 290 788
SNAICC – National Voice for our Children – Jo Cackett – 0474 727 506