Senator CAVANAGH —I refer the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs to my question of 2 December 1980 which suggested that money appropriated by this Parliament for social support for Aboriginals in the Northern Territory may have been spent on the renovation of airstrips for a private airline company which has since been placed in receivership. The Minister replied on 23 January by letter. He stated:

I am unable to assure you that these monies have not been used to upgrade airstrips in the Northern Territory.

Do I take it from that reply that the Minister has no knowledge of whether money appropriated by this Parliament is used for purposes other than that for which the Parliament appropriated it? Is this action proper, honest and legal? Is the Aboriginal vote being deprived of parliamentary appropriations because an airline company wants to upgrade an airstrip?

Senator PETER BAUME —The honourable senator was kind enough, before the Senate sat, to show me the particular sentence of the response so that I could confirm that those were the words I wrote. I say to the honourable senator that the answer I gave to him gives an appropriate background to the situation that exists in the Northern Territory. In the light of that answer, the sentence I wrote to the honourable senator is correct and stands.

Senator CAVANAGH —I ask a supplementary question. We voted the money for a specific purpose. Can a Minister decide to spend it for a purpose other than that for which the Parliament approved it? That is what I want to know. Has this Minister done so?

Senator PETER BAUME —I have no knowledge that the money has been spent other than in accord with the directions of the Parliament.