Category: Australian News

The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s Future, today announcing regional Australia will continue to receive critical aviation services into the future.

The Albanese Government will work with the Administrators of Regional Express Holdings (Rex), as part of an upcoming competitive sale process, to ensure crucial regional aviation services continue beyond 30 June 2025.

We will work with shortlisted bidders on what support the Albanese Government may be able to provide to maximise the prospect of a successful sale.

Terms of Commonwealth support will be subject to negotiation, but will be conditional on commitments by bidders to provide an ongoing, reasonable level of service to regional and remote communities, the need to provide value for money to taxpayers and good governance.

The Government is not a bidder in the upcoming sale process and would like to see a successful market-led outcome. However, in the event there is no sale, the Albanese Government will undertake necessary work, in consultation with relevant state governments, on contingency options, including preparations necessary for potential Commonwealth acquisition.

The Albanese Government is also providing further support through a waiver of the “use it or lose it” test for Rex regional flight slots at Sydney Airport, which will ensure its access to those slots until 24 October 2026.

This comes on top of the Albanese Government providing a loan of up to $80 million to keep Rex’s vital regional routes operating until 30 June 2025, and acquiring $50 million of debt from Rex’s largest creditor, PAGAC Regulus Holdings Limited, earlier this year to ensure the airline could continue to operate.

These actions make clear the Government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining access to aviation services for regional and remote communities, and recognises the critical role of the Rex network to local economies.

The Albanese Labor Government will back regional aviation just like we back regional telecommunications because we know our great country towns deserve quality services and connectivity just like our cities.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“Regional Australians deserve access to quality and crucial regional aviation services.

“We are working collaboratively with the administrators of REX to ensure that regional services continue beyond June 2025, including looking at what support the Commonwealth can provide.

“Regional Australians can be assured that our Government will continue to fight to ensure these regional airfares remain available.”

Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher:

“The Albanese Government believes regional and remote communities deserve reliable, affordable and accessible air travel.

“That’s why we’re taking steps to ensure the best possible deal for the sale of Rex.

“Aviation services are essential for our regions, and our government is committed to seeing these services continue into the future.”

“When markets fail or struggle to deliver for regional communities the Government has a role to ensure people do not miss out on opportunities, education and critical connections.

“We are recognising that today and stepping in to keep these routes in the air.”

The Greens will move amendments to the Government’s NBN legislation this week to cap NBN Co executive salaries, and require the NBN to be recognised as a universal service. The Greens are in balance of power on the Bill and say their amendments will improve access and affordability for customers in the cost of living crisis.

The NBN Co CEO was paid more than $3m in 2023 making them the highest paid public servant in Australia, paid five times more than the Prime Minister. The NBN (Commitment to Public Ownership) BIll is due to be debated by the Senate on Tuesday. 

Greens Amendments will:

• Cap executive pay –  cap remuneration paid to senior executives at 5x the Annual Average Weekly Earnings, taking into account both base salary and bonuses
• Recognise the NBN as a universal service in the Act, with the NBN required to provide broadband in a way that is accessible to all Australians on an equitable basis

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens spokesperson for Communications.

“The NBN belongs to all Australians, but too many consumers are being crunched by rising bills and network faults.

“The Greens will circulate amendments on Monday to recognise the NBN as a universal essential service, requiring the NBN Co to provide reliable, high speed broadband on an affordable and accessible basis to all Australians.

“The Greens will also move to cap the obscene salaries of the NBN Co CEO and other executives. Something is clearly wrong when the publicly owned NBN.pays it’s executives millions of dollars while some Australians are struggling to pay their monthly internet bill or access a reliable service for a network Australians built and own. It doesn’t pass the pub test and it is not value for money for taxpayers.

“It’s galling that in the cost of living crisis we have the NBN Co CEO paid more than five times the Prime Minister – the highest paid public servant in Australia.”

Labor has bowed to pressure from community advocates and The Greens, committing to deliver affordable housing at the former WestConnex site on Parramatta Road.

This welcome news comes after the government initially refused to deliver any social, affordable, or public housing on this site. 

Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain said:

“The NSW Labor Government has been dragged kicking and screaming to deliver much needed affordable housing here in Camperdown. This will be incredibly welcome news to the countless people struggling to find an affordable place to call home.

“With the RPA hospital right around the corner, this site is calling out for affordable key worker housing so we can keep essential workers including nurses and teachers here in our city.

“While this is a step in the right direction, it still doesn’t go far enough. This is publicly owned land and it’s shameful that Labor is still refusing to deliver any public housing. 

“Across the state we have almost 60,000 vulnerable households on the waitlist for housing – more than 1600 here in the Inner West alone. This is a missed opportunity to provide a much-needed increase to our public housing stock. We will keep pushing Labor to deliver public housing for our community.

The NSW Labor Government could use funding from the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) to ensure that the remaining 300 dwellings that are not Build to Rent, are set aside for public housing.

Jenny Leong MP for Newtown and Greens spokesperson on housing said:

“Eight months ago, Labor unveiled plans for 100 private homes on this piece of public land – now, after massive pushback from the community and the Greens they’re delivering more than five times this amount.

“We welcome more homes to solve the housing crisis, but these homes must be genuinely affordable, and public land must be used for public housing.

“More housing for essential workers is welcome, but NSW Labor needs to be up front about how they will ensure this is genuinely affordable. And they’re still selling off public land: Build to Rent is essentially privatised public housing without rent regulation and does little to ensure people aren’t in housing stress.

“Relying on the private market to solve the housing crisis that it created is futile. The Greens will continue working with communities to push for urgent, ambitious investment in public housing on public land.”

The NSW Government will introduce new laws to the NSW Parliament this week that will further criminalise peaceful protest and hand significant new powers to the NSW Police that will allow police to issue move on orders and arrest peaceful protestors for simply being near places of worship.

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said “Racism and acts of hate must never be tolerated, they must always be called out. We must always strive towards a more cohesive and inclusive society, but these new laws are extreme and completely unnecessary. The laws are overreach and the only purpose they serve is to further criminalise peaceful and legitimate protests,”

“Premier Chris Minns has proven again that he is a one-trick pony when it comes to law and order crack downs that are announced through conservative radio interviews. Now here we are back in the arena watching him being led by the nose when it comes to draconian criminal punishments, and more police powers to whip and kick the people of NSW,”

“It’s clear that the Minns Labor Government is not interested in the evidence, or the opinions of civil society organisations and experts. The Premier has ignored the Law Reform Commission report that he commissioned into hate crime laws, a report that recommended against these changes, and he is ignoring his own colleagues who know that these changes will entrench hate against marginalised communities in favour of some of the most powerful religious organisations in the world,”

“The NSW Police already have extraordinary powers to issue move on orders to people on the street, these laws will introduce more powers that are poorly defined and could cause peaceful protestors in Hyde Park and other public places to be arrested for the ‘crime’ of being near a Catholic church,”

“The Supreme Court has already found similar anti-protest laws unconstitutional and an impermissible burden on political communication. It is truly shameful that Chris Minns is doubling down on attacking the foundations of a healthy democracy instead of having a responsible conversation about social issues,”

“You cannot arrest your way out of these issues, it just drives people further away from reasonable and mature discussion. NSW already has more than enough powers when it comes to punishing protest and we should be doing more to protect peaceful protest, rather than just punishing everyday members of the community,” Ms Higginson said.

The Greens today have announced a Parliamentary Budget Office-costed plan to tax Australia’s billionaires, as a new revenue measure in the party’s Robin Hood reforms.

A core message of the Greens’ plan for minority government is taxing big corporations and billionaires to pay for essential services, including getting dental into Medicare, making it free to see the GP and 50c public transport fares.

In a minority government in 2010, the Greens got dental into Medicare for kids. Key cost of living measures, as well as responsible revenue measures to pay for them, will be a priority for the Greens in any minority government in 2025.

Under the plan, Australia’s 150 billionaires would pay an annual 10% tax on their net wealth with a 10% limit on capital flight in any year. The plan is expected to raise $23 billion over the forward estimates and $50 billion over the decade.

Between 2018 and 2024, during prolonged economic crises, the total wealth of Australia’s billionaires more than doubled to an eye-watering $584.5 billion. A recent Oxfam Australia report revealed Australian billionaires on average made $67,000 per hour last year, over 1,300 times the hourly wage of the average Australian.

After Donald Trump’s election with the support of billionaire backers, people across Australia are disenfranchised with the major parties, their trust in the political establishment is at an all-time low and concern about billionaires’ influence on politics is rising.

Adam Bandt, Leader of the Australian Greens:

“In a wealthy country like ours, everyone should be able to afford the basics: a home, food, and world class health and education. Instead, billionaires are making out like bandits while everyone else is being squeezed. 

“It’s time we turned the tables and made billionaires pay their fair share to fund the services people need.

“This election, we have a once in a generation chance. There will be a minority government and the Greens are within reach of winning seats right across the country.

“With a minority Government, the Greens can keep Peter Dutton out and tax billionaires to fund dental into Medicare, seeing the GP for free and real action on the housing and climate crisis.

“The Greens will keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act.”

Nick McKim, Australian Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson:

“Gina Rinehart should not have $40.6 billion while people in this country are sleeping in tents and cars. That’s the economic system that Labor and the Liberals are defending.

“The Greens’ plan will force billionaires to start giving back.

“The major parties will not take on the billionaires or big corporations while they’re on the payroll. Only the Greens can hold Labor and Liberals accountable and put people ahead of profit in minority government.

“The cost of living crisis is a political choice.

“There has been an obscene accumulation of wealth in this country in recent years. A billionaires’ tax will start to turn that around and help everyday Australians.”

The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s future, delivering on commitments to First Nations people to help close the gap in partnership with peak bodies, states, territories and local government.

Today, the Government releases the Commonwealth’s 2024 Closing the Gap Annual Report and 2025 Implementation Plan.

The 2024 Annual Report outlines the actions the Albanese Government has taken over the past year to deliver on the outcomes of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, focused on creating jobs and economic empowerment for remote communities, easing housing overcrowding and improving safety.

In 2024, the Commonwealth Government: 

• Commenced the new Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program, which will create up to 3,000 jobs in remote communities over three years.
• Expanded the Indigenous Rangers Program to create 1,000 new jobs, including 770 positions for First Nations women.
• Released the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy, to maximise the nation-wide potential for First Nations people to benefit from the clean energy transformation.
• Introduced legislation to expand the role and remit of Indigenous Business Australia to boost First Nations economic empowerment.
• Built more than 200 new homes in remote communities in the Northern Territory as part of our 10-year goal to halve overcrowding.
• Expanded access to affordable PBS medicines for more First Nations people.
• Opened the first of up to 30 dialysis units in regional and remote locations so First Nations people can receive treatment closer to home and on Country.
• Welcomed over 300 enrolments in the First Nations Health Worker Traineeship Program.
• Significantly increased funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services to help more women and children escaping family, domestic and sexual violence.
• Established a dedicated National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, to address the over-representation of First Nations children and youth in out-of-home care and detention.
• Invested in 27 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives in First Nations communities across Australia.
• Expanded the Connected Beginnings program to 50 communities, supporting more First Nations children to thrive in their crucial early years.
• The 2025 Implementation Plan outlines our strategy for the year ahead, focussing on easing cost of living pressures and improving food security in remote communities, delivering the next steps of our economic empowerment agenda, and continuing to improve outcomes for First Nations people.

We’ve already announced an $842 million, six-year partnership with the Northern Territory Government and Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory to deliver essential services for remote communities, including policing, women’s safety, health and education.

In 2025, the Commonwealth will also invest in a range of new measures to:

• Reduce the costs of 30 essential products in more than 76 remote stores to help ease cost of living pressures and improve food security in remote communities.
• Build a nutrition workforce in remote communities by upskilling up to 120 local First Nations staff in remote stores.
• Roll out new laundries or upgrade existing facilities in 12 remote First Nations communities, to help improve long-term health outcomes.
• Strengthen the Indigenous Procurement Policy to boost opportunities for First Nations businesses to grow and create jobs.
• Increase opportunities for First Nations Australians to buy their own home and build intergenerational wealth through a boost to Indigenous Business Australia’s Home Loan Capital Fund.
• Establish a place-based business coaching and mentoring program for First Nations businesswomen and entrepreneurs.
• Increase the availability of culturally safe and qualified mental health support including scholarships for up to 150 First Nations psychology students.
• Continue to deliver critical prevention, early intervention and response services to address family, domestic and sexual violence in high need First Nations communities.
• Extend the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme for an additional two years to support Stolen Generations survivors.
• Continue digitisation of at-risk audio and video collections held by First Nations broadcasters and community organisations by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

These new measures will build on what we are already committed to delivering over 2025, including: 

• Build an additional 270 new houses across 40 remote Northern Territory communities and Alice Springs town camps to help reduce overcrowding.
• Increase access to culturally safe maternal care through 10 Birthing on Country activities across rural, remote and very remote locations to improve healthy birthweights and reduce pre-term births.
• Remove the Child Care Subsidy Activity Test, guaranteeing 100 hours of subsidised early childhood education and care per fortnight for First Nations children.
• Transition more health programs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-control, because we know community-led services achieve better results.
• Create up to 210 First Nations health care positions to improve cancer outcomes for First Nations people.
• Provide prison to employment mentoring in up to 15 locations, helping people reconnect with health, housing and other social services, to improve employment outcomes and reduce risk of re-offending.
• Deliver free community wide Wi-Fi to 23 remote First Nations communities, in partnership with NBN Co.  

Read the Commonwealth Closing the Gap 2024 Annual Report and 2025 Implementation Plan at Closing the Gap

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“We are working in partnership with States, Territories and peak organisations to Close the Gap.

“We are delivering record funding in health, education and housing, as well as $842 million to fund essential services in remote communities.

“Australians want to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Australians believe in the fair go.

“The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy:

“The Albanese Labor Government is getting on with the job of delivering for First Nations people.

“We are focused on creating jobs with decent conditions in remote Australia, addressing housing overcrowding, supporting healthy children and safe families, and community driven responses to address the causes of crime.

“In 2025 we are building on these investments, focused on easing cost of living pressures in remote communities, our long-term economic empowerment agenda and even greater effort to improve living conditions and wellbeing.

“Through the Joint Council on Closing the Gap we are creating systemic change to improve the way we work with First Nations Australians, the Coalition of Peaks and State and Territory Governments, to ensure policies and programs are community-led and self-determined to provide the best opportunity for success.”

Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, Pat Turner AM:

“Closing the Gap is not just policy; it is the intentional pursuit to make life better for our people and for the generations that come after us. We will hold governments and ourselves accountable until we achieve real, lasting change.

“While we know that the full impact of the changes we are making will take time to materialise, the National Agreement has already begun to show results. The most recent data from the Productivity Commission’s dashboard highlights progress.

“For the first time, 5 out of 19 targets are on track. We have seen improvements in critical areas such as the proportion of First Nations babies born at a healthy weight and the increase in the land and sea country under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander control. These are significant achievements that deserve recognition.

“For the implementation to be successful, systems, policies, and governance must evolve. Government must evolve. It is our responsibility, in partnership with governments, to strengthen the policies that are working and change the ones that are failing – those that continue to exclude the basic needs of our people.” 

Today I announce the appointment of Professor Mimi Tang as the inaugural Chair of the ASEAN-Australia Centre Advisory Board.

The ASEAN-Australia Centre was launched in November 2024, as part of the Albanese Government’s ongoing work to deepen engagement with Southeast Asia and support the implementation of Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

The Centre’s programs and activities will strengthen Australia’s partnership with ASEAN and increase business, cultural and community connections. Professor Tang is an internationally recognised immunologist allergist and is a leading expert in food oral immunotherapy. She is Head of the Allergy Immunology Research Group and Director of the Allergy Translation Centre at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and Consultant Immunologist Allergist at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

Professor Tang is also CEO and Scientific Founder of Prota Therapeutics, a biotech startup that is developing a novel treatment for peanut allergy. Her pioneering research has transformed the way food allergies are managed in children.

Professor Tang’s ties to Southeast Asia are strong. She was born in Singapore and spent her early childhood in Malaysia before moving to Australia in primary school. She credits her family’s move to Australia to her father’s involvement as a Malaysian participant of the original Colombo Plan.

Professor Tang’s personal and professional ties to Southeast Asia, combined with her research and business expertise will enable her to make a strong contribution to the ASEAN-Australia Centre.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi,  Australian Greens Deputy Leader and Higher Education Spokesperson, is pleased to join students, academics, the Jewish Council of Australia, and Australia Palestine Advocacy Network to support a People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine. This follows over a year of universities silencing students and staff participating in peaceful protests and calling for an end to Israel’s genocide and occupation of Palestine. 

The Inquiry itself will invite submissions from the public and will be conducted by a panel of academics and a student representative. The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry and how to make submissions can be found here. 

Senator Mehreen Faruqi: 

“It’s an honour to join students, activists, academics and lawyers APAN and JCA to support this vitally important People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine.

“Since the genocide in Gaza began, students and staff at universities have led the way in calling out and rallying against Israel’s war crimes and atrocities, and now they are taking the lead on the behaviour of universities towards these staff and students.   

“I am inspired by their courage and compassion that is so clearly lacking in our complicit government and institutions.

“University campuses should be political spaces where students and staff are encouraged to speak out on issues of social, racial and environmental justice, not shut down.

“Yet, time and time again universities have resorted to harsh measures to silence dissent when it comes to justice for Palestine, one of the world’s most important moral litmus tests.

“From draconian anti-protest policies and police interventions to surveillance, suspensions and disciplinary actions, university management has used every trick in the book to stifle activism.

“These attacks on campus activism and free speech are a direct assault on the right to protest and the values of anti-imperialism and justice. 

“The repression faced by students and staff is an attack on all who value human rights, and this inquiry will be vital in shining a light on this. 

“Israel has obliterated every university in Gaza. And yet Australian universities have been woefully silent about these horrors,and in fact, many have partnerships and investments in major arms manufacturers which contributed to and profited from Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia:

“Universities should be spaces of open inquiry and debate, not censorship and repression. The crackdown on students and staff who speak up for Palestinian rights is a clear violation of free speech and academic freedom. 

“This inquiry is an important step in documenting these injustices and ensuring that universities uphold their responsibilities to protect political expression, not suppress it.”

the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network:

“The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) fully supports the People’s Inquiry into Campus Free Speech on Palestine.

“Across the continent, students and staff have faced censorship, intimidation and disciplinary measures simply for speaking up about Palestine, and objecting to Israeli genocide. Meanwhile, political leaders, the media and even a Senate inquiry have sought to conflate advocacy for Paelstinians with antisemitism.

“The People’s inquiry is a critical pushback by and for the people against the suppression of free speech and the criminalisation of solidarity with Palestinians. Advocating for an end to Israel’s decades of oppression of Palestinians is not hate speech – it is a fight for justice and liberation.

“APAN stands with all those resisting repression and urges anyone who has faced discrimination or witnessed injustices against people speaking out for Palestine to make their voices heard in this inquiry.”

Professor Linda Briskman, Inquiry Panel Member and social work academic:

“The inquiry has potential to challenge the relentless campaigning against academic freedom and freedom of speech. The voices of those who support the rights of Palestinians need to be heard and not suppressed.” 

James McVicar, Inquiry Panel Member and Education Officer for the National Union of Students:

“We are seeing serious attacks on freedom of speech and protest on university campuses around the country. University managements love to invoke the history of protests for social justice on their campuses while they are taking steps to ensure such things never happen again.”

The Minns Labor Government has announced that temporary youth bail law changes will be extended from 12 months to 4 years, with data showing 80% of young people charged with certain offences have been refused bail since March last year. The youth bail law changes were opposed by civil society organisations in March last year, including the NSW Bar Association, the Law Society of NSW, and the Aboriginal Legal Service.

Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said “It’s entirely unsurprising that young people being denied bail for certain offences has shot up to 80%, that’s exactly what Premier Chris Minns wanted these laws to do and he knew it would mean more young people in prison,”

“When the Minns Labor Government introduced knee jerk youth bail changes to the NSW Parliament last year, the move was condemned by legal and youth justice advocacy organisations across NSW. The changes were not designed to reduce crime, they were only designed to make the Government appear tough on crime,”

“The commitment of additional funds by the Minns Labor Government for support and diversion programs, particularly to Aboriginal Controlled Organisations, is very welcome and long overdue. However, the Minns Labor Government’s response is wrongly based on the further criminalisation of young people through police led operations, over policing, the refusal of bail and incarceration, further entrenching cycles of criminality which undermines all of the community’s good work. It is the antithesis of community led initiative and response, actual diversion from the criminal justice system and therapeutic responses, which we know is what’s needed to actually prevent the behaviours that led to offensive behaviour,”

“Both the Bar Association and the Law Society wrote to the Government when these changes were introduced, calling for them to be withdrawn or amended – Premier Minns ignored those calls and pushed ahead regardless. 12 months later, we are in exactly the situation that the Premier was warned about, more young First Nations people in prison, and no clear reduction in the rate of offending,”

“These laws operate contrary to international agreements and NSW law on the treatment of young people. They intentionally target vulnerable young people and apply a harsher penalty to children over adults – it was unacceptable then and it’s unconscionable that Premier Minns is now going to extend it for three years,”

“The Government is driving higher crime rates and higher recidivism through this populist law and order agenda, that’s what the evidence tells us. I am concerned that he is now throwing more money into a system that simply will not work and the community and all of the incredibly hard working carers and service providers will be blamed. The only way to truly reduce crime is to invest in diversionary programs and keep young people out of the criminal justice system wherever possible,” Ms Higginson said.

The Albanese and Northern Territory Governments, together with the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APO NT), have signed a landmark Partnership Agreement to strengthen service delivery in remote First Nations communities in the Northern Territory.

The Albanese Government will commit $842.6 million over 6 years to deliver the Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment (NTRAI).

The funding will:

• Continue to deliver essential services for remote communities including policing, women’s safety, education and alcohol harm reduction;
• Increase funding for Aboriginal interpreter services and deliver new funding for community development, mediation and peacekeeping activities;
• Continue to fund hearing and oral health services;
• Strengthen support for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and enable the transition of services from government to community-control over time;
• Empower remote Aboriginal communities by establishing and funding local groups in up to eight locations that will design and deliver services for community, in community, by community. This includes support for communities to navigate and access economic development and employment opportunities.
• Fund up to twelve Aboriginal Community Controlled Children and Family Centres to provide coordinated solutions to complex issues relating to family safety and child development.

The commitment will offer certainty for over 570 jobs, including more than 278 jobs for First Nations Territorians, and ensure remote First Nations communities can access the services needed to Close the Gap.

The Albanese Government will work in partnership with the NT Government and APO NT to oversee delivery of the Partnership Agreement, ensuring it drives Priority Reforms and improves socio-economic outcomes under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Australians want to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Australians believe in the fair go.

The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities.

“My Government remains determined to seek better results for Indigenous Australians and help Close the Gap.”

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro

“The Northern Territory Government welcomes the renewal of this important funding agreement.

“This funding supports essential services in remote communities, including $205.9 million for our remote policing efforts.

“All Territorians have a right to be safe from violence and ensuring for remote communities are effectively policed benefits the entire Territory.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Malarndirri McCarthy

“The Albanese Government is committed to working in genuine partnership with First Nations people in the Northern Territory to deliver better outcomes in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“This investment will ensure remote First Nations communities have access to the critical services they need, while supporting communities to lead in their economic and social development.”

“Partnering with Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory will ensure critical services are informed by the perspectives of Aboriginal people living in remote parts of the Territory and strengthen the capacity of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver services in remote areas.

“We know the most effective solutions come from local communities. That’s why the Albanese Government will continue to work with the NT Government, APO NT and First Nations communities to develop the services that work best for these communities.”

Northern Territory Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Steven Edgington

“This agreement represents a practical approach to delivering our shared commitment to Closing the Gap in the Territory.

“Importantly, it empowers bush communities to have a more active role in community development and decision-making processes.  

“The increased investment in remote women’s safe houses will help to provide additional culturally appropriate support required to protect victims and survivors of abuse.

“Under the new agreement, important existing services like remote policing, alcohol harm reduction, Aboriginal Teacher Training and the Aboriginal Interpreter Service will continue.”

Federal Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour

“Remote communities are the lifeblood of the Northern Territory. They are places of deep connection to Country, culture and community.

“I am proud to be part of a government that is committed to improving the liveability of Northern Territory’s remote Aboriginal communities.

“As the federal member of one of the most remote electorates in Australia, with a land mass of over 1.3 million km2 and the highest proportion of Indigenous people, I congratulate the Albanese Labor Government on this substantial investment.

“I am confident the future pipeline of funds committed through this Partnership Agreement will make significant contributions to enhancing the social and economic well-being of the more than 70 remote communities that I represent.”

Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory Convenor, Dr John Paterson

“Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APO NT) welcomes this significant commitment from the Albanese Labor Government.

“Investing in Aboriginal self-determination to Close the Gap in the Northern Territory will deliver vital services and programs for our mob in the bush.

“APO NT will work in partnership with Governments to make sure this funding hits the ground where it is really needed, and we commit to strengthening this partnership over the next six years.

“Programs and supports funded through this investment go to the heart of what Aboriginal Territorians have advocated for decades.

“Aboriginal people hold the knowledge needed to improve outcomes for our people and communities.

“This investment and commitment from Governments is another step in the right direction toward enabling true self-determination for Aboriginal Territorians.”