Parliament

Community Affairs 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—Can we just have a quick update of where Yalata is up to? You knew that was coming, didn’t you?

Ms Powell—I can tell you that there has now been agreement to land in Yalata and we have been talking to the local community about how we might structure a funding agreement to enable an Opal fuel facility to go ahead there. So there has been massive progress since we last spoke.

Senator SIEWERT—That is very good news. Do you have a time line yet when you think we can get some action there?

Community Affairs 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—Can I move to the Indigenous suicide prevention strategy please? We talked about this at the last estimates.

Senator SIEWERT—Can we turn to the development of the strategy please. Has any progress been made? The government made a commitment in response to this committee’s report on suicide. One of our recommendations, as you know, was the development of a specific Indigenous suicide prevention strategy, and the government committed its response to do that. Firstly, where we are at with that?

Community Affairs 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—Can we start on the issue of dialysis? I understand the report into the delivery of treatment for kidney disease among Indigenous people in remote communities in Central Australia has been completed?

Community Affairs 25 February 2011

Community Affairs 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—Senator Scullion, if you have finished that line of questioning, can I go back to this issue about workers being paid on BasicsCard and the SIHIP and CDEP issues I raised in the Senate a while ago. Minister, as I understand it, there was an investigation going on to look into the issue and I am wondering—

CHAIR—Senator, the BasicsCard people have gone.

Senator SIEWERT—I know, but it relates to employment.

Mr Tongue—Senator, are you referring to Kalkarindji and the store voucher issue?

Community Affairs - 25 February

Senator SIEWERT—I want to ask about HOIL. Is it appropriate to ask that here?
Dr Harmer—Yes.

Senator SIEWERT—I wanted to ask about it in relation to the ANAO report. I want to follow up on some of the issues it raised. I want to ask about the unspent funds that have been committed to the program. If I understand it correctly, they have been transferred into the urban Home Ownership Program to address the waiting list there.

Community Affairs - Friday 25 February

CHAIR—Senator Siewert, you wanted to clarify something?

Senator SIEWERT—Yes. Last night we did not break it down into what was Northern Territory and what was Queensland of that 120. Of the 120, there are 38 in the Northern Territory?

Mr Tidswell—That is right.

Senator SIEWERT—That is over the period of the trial, isn’t it?

Mr Tidswell—That is right.

Community Affairs - 25 February 2011

CHAIR—Senator Siewert, we will now move on to the areas around income management.

Senator SIEWERT—Thank you. I realise that we have traversed some of this ground earlier, so I will try not to do that but to go on from where I have been asking questions before, bearing in mind that I know that we are in an Indigenous cross-portfolio. However, because of the nature now of income management, I apologise if I transgress. I say that upfront.

Community Affairs – 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—I would like to look at Closing the Gap, which is the first thing on the agenda, but also look at the report itself. I understand that a Closing the Gap brand framework has been developed by the department; is that correct?

Community Affairs Committee – Friday 25 February 2011

Senator SIEWERT—Last time we were here we talked about some suicides in the Kimberley and unfortunately there have been some more, to the point where people over there are calling it a crisis. What action is the department and the Commonwealth taking to assist Western Australia to get some more resources on the ground to deal with this specific issue now?