This article considers Indigenous-specific measures across
portfolios in the Budget 2023–24, and other measures relating to Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people. Measures covered include health, safety, culture,
land and waters and housing and infrastructure. Unless otherwise stated, all
page references are to Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2023–24.
The budget measure ‘Delivering the referendum to recognise
Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples in the Constitution through a Voice to
Parliament’ (p. 85) is discussed in the Bills Digest for the Constitution
Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) Bill 2023.
Overview
The 2023–24 Budget includes a large number of measures specific
to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as many general measures
in which there are components focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander
people. Additionally, due to the demographic
structure and socioeconomic position of Australia’s Indigenous population,
many of the ‘cost of living measures’, such as ‘Strengthening Medicare’ (p.
147), the ‘Energy price relief plan’ (p. 86), and ‘Increase to working age payments
(p. 199), will provide some relief to a large proportion of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people. For example, the government’s budget fact sheet,
Empowering
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, states that the increase to
the bulk billing incentive ‘will have a positive impact for the over 310,000
First Nations concession card holders’ (p. 5), or approximately 30% of the
Indigenous population.
‘Big ticket’ budget items, including some previously
partially announced, include:
- additional funding to support the National Agreement on Closing
the Gap, including $492.7m under the ‘Closing the Gap – further investment’
measure (p. 190–1)
-
greater detail on the $250m Central Australia Plan
-
$262.6m for First Nations Women’s Safety
-
around $0.5b in measures relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health.
Notwithstanding the significant budget commitments, total Commonwealth
Indigenous-specific expenditure in portfolio budget statement (PBS) programs appears
similar to the previous (October) 2022–23 budget year (approximately $5.36
billion – see Figure 1 below), not including funding for the Australian
Electoral Commission to conduct the referendum. Given inflation
since 2022–23, for some programs this may result in cuts in real
expenditure.
However, expenditure from PBSs may not fully reflect actual Indigenous-specific
expenditure.
Since 2013, the Commonwealth has not issued Indigenous
Budget Statements, and since 2015, PBSs do not systematically report their Indigenous-specific
expenditure where this expenditure is not a continuing, stand-alone program. For
example, the $2 million First Nations’ community fund component of the ‘Hydrogen
Headstart’ measure (p. 71) does not appear in the Portfolio
budget statements 2023–24: budget related paper no. 1.3: Climate Change,
Energy, the Environment and Water portfolio (p. 40); nor does the
ongoing cost of National Indigenous Television (NITV) appear in SBS’s budget.
This undifferentiated reporting means that Indigenous-specific expenditure
across the Commonwealth budget cannot be fully estimated, and some of the apparent
decline in funding from 2015 onwards in Figure 1 simply reflects non-reporting.
In a Budget such as this year’s, where a significant number of measures have Indigenous-specific
sub-components, this may result in a considerable undercount. It should also be
noted that many measures which predominantly or disproportionately affect Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people, such as Income Management or the
soon-to-be-replaced Community Development Program, are not technically
Indigenous-specific, as they target geographic regions.
An alternative way of assessing the overall Indigenous
budget is through the functional aggregates published in Budget
strategy and outlook: budget paper no. 1: 2023–24: ‘Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander health’ (pp. 210–212) and ‘Social security and welfare: assistance
for Indigenous Australians nec [not elsewhere classified]’ (Budget paper no.
1, pp. 213; 216). These capture a broader suite of measures, but do not
capture some significant sectors, such as housing, education, and recreation and
culture (including environmental measures). This aggregate increases by $281
million, from $4,002 million to $4,283 million, in the 2023–24 Budget (calculation
by Parliamentary Library, see Figure 1 below).
However, there are also 4 significant reductions in
Indigenous-specific budget lines this financial year, compared to the October 2022–23
Budget:
- Payments to the Northern Territory (NT) under the National
Partnership for Remote Housing fall by $212 million, from $323.7 million in
2022–23 to $111.7 million in 2023–24. This is partially offset by $75 million
in this financial year for housing and infrastructure in NT homelands
(announced in October 2022), for a net reduction of $162 million (Federal
financial relations: budget paper no. 3: 2023–24, pp. 57–58) when
compared to last year. No further expenditure on remote housing outside some
specified communities has yet been announced.
It should be noted that the existing
funding commitment fulfils the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP’s) election
commitment (p. 8) of $100 million for homelands and for a new or extended
Remote Housing National Partnership for the NT, with the ALP having allocated
$211.6 million more to the National Partnership for Remote Housing over the
years 2022–24 than did the previous government’s March 2022–23 Budget (Federal
financial relations: budget paper no. 3: 2022–23, p. 54). However, the
election commitment (p. 8) to spend an additional $200 million on remote
housing, including outside the NT, may be contingent upon the Housing
Australia Future Fund Bill passing. Other spending on housing and
infrastructure, allocated through Commonwealth budget measures rather than
National Partnership Payments (NPPs), is included for ‘Central Australia’ (p.
83), Mutitjulu community, Booderee, Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks
(pp. 79–80), and Wreck Bay Village in Jervis Bay (p. 191), over a number of
years (see discussion below).
-
In the Education portfolio, ‘School Support for Closing the Gap
measures’ declines by $56.8 million, from $79.1 million to $22.3 million (Portfolio
budget statements 2023–24: budget related paper no. 1.5: Education portfolio,
p. 45). This is offset over the Forward Estimates by increased support for
Central Australian schools ($40.4 million over 2 years, p. 83) and increased
support for the Clontarf foundation ($32.8 million over 2 years (pp. 100–101)
and the Indigenous Boarding Providers Program ($21.6 million funded by the NIAA)
(p. 191).
-
Total expenditure by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA)
in 2023–24 falls by $49.8 million, from $2,645 million to $2,595 million. This reduction
comes largely from the Jobs, Land and Economy program, which falls from $1,307
million to $1,237 million. Portfolio
budget statements 2023–24: budget related paper no. 1.13: Prime Minister and
Cabinet portfolio indicates (p. 202) that this is because expenditure
from the Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA) will reduce from $418.0 million to $298.9
million. As the NIAA annual report has not yet been published, and the newly
established Northern Territory Aboriginal Investment Corporation (NTAIC) is yet
to issue financial reports, it is not clear if this decrease simply reflects a
transfer of grant and other ABA expenditure ‘off-book’ from the NIAA to the
NTAIC, or an actual reduction in ABA-related expenditure.
-
Payments made to Indigenous Business Australia have fallen by
$18.7 million, from $78.5 million to $59.8 million, offsetting the $20 million
increase across 2 years to Aboriginal Hostels Ltd (the other major change in
Commonwealth Indigenous-sector Corporate Entities funding) (Prime Minister and Cabinet PBS,
pp. 25; 161)
These 4 items total $287.3 million in reductions compared to
last year’s October Budget. As a result, the government had considerable
‘fiscal space’ for new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander measures, such as
an increase of $103.6 million in the ‘First Nations Health’ program (Portfolio
budget statements 2023–24: budget related paper no 1.9: Health and Aged care
portfolio, p. 53), without greatly increasing spending in the sector
overall in this financial year. However, the impacts of inflation may mean that
some programs are facing real
declines in funding.
In real terms (see Figure 1 below), discounting
underreporting, spending on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs has
only just returned to the level it was at in 2012–13, before the funding
cuts associated with consolidation of programs in the Indigenous
Advancement Strategy in the first
Abbott budget. A number of National Partnerships are currently due to
expire during the forward estimates period, leading to the decline in forward estimates
years in the graph below.
Figure 1 Nominal and Real
Indigenous-specific Commonwealth spending from 2012 to forward estimates
Source: Parliamentary Library
calculations from departmental PBSs for those years’ final budget estimates,
current forward estimates (e).
The Indigenous-specific subcomponents of many measures (see
Table 2 below) indicate whole-of-government inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples’ priorities in many portfolios. The Budget also
demonstrates ongoing commitments to the Closing the Gap reform process begun
under the Morrison Government, including the Closing
the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund and NIAA’s
own Evaluation program. New funding has been targeted to some key
Indigenous concerns and Closing the Gap drivers such as cancer
and smoking, women’s
strength and safety, language
and education, and land
and heritage protection. However, the Budget does not include any large new
measures directly targeting some significant Closing the Gap outcomes which
remain off track, such as suicide
rates (see p. 13), incarceration
rates (outside Central Australia, p. 83) or children
in out-of-home care, although some smaller relevant programs, such as
Custody Notification Services (p. 191) and the Time to Work program (p. 105),
have been extended.
Since the Budget was handed down, the Attorney-General has
also announced
an additional $21 million in funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Legal Services, to be met from within existing resources of the Attorney
General’s Department, to accommodate rising costs.
Specific measures
The government’s budget fact sheet, Empowering
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, sets out most Indigenous-specific
measures (also see Table 1 below). The announcement also includes some of the
Indigenous-specific components of broader measures. Further details of linkages
between previously announced measures and the Closing the Gap outcomes is
provided in the Commonwealth
Closing the Gap Implementation Plan 2023.
National
Agreement on Closing the Gap
The budget measure ‘Closing the Gap – further investment’
(p. 190) provides $492.7 million over 5 years from 2022–23 for a range of
measures. Components include funding for water infrastructure, housing in the
Northern Territory and Wreck Bay Village (Jervis Bay, ACT), the New Jobs
Program trial (replacing the Community Development Program), and a range of
employment, education, health and safety initiatives. The Closing
the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund (managed by the Department of Social
Services and linked to Closing the
Gap targets 12 – relating to the reduction of family violence and abuse
against women and children, and 13 – relating to the reduction of the rate of
children in out-of-home care) has been extended by 2 years, to 31 December 2026.
In
February 2023, the government announced $424 million additional funding to
support outcomes under Closing the Gap. Much of those funds are included in the
‘Closing the Gap’ budget measure; however, some components are listed against
different budget measures (for example, $68.6 million for family violence and prevention
legal service providers is listed under the ‘Women’s safety – First Nations’ measure,
p. 90).
In total, there appears to be $127.4 million in new money to
support Closing the Gap over the forward estimates, with most of this to be
provided to the NIAA in 2023–24 (p. 190).
Health
Significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
measures include:
-
$363.1 million in new health measures, including $238 million for
cancer prevention and treatments (p. 135)
-
$141.2 million over 4 years to expand the Tackling Indigenous Smoking
program to prevent the uptake, and reduce the prevalence, of vaping by Indigenous
Australians under the ‘Vaping regulation reform and smoking cessation package’ (p. 154; see the Budget review article Tobacco
and vaping control measures for discussion of this measure).
Other health measures that support Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people are listed in Tables 1 and 2 below.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (NACCHO) has welcomed
the health measures in this year’s Budget, which includes funding for cancer,
the highest identified priority in its pre-budget
submission ($207.8 million over 3 years for a cancer package, pp. 20–22).
However, it also pointed out a continuing $4.4
billion annual health funding gap.
Safety
Almost $0.5 billion has been committed for the safety of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children under 2 budget
measures:
- greater detail has now been provided on $155.9 million of the previously
announced $250 million Central Australia package under the Better, Safer
Future for Central Australia Plan, with the remaining $94.1 million to remain
in the contingency reserve pending further work pending further design work
with First Nations peoples (p. 83; also available on the Office of
Central Australian Regional Controller webpage)
-
the ‘Women’s safety – First Nations’ measure (p. 90) provides $275.2
million over 5 years (and $4.0m in 2027–28), $206.6m of which is new money,
including $68.6 million over 2 years for family violence prevention legal services.
$194.0 million of this funding is to support the Dedicated Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Action Plan (Action Plan) under the National
Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (pp. 93–94).
According to a budget
media release:
The dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action
Plan is currently being developed through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Advisory Council on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence and will be in place
by 1 August 2023.
As the Action Plan has not yet
been finalised, $128.6 million of this funding is being placed in the contingency
reserve.
Culture, language, arts and media
There are 2 funding commitments for
languages and culture under the ‘Revive – national cultural policy and location
incentive’ measure (p. 181):
-
$11.0 million over 3 years from 2022–23 to establish a ‘First
Nations Languages Policy Partnership’, a
commitment under Closing the Gap, and ‘to conduct a National Indigenous
Languages survey to improve outcomes for First Nations peoples’ – this will be
the fourth such survey to be conducted, with the previous
3 run by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Studies (AIATSIS), in 2005, 2014 and 2019
-
$13.4 million over 5 years from 2022–23 ‘to protect First Nations
traditional knowledge and cultural expression and First Nations artists and
related workers through the introduction of stand-alone legislation and artist
mentorship and training programs’
-
In addition, as a national
performing arts training organisation, the National Aboriginal and Islander
Skills Development Association (NAISDA) will receive additional operational funding
in 2023–24 under the ‘Supporting Arts Training in Australia’ measure (p. 183).
Land and
waters
-
A large commitment outside the NIAA is the $355.1 million measure
‘Protecting Australia’s iconic national parks’ (p. 79), which focuses on both
conservation and infrastructure and services in the Booderee, Kakadu and
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks, and includes $92.8 million over 4 years for
infrastructure and essential services to Mutitjulu community.
-
A number of other measures in the Climate Change, Energy, the
Environment and Water portfolio, such as ‘National water reform – First Nations
peoples’ water ownership’ (p. 75), ‘Natural Heritage Trust – project funding’ (p.
76), ‘Nature Positive Plan – better for the environment, better for business’
(p. 77) and ‘Sydney Harbour Federation Trust – infrastructure improvements’ (p.
81) also have explicit or implicit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
culture, land and heritage components. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
measure ‘Strengthened and sustainably funded biosecurity system’ also includes
$40.6 million for the Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity Program (p. 57).
Housing and
infrastructure
-
The ‘Closing the Gap – further investment’ measure (pp. 190–191)
includes funding provision for housing and repairs in the NT ($111.7 million in
2023–24) and Wreck Bay (Jervis Bay, ACT – $23.3 million over 4 years from
2023–24, and $45.1 million over 8 years to 2031–32). The latter responds to the
High Court’s decision in Williams v Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council
& Anor [2019 HCA 4],
which found that housing in Wreck Bay was covered by the Residential
Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT) and in consequence the Wreck Bay Aboriginal
Community Council was liable to repair certain houses (see the associated Bills
Digest for the Aboriginal
Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Amendment (Strengthening Land and Governance
Provisions) Bill 2022 currently before the Senate).
-
The ‘Protecting Australia’s iconic national parks’ measure (pp.
79–80) provides over $140 million over 4 years from 2023–24 for essential
infrastructure, including some housing, in Mutitjulu
community and Booderee, Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parks.
Other Indigenous-specific components and measures not
discussed in this article that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people are listed in Tables 1 and 2 below.
Table 1 Indigenous-specific
budget measures not discussed above
Budget measure |
Page no. (Budget
paper no. 2) |
Amount and timeframe |
Support for First Nations Disability Advocates |
203 |
$1.0 million in 2023–24 |
First Nations – supporting education outcomes |
100 |
Savings
of $4.2 million from the Building Boarding Schools on Country Program |
Delivering the Referendum to Recognise Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Peoples in the Constitution Through a Voice to Parliament |
85 |
$364.6
million over 3 years from 2022–23 $20.0
million to progress Regional Voice arrangements |
Permanent Residency and Citizenship Implications of the
Love and Thoms High Court Case |
160 |
$5.5 million over 4 years
from 2023–24 (and $0.2 million per year ongoing) |
Source: Australian Government, Budget Measures: Budget Paper no. 2: 2023–24
Table 2 Indigenous-specific
components in broader budget measures not discussed above
Budget measure |
Page no. (Budget
paper no. 2) |
Amount and timeframe
for Indigenous-specific component/s of Budget measures (other measure
components are not listed in this table) |
COVID-19 Response |
127 |
$57.3 million over 2 years
from 2022–23 |
Enhancing National Strategies for Bloodborne Viruses and
Sexually Transmissible Infections |
130 |
$6.6 million in 2023–24 |
Funding Pay Increases for Aged Care Workers |
131 |
$58.9 million for
indexation boosts to several funding programs (also refer the Library’s
Budget review article Aged
Care) |
Implementing Aged Care Reform – home care |
132–3 |
$15.7 million over 2 years
from 2023–24 |
Reducing Harm Caused by Alcohol and Other Drugs in
Australia |
144 |
$3.5 million over 2 years
from 2023–24 |
Urgent Health Supports for Flood affected Communities |
153 |
$9.8 million in 2022–23 |
Improving the Effectiveness and Sustainability of the National
Disability Insurance Scheme |
197–8 |
$7.6 million over 2 years
from 2023–24 |
Supporting Media Sustainability and Building Media
Literacy |
183 |
additional funding (nfp)
in 2023–24 |
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water – reprioritisation |
67–8 |
$2.0 million from the
partial reversal of the 2022–23 March Budget; to be redirected towards
implementing the Government’s Nature Positive Plan: better for
environment, better for business |
Working with the Australian Resources Industry on the
Pathway to Net Zero |
169–170 |
$12.0 million over 3 years
from 2023–24 – including consultation requirements for offshore projects,
including with First Nations peoples |
Foundation Skills Programs – redesign and pilot
extension |
107 |
To be met from within
existing resources. Includes a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people |
APS Capability Reinvestment Fund: 2023–24 projects
funded under round one |
189 |
$3.4 million over 2 years
from 2023–24 |
Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce |
99 |
$72.4 million over 5 years
from 2022–23 total, with priority support for First Nations educators, and
educators in regional and remote areas. |
Supporting Transport Priorities |
184 |
$43.6 million over 4 years
from 2022–23, including for ‘First Nations road safety’ |
Source: Australian Government, Budget Measures: Budget Paper no. 2: 2023–24
All online articles accessed May 2023