Senator RIDGEWAY (2:33 PM) —My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Ian Campbell. Is the minister aware that the Senate yesterday agreed that the national emergency in Indigenous health is a matter of urgent priority and called on the government to address the situation in the upcoming budget in May? Does the minister agree that the current approaches to Indigenous health care are clearly not working and that what is needed is an end to defensive politics and buck-passing and a new commitment to addressing this crisis immediately? How will the government respond to the Senate's call in a practical way? Will the minister commit to providing extra emergency funding in this year's budget to address the critical need for primary health care services for Indigenous communities?

Senator IAN CAMPBELL (Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads) —I commend Senator Ridgeway for bringing on that motion yesterday. I think he did it in a true spirit of trying to raise the awareness of the parliament and the people of Australia about the plight of Indigenous people. It was a worthwhile debate. Sadly, as Senator Ridgeway will know, I was in the chamber at the time and heard an outrageous contribution to the debate by a Labor Party spokesman—I think, indeed, it was their spokesman on Indigenous affairs—which ensured that the first part of that debate turned into a nasty, partisan, cheap political debate that in fact, as I am sure Senator Ridgeway will agree, denigrated and detracted from his initiative.

Senator Ridgeway knows better than most senators in this place—because he and I worked together, before he was a senator, on improving the plight of Indigenous Australians in a range of areas through our engagement in the land fund debate—that the coalition has significantly improved the resources going into Indigenous health. For example, funding for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program stands at more than $272 million this year, which is a growth of just under 100 per cent since 1996. I think the point that Senator Ridgeway makes is that, even with that nearly 100 per cent increase in funding directly spent on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program, we are not getting the sorts of improvements that he and I would like to see for Indigenous Australians in their health outcomes and their mortality rates, which compare very badly internationally. On the question of whether we should look at policy options for improving the benefit that Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders receive from that substantial Commonwealth assistance for health, the answer of course is a resounding yes. I do not think anybody in this chamber would contradict that.

In the 1999-2000 budget the Commonwealth allocated $78.8 million over four years to specifically address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's access to primary health care through the Primary Health Care Access Program. That is one specific program that was developed in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to ensure that they could get good access to primary health care. I think Senator Ridgeway would agree that that is the sort of program we need to put more policy energy into, and if necessary better resources, to ensure that we improve the outcomes.

In terms of the budget question, which Senator Ridgeway addresses quite properly in the lead-up to the budget in May, I think he would be surprised if I were to reveal what the budget outcome will be. In the next sitting week the Treasurer will bring down the budget. The budget outcomes for the Indigenous affairs portfolio will be announced, quite properly, by the Treasurer at that time.

Senator RIDGEWAY —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer. I was hoping that the resounding `yes' was in anticipation of any budget announcement. Is the minister aware that Professor John Deeble has estimated for the Australian Medical Association that an additional $300 million per year is urgently needed to address the crisis in Indigenous health, and that this estimate comprises $250 million to provide adequate primary health care services as well as $50 million—or $12 per Indigenous person, per year—for public health and preventative programs such as health promotion, health education and screening? Does the minister agree that the cost of inaction now will blow out the virtually unsustainable expenses in the future? Will the minister give some undertaking or guarantee that $300 million for Indigenous primary health care can and will be provided in this year's budget?

Senator IAN CAMPBELL (Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads) —I clearly cannot give a commitment to what is in the budget. That would be extraordinary and would be a defiance of sound government process. You do need to ensure that you have a proper policy review, a review of the expenditures and a proper focus on improving policy outcomes and the budget outcome needs to effect that. There is one figure I would like to put on the record, since Senator Ridgeway has given me the chance: total Australian government funding is $1.15 per capita for Indigenous Australians for every $1 spent on non-Indigenous Australians. So we are putting in a significant effort to address the quite clear, demonstrable and well documented deficit in Indigenous outcomes. We welcome Senator Ridgeway's encouragement and people like Professor Deeble drawing the government's attention to that and proposing alternative policies. (Time expired)