Senator HERRON (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) (3:03 PM) —I also have an answer to a question that Senator Woodley asked on 25 May 1999 in relation to difficulties with indigenous education providers in the Northern Territory, and I have received an answer from the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs who has portfolio responsibility for this issue. I seek leave to incorporate this answer in Hansard .

Leave granted.

The answer read as follows—

Senator Woodley asked the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs on 9 March 1999

With reference to the many difficulties indigenous education providers in the Northern Territory are experiencing in attaining funding provided by the Commonwealth for this purpose, will the Minister consider re-negotiating the Indigenous Education Supply Assistance Act 1989 funding in a way which will insure that education providers are not beholden to state and territory government which have a poor record of passing funding on to providers in the past; if not, does the Minister have any alternative proposals which will ensure that funding provided by the Commonwealth to the state and territory governments for indigenous education is passed on to the providers as is intended.

Answer:

The following information, which assumes that Senator Woodley was referring to the Indigenous Education Supplementary Assistance Act 1989 (there is no Indigenous Education Supply Assistance Act) was provided by the office of the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs who has portfolio responsibility for this issue:

The Commonwealth has entered into an agreement with the Northern Territory government for funding under the Indigenous Education (Supplementary Assistance) Act 1989 for Northern Territory government schools.

Non-government schools and private indigenous education providers also have agreements with the Commonwealth government without reference to the Northern Territory government.