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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-15 Daily Xml
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APY LANDS

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): My question, again, is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. When the former minister (Hon. J. Weatherill) was approached in 2008 by the Indigenous community on the APY lands recommending income management and food security programs, why did the government reject their recommendations?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers, Minister Assisting the Premier in Social Inclusion) (14:32): I thank the member for an opportunity to talk about what is a very, very complex issue, and that is the issue of income management. As I understand it, income management is a commonwealth government initiative. It was part of the Northern Territory intervention—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Would you like to ask me a question?

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: People have been throwing that term 'income management' around left, right and centre.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg, order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: There are two issues here. One is a very formal program rolled out by the commonwealth government, and I have always said in many reports in the last few days that, if the APY communities want to progress a formal income management arrangement with the commonwealth government, then I am very happy to work with them, because they will need us in the state to work with them. It can be compulsory and it can be voluntary. Then there are other issues in relation to income management, like personal finance, financial literacy and budgeting. They are issues that we are working assiduously on with the commonwealth government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —and with communities. We are working with communities on issues around income management as it pertains to assisting people to make the right—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Norwood, you are warned.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: We think it is really important that we give people—all South Australians, in fact—as much information as they need about making the right decisions in relation to how they spend their money. A formal income management program is another thing altogether, but I reiterate: if the APY communities want to take that up with the commonwealth government, then I am very happy to work with them.

I will just say that SACOSS, for instance, is opposed to compulsory income management. There is a bit of a mixed view on the lands about what form of income management. This is not a simple matter, but I am committed to working with the commonwealth and with APY communities.

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