Scullion denies remote WA communities will be 'shut down', says State Government needs to communicate plans
Updated
Indigenous communities in Western Australia will not be shut down and the State Government should tell Aboriginal people that, Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion says.
WA Premier Colin Barnett flagged the possibility up to 150 communities could be closed after the Commonwealth withdraws funding for essential services.
Rallies were held around the country on Thursday to oppose the plan, and several AFL players and actor Hugh Jackman have since joined the movement.
Mr Barnett told protestors at the Perth rally Aboriginal people would not be forced from their traditional lands or communities.
The Premier was loudly booed when he asked protestors to put themselves in his shoes and as he explained it was his responsibility to ensure children were educated and safe. A woman shoved him as he finished his speech.
Mr Scullion met with WA Nationals leader and Lands Minister Terry Redman in Canberra on Wednesday.
He told the ABC today the WA Government should meet with Aboriginal people and let them know communities will not be closed.
"I met with one of the ministers from the West Australian Government yesterday and made it very clear that a sit down with the mob is well overdue," Mr Scullion said.
"They're not closing communities. That would be really useful to tell them, that would be a really useful thing to tell them at the moment.
"You can't have a conversation about someone's future without them being involved in it."
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion
"The West Australian Government plans to sit down with every single community and talk about the long-term viability and talk about where they need to make more investments [and] in what communities.
"Now, the message that is out there now is a completely different message.
"There's a 150 communities who have absolutely no chance of being shut down.
"And yet they're considering that, they're worried about that, and I've said constantly, you can't have a conversation about someone's future without them being involved in it."
State Government plans not communicated well: Scullion
The Federal Government last year announced it would withdraw funding for WA remote communities from June this year.
It was part of a wider deal with Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania to hand over responsibility for essential services at remote communities to the states.
Nothing in this approach will limit people's access to country for cultural purposes.
WA Lands Minister Terry Redman
At the time, Mr Scullion described it as a "historic agreement" and said essential and municipal services had always been the responsibility of state and local governments and it should be no different in this case.
However, then-WA housing minister Bill Marmion said it had not been an agreement but an ultimatum given by the Federal Government.
Mr Scullion believed the issue could be resolved but the Barnett Government needed to be clearer.
"They haven't communicated what they're going to do particularly well," he said.
"And my message is: you need to bring that on.
"You need to be talking about that now. You can't wait until June.
"This is a very serious matter, and it can be resolved.
"The Premier [and] the West Australian Government need to sit down with the people and tell them exactly what's going on.
"They've told me what's going on, but I'm not one of the recipients of services in Western Australia."
Mr Redman said he recently told Indigenous groups in Broome the State Government would not be successful without the strong support of Aboriginal leaders.
"I agree with Mr Scullion's sentiment, that consultation with communities is the key and the State Government is committed to that path," he said.
Mr Redman said there would be no sudden changes.
"Nothing in this approach will limit people's access to country for cultural purposes," he said.
"In time, there will be changes to where and how the State Government invests in regional and remote areas, but no decisions have yet been made."
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, aboriginal, wa
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