Aid Also Needed At Home

Member for Lingiari and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs Warren Snowdon today welcomed the announcement that Australia would double its overseas aid budget to $4 billion by 2010.

Mr Snowdon said the increased funds would only add to Australia's reputation as a regional and international good neighbour.

'But I would welcome even more an announcement that the nation had a similar commitment to tackling indigenous poverty and disadvantage,' he said.

''We daily witness the effects of mean-spiritedness at home, and changing the policy framework, with the Howard Government getting tough and insisting that young Indigenous people do more education and training and older people just go out and find jobs.

'Yet after ten years, there is still no inkling that the Howard Government has any real understanding or appreciation of the depth of indigenous poverty and disadvantage and the need to address these issues, including the provision of the most basic infrastructure and services if the cycle of welfare dependency is to be properly and satisfactorily addressed.

'In the Territory alone, there's a whole generation of young Aboriginal people, literally thousands, who have been denied access to education and training – all because they stayed at home in the bush.

'They need investment in their education to get jobs.

'They need investment in health, housing and infrastructure to be able to take their place in the jobs market as equals.

'And this takes big money.

'It's not much use big-noting an increased aid budget that will help other communities in our region get on their feet if you're not prepared to spend up big to underwrite the sustainable development of Indigenous communities in Australia.

'As far as dealing with Indigenous disadvantage is concerned, this kind of generosity must begin at home,' Mr Snowdon said.

2006-04-26