Former Aboriginal Affairs minister criticises budget

15/05/2008 10:45:28

Australia's former Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough says the Labor government's new budget has failed to deliver for Aboriginal people in remote areas of the Northern Territory.

The 2008 budget papers have only allocated funding for the next 12 months for the Northern Territory Emergency Response, a package of measures introduced by the previous government of John Howard to address child sexual abuse in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's government has included a number of indigenous health and education initiatives under its own 'Closing the Gap for Indigenous Australians' policy.

But Mr Brough says he's disappointed programs such as income quarantining are under question.

"It takes action, it takes commitment, it takes policy and it takes decisiveness - and I don't see any of this is this budget," he said.

"Where's building on the momentum that's been gained?"

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