Minister for Indigenous Australians
Subjects: First Nations microgrid announcement, First Nations wellbeing, NDIS
KATE THWAITES, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE: It's great to be joined by so many people here today for this important announcement, including my Federal colleague, Malarndirri McCarthy, who is such a champion for these communities and for them to reap the benefits of the clean energy transformation underway. It's great to be here to announce $11 million in Commonwealth funding, through two Territory First Nations microgrid projects at Borroloola and Ltyente Apurte.
We know that in too many First Nations communities, energy is expensive, it's insecure, and it can be unreliable. Right now, around Australia, people are benefiting from the transformation to clean energy, and we want that to happen for our First Nations communities as well.
Our Government is committed to helping First Nations communities benefit from this transition because it has the potential to reduce power costs, increase reliability, and increase energy sovereignty, which is particularly important at the moment. That's why these microgrid developments will be so important. These are community-led projects that will allow residents, businesses, and organisations to access cheaper, more reliable, and cleaner energy.
The projects are funded through the Federal Government's First Nations Community Microgrids stream, a $75 million program under ARENA as part of a broader Regional Microgrids program. I think it's really important that, to be funded under this program, these projects be developed in consultation with First Nations communities. They have to ensure local ownership, local training opportunities, and employment, so it's fantastic to see the community here today, all the people who will be working on these projects and ensuring that communities will continue to benefit from them.
JOURNALIST: What's the importance of these two projects? And this scheme in general for remote communities around Australia?
THWAITES: Right around Australia, we're seeing households and communities benefitting from the transition to clean energy. And the Australian Government wants to make sure that First Nations communities benefit from this transition as well.
So, this is $11 million across these projects in Borroloola and Ltyente Apurte to build microgrids, so that those communities benefit from cheaper energy, greater energy security, and energy sovereignty. That's going to be really important for these communities, and for the people in those communities.
JOURNALIST: We are potentially facing future fuel shortages, so projects like this are even more important for communities worrying about where their next shipment of diesel is gonna come from.
THWAITES: We know that remote First Nations communities are heavily reliant on diesel. And what we have here is an opportunity for these communities to move away from that heavy reliance on diesel, to develop and transition to renewables, and to have that control over their own power. And the Australian Government wants to support First Nations communities to have that control, to have security over their own power and to benefit from the renewable transition. And that's what this $11 million investment is all about.
JOURNALIST: We heard from some of the speakers that there are barriers to getting in, particularly in places like the Northern Territory, where there's a monopoly on the power system; it's hard for new projects to even get onto the grid. Is there anything the federal government can do to try to smooth that way?
THWAITES: We certainly work very closely with the Northern Territory Government through ARENA to ensure we support these projects. We know, of course, that there are always challenges in developing projects in more remote areas. But we want to support First Nations communities to have this energy, independence, sovereignty, and security, and to benefit from cheaper power, and that's exactly what these projects are designed to do.
JOURNALIST: And you mentioned quite a big dollar figure for the whole scheme, so how much is devoted to this overall and approximately how many of these projects do we have?
THWAITES: ARENA is investing $125 million for our regional microgrids, of which $75 million is for First Nations projects. So, we are seeing these projects start to come online. I think what will also be really important for them is that other communities will learn from these projects. So, as we build knowledge, other communities will be able to see what happens, learn from it, and build on it.
JOURNALIST: Malarndirri, what's the importance of this project for communities like Borroloola and Ltyente Apurte, and for the Territory in particular?
MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: It's a significant moment today, to be able to be with the Borroloola families, be with the Ltyente Apurte families, as they look at energy in the future. This coordination amongst state and territory governments, Traditional Owners and with business has been incredibly important. We see what's happening around the world at the moment, in terms of energy, and what we're seeing here today is two communities who are really stepping up and saying, 'we want to have a future in this space', and our government is supporting them.
JOURNALIST: A lot of the communities are worried about their energy security, particularly because of the global crisis. Potentially, if this goes well, would you see that quite a lot of communities could get their own microgrids, become independent, and take ownership of them as well?
MCCARTHY: This is about creating a future that is by the people. The Yanyuwa, the Garrwa, the Marra, the Gudanji, the Eastern Arrernte people have said this is where they want to go, in terms of having a future in the energy space. This is what we want to see happen in Closing the Gap, working in partnership with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the solutions they see works for them. And today really marks that spot.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned in your speech that many of the Indigenous communities are facing very tough situations in terms of life expectancy. We saw the Northern Territory go backwards in the last Closing the Gap report. Are you worried about, you know, the level of health and living conditions for some of the remotest and most vulnerable communities, even like Borroloola?
MCCARTHY: Not a day goes by where I am not thinking about how we can try to improve the lives of First Nations people in our country.
On a personal level, for me, in my hometown of Borroloola, we have so many funerals still ahead of us, and I'm very conscious of the trauma that still exists as a result of those unfinished business and sorry business that we still have to perform and put our loved ones to rest.
I'm deeply conscious of that. But I'm also conscious that we need to empower our communities to rise above what can be really, incredibly challenging circumstances, whether it's on a personal level or on a global level, like we're seeing right now. I am pleased to see, I was just in Nhulunbuy yesterday with the Rirratjingu, with the Gumatj people, who have plans in terms of the global scene. So, my job is to really keep encouraging that and supporting First Nations people where they need that support.
JOURNALIST: As you mentioned, I mean, the Borroloola people, particularly, have mentioned to me that they've had so many deaths, they think about 15 people in the last six months or so. I mean, and from all kinds of things, chronic health conditions, suicide, the full gamut. I mean, do you think we're at a stage where, you know, remote communities who are used to poor life expectancy are seeing death rates that are not normal for a community which is really a reasonable sized little town.
MCCARTHY: I'm very conscious of a number of communities that are really experiencing distress. Borroloola is certainly one of those in terms of deaths. I still have to bury my niece from tragic circumstances. This is something that is shared by fellow First Nations people that cross the country. We are just too familiar with death. And I'm very conscious that these are things I want to keep working, not just with my home community of Borroloola, but with all families across Australia.
JOURNALIST: On the NDIS, obviously, the scheme has grown gargantuan, but, um, is there a worry for remote Indigenous participants who might not be as good at advocating for their needs that they might be some of the ones that might get targeted by the cutbacks in the scheme?
MCCARTHY: I'm very aware, as is Mark Butler, our Health Minister, of the need to work with First Nations people in particular, the disability sector, in particular, the Aboriginal Medical Service sector, aged care. So, we do do that. In terms of Closing the Gap, I have a Joint Council meeting next month with Indigenous Affairs Ministers and with the Peaks around the country, and there is no doubt they will be wanting to ensure that First Nations people in the disability sector are being included in conversations.
JOURNALIST: The domestic violence rate in the Northern Territory has dropped the police and the government say by about 9%, and they're saying that they think that is because they're actually locking up more offenders. That the incarceration rates for people perpetrating DV have risen. What's your view of that way to explain a kind of a data drop in domestic violence coming from the NT Government?
MCCARTHY: Well, I haven't seen any data on that, Jane. I can only speak anecdotally from personal experience, from family experience. Locking up people is not the solution if they come out and continue to commit crimes. We have to have proper reinvestment programs. The Commonwealth's Justice Reimbursement program is working really well on Groote Eylandt, for example, where when you work with local people, with local solutions, they can find ways to assist their fellow countrymen and women on how to stay out of prison, but also deal with the issues that they need to deal with.
JOURNALIST: We've heard from the flood victims from Palumpa and Daly River who are being cared for in the Batchelor centre, but they've raised some concerns about the security situation there. They feel that they've been racially profiled if they come in and out, you know, being asked, have they been to the pub for a beer and things like that. Do you have any worries, or is there anything the federal government could do to try and reassure those people, you know, that they are, or should be properly dealt with while they're evacuate?
MCCARTHY: I'm meeting with the Northern Territory Government tomorrow, in particular, Ken Davies, who is leading the decision to relocate and to assist in both Daly River, but also Katherine and other places in the Northern Territory. That will be my first opportunity to get a briefing from the Northern Territory Government. So that's going to be important.
But on the issue of racial profiling, more broadly, we've set up an inquiry across the country because I am concerned about racism, hate, and online in particular. And that's why we've set this inquiry up in the Parliament, with the Joint Standing Committee, and that inquiry is underway, and I would certainly say to people, If you feel that you want to contribute to that inquiry, please do so. Submissions are open, and the inquiry is travelling across the country to listen to people.
JOURNALIST: You were saying that you are going to advocate on possibly increasing the Remote Area Allowance with your Cabinet colleagues as we go into the budget process. How hopeful are you that you'll make progress there?
MCCARTHY: I'm a pretty determined sort of person, Jane, and I will keep always advocating for our remote and regional communities across Australia.
JOURNALIST: Do you welcome given the Human Rights Law Centre taking federal court action on behalf of Papunya people?
MCCARTHY: Yes, I heard that story yesterday, or I read it when it came out, and I thought it was interesting to hear that. Like all court actions in this country, thankfully, it's a democracy, and people have a right to pursue what they feel is the right thing to do.
