Indigenous justice bodies are concerned by the lack of funding allocated to Aboriginal legal services in Tuesday’s federal budget.
There was no further funding allocated to legal assistance services, despite high rates of Indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody.
Narungga woman and Change the Record co-chair Cheryl Axleby said the budget was “shameful” and failed to support mechanisms for change.
“There is no funding in the Budget to address the mass incarceration of First Nations peoples by establishing a National Justice Reinvestment Body (despite this being a key recommendation)...
"...[There is] no funding to support States and Territories to Raise the Age to keep primary school aged children out of police and prison cells,” said Ms Axleby.