Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee, , 6:21:22 to 6:29:26
Review of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Investment (NTAI) agreement and the redistribution of funding to community-controlled organizations.
Topics: First Nations, Government spending
Speakers: Julie-Ann Guivarra, Senator Lidia Thorpe, Bridgette Bellenger, Unknown Speaker, Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Senator Karen Grogan
won't be long. Um I just want to clarify um the NTI agreement. Just to be clear, was the Commonwealth originally planning to provide the full 842 million to the NT government to administer and cuz it's now been cut from the NT government and approximately 119 has been redist redistributed to be providers grants to ainal organizations. So was it originally planning to give the whole amount to NT government?
>> Uh Senator Thorpe in the previous agreement the whole amount other than a small component to the non-government schools organization uh it was very deliberate in the drafting of this new agreement that we would do that differently. Uh I think as we've said that the abinal peaks involved uh and also the sector strengthening. So that was the learning and reform from the last agreement to this new agreement and it was
>> Okay. So, so it's not a cut to the NT AI agreement um represent 119 million uplift to grants made available to our organizations and communities.
>> So, um not quite Senator Thorpe. My apologies if I've not been clear in that. So what I would say uh is that some of that money is for APONT uh as the organization to actually build their participation and capacity uh at the table. Uh 70 million of that will be grants to the uh ACO sector for uh sector strengthening and so on and some of that investment goes directly to the non-government organizations uh you know for the schools and homelands and remote communities as well. I can provide on notice a breakdown of those to be really clear. >> Um there's als there will be potentially some change to um schedules coming
>> And so was this cut or sorry this decision because the Northern Territory are really like the government's really racist and really bad and they're not supporting our people one bit. Um, was is this a result of of the NT government not doing the right thing?
>> Uh, I would say it was a deliberate reform, Senator Thorpe, to actually include um, our funding profile has changed over time from the NIA uh, to have more money. If you look at our AIS grants, the majority of money goes straight to the ground uh, to predominantly AOS. uh and I think we're working through our arrangements at the federal level to get the best outcomes we can.
>> So with this with this other money, will that differ from the money available through AIS grants?
>> No, Senator, it does and it actually strengthens people's capacity to engage
I I think are you asking whether this is in addition so the funding out of the FFA is in addition to what's delivered through the indigenous advancement
>> Yeah like is it a different process?
>> It's a different bucket. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure. So it is so yeah the indigenous advancement strategy as as Miss Bellenger said um we we do have a focus on community controlled and first nations organizations there over 80% 86% in value terms of our funding now goes through first nations organizations through that process but um ENT came off shortly after the off the back of what we did also in the anti-ousing agreement and both of those actually had an overarching partnership agreement over the top of them which had Commonwealth uh anti-government and peak organizations um and in the case of the housing wonderland councils there as well it's the same process that was followed for anti-ray so essentially we are trying at every chance we get these days with the FFAS that we are responsible for to try and do them actually in partnership with community controlled organizations.
>> So can we take more money off the NT like cuz they're not doing they're committing genocide against [clears throat] our people in the Northern Territory. There's no no doubt there's no doubt there's there's the evidence is there that they are committing genocide today in 2026 against ainal people in the Northern Territory. So they have no intention of doing the right thing by our people. So how much more can we take off them and give them direct give that money directly to the people?
>> So I think the difference in in the agreements that we do have is now that that they they do have the community controlled organizations at the table. So those questions around um you know funding is it the appropriate level etc will be things that will actually be discussed with community controlled organizations at the table. Um, as Miss Bellenger said, all payments are made in a re and so as they then do the due diligence checks. So once we get um the kind of the uh the payment request in from the Northern Territory government, it's it still has to go through checks within the agency. It then goes to um the the joint steering committees for the actual agreement and then it goes to a delegate. So there is an opportunity for community to have a say in whether they think actually the things that the Northern Territory government is claiming at the time is fair and reasonable representation of what they've actually expended.
>> Yeah. And and I would add to that that just confirming that the two large agreements that NIA hold with the Northern Territory government both require a partnership approach and like that is the funding that we now provide to the ND government. It's all done in partnership.
>> Yeah. Unfortunately, there the other partner is not doing the right thing. So, the other partner needs to be cut. >> Um, can we just um cut them out all together and and have the NTI um just given to the people? Can we just continue to do that?
>> So, I think one of the things that obviously is being looked at is that strength of the community control sector. So that 79 million that's referred to uh earlier is in fact to make sure that actually community are able to take on more services over time as well. So that's part of part of the effort.
>> We just we wouldn't want to see them not be capable and fall down. That's really >> what I'm watching here.
>> Just one more question. Um remote housing agreement. Will you look at the remote housing agreement as well given we know there's big problems with negotiating that agreement? Um we know that Leanne Kaitton has spoken about this and quit in protest over the Northern Territory government. So is is that something that would be looked at as well?
>> So we've had discussions with um Miss Kaitton before she uh left the position. Um there is currently a two-year so it was in built into the partnership agreement but there's a two-year review of the um empty housing agreement currently underway and part of that if it will be obviously to see if there are ways in improving delivery because there have been obviously some issues um that we between the the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory government about what is incorporated into that agreement.
>> Yep. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Senator
Thorpe. Go to Senator Sullivan.