Indigenous Provisions in the 2015 16 Budget - NACCHO.pdfVIP

Indigenous Provisions in the 2015-16 Budget Dr Lesley M Russell Adj Assoc Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy University of Sydney June 2015 1 Note This analysis looks at the Indigenous provisions in the 2015-16 federal Budget. This is done in the light of current and past strategies, policies, programs and funding, and is supported, where this is possible, by data and information drawn from government agencies, reports and published papers. Similar analyses from previous budgets are available on the University of Sydney e‐scholarship website.1 The opinions expressed are solely those of the author who takes responsibility for them and for any inadvertent errors. This work does not represent the official views of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy. 1 .au/browse?type=authorvalue=Russell%2C+Lesley 2 Table of contents Introduction 4 Expenditures on Indigenous Affairs 6 Indigenous Advancement Strategy 9 Implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 13 Focus on transferring funding for remote communities to the States and Territories 15 National Partnership Agreements and relationships with the States and Territories 16 Health 16 Education 18 Skills and workforce development 19 Community services 20 Housing 22 Internet access 23 Northern Territory 24 Budget provisions 26 Cross Portfolio 26 Attorney General 26 Education and training 28 Health 29 Human Services 34 Social Services 34 Prime Minister and Cabinet 38 Progress in Closing the Gap 42 3 Introduction The 2015-16 Budget from the Abbott Government has no major announcements on Indigenous issues, and they did not rate a mention in the