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| Coalition's legal aid cuts a 'slap in the face' for Indigenous communities | Coalition's legal aid cuts a 'slap in the face' for Indigenous communities |
| (12 days later) | |
| Indigenous legal aid groups say they were shocked by the $42m of Coalition cuts to legal aid services announced on Thursday, claiming it had not been mentioned during meetings with Coalition members leading up to the election. | Indigenous legal aid groups say they were shocked by the $42m of Coalition cuts to legal aid services announced on Thursday, claiming it had not been mentioned during meetings with Coalition members leading up to the election. |
| As part of the Coalition's costings announcement, Joe Hockey and Andrew Robb outlined a cut of $42m over four years by "reprioritising" the Indigenous policy reform program. | As part of the Coalition's costings announcement, Joe Hockey and Andrew Robb outlined a cut of $42m over four years by "reprioritising" the Indigenous policy reform program. |
| Priscilla Collins, the chief executive of the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), told Guardian Australia the announcement was a "really big shock" to legal aid providers. "It came as a complete shock to us because we had been meeting with the Coalition leading up to the election and at no time had anyone raised [the fact that] there would be cuts," said Collins, who is also deputy chair of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services (Natsils). | Priscilla Collins, the chief executive of the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), told Guardian Australia the announcement was a "really big shock" to legal aid providers. "It came as a complete shock to us because we had been meeting with the Coalition leading up to the election and at no time had anyone raised [the fact that] there would be cuts," said Collins, who is also deputy chair of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services (Natsils). |
| "Is that money that's going to be directly affecting our service delivery? Is that funding that's going to be cut from a government agency? We've still got a lot of questions in the air at the moment. Really, if there were going to be cuts to any of our services we should have been consulted by the Coalition." | "Is that money that's going to be directly affecting our service delivery? Is that funding that's going to be cut from a government agency? We've still got a lot of questions in the air at the moment. Really, if there were going to be cuts to any of our services we should have been consulted by the Coalition." |
| Currently, the Indigenous legal assistance and policy reform program funds eight legal aid centres across the country, reaching urban, regional and remote areas. | Currently, the Indigenous legal assistance and policy reform program funds eight legal aid centres across the country, reaching urban, regional and remote areas. |
| When questioned by media after the costings announcement, Hockey confirmed that this "reprioritising" meant cuts to Indigenous legal aid services. | When questioned by media after the costings announcement, Hockey confirmed that this "reprioritising" meant cuts to Indigenous legal aid services. |
| "That effectively deals with legal aid services delivered by contractors at various sites. There has been some change in that program. What we've said is we're scaling it back by about 20%," he said. | "That effectively deals with legal aid services delivered by contractors at various sites. There has been some change in that program. What we've said is we're scaling it back by about 20%," he said. |
| At a press conference on Friday, the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, contradicted Hockey's answer, saying it was the "bureaucratic part" being cut. | At a press conference on Friday, the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, contradicted Hockey's answer, saying it was the "bureaucratic part" being cut. |
| "[It is] the so-called policy reform part that we are shaving," said Abbott. | "[It is] the so-called policy reform part that we are shaving," said Abbott. |
| "The actual delivery of legal aid will remain. The quantum of legal aid funding will remain, but Indigenous spending overall goes up because we've got things like the $45 million to GenerationOne to try to ensure that we can capitalise on the willingness of Australian business to put at least 60,000 Indigenous people into work." | "The actual delivery of legal aid will remain. The quantum of legal aid funding will remain, but Indigenous spending overall goes up because we've got things like the $45 million to GenerationOne to try to ensure that we can capitalise on the willingness of Australian business to put at least 60,000 Indigenous people into work." |
| Collins said this contradiction was confusing as funding for both the Indigenous policy reform program and service delivery "came from the same bucket". | Collins said this contradiction was confusing as funding for both the Indigenous policy reform program and service delivery "came from the same bucket". |
| "At the end of the day, any cut to our service is going to be devastating to Aboriginal people in Australia, because we provide an essential service to the most disadvantaged Aboriginal people and any cut will have a huge impact on them," she said. | "At the end of the day, any cut to our service is going to be devastating to Aboriginal people in Australia, because we provide an essential service to the most disadvantaged Aboriginal people and any cut will have a huge impact on them," she said. |
| In a Labor party campaign release, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the cuts were "a slap in the face for Australia's Indigenous communities". "Tony Abbott is big on talk but is nowhere to be found when it comes to supporting Indigenous Australians to get the legal assistance they deserve," he said. "The Coalition's cuts amount to an almost 15% cut to Indigenous legal services to 2016-17." | In a Labor party campaign release, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the cuts were "a slap in the face for Australia's Indigenous communities". "Tony Abbott is big on talk but is nowhere to be found when it comes to supporting Indigenous Australians to get the legal assistance they deserve," he said. "The Coalition's cuts amount to an almost 15% cut to Indigenous legal services to 2016-17." |
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