There is now a much clearer pathway towards a national vote on an Indigenous voice to parliament.
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The federal budget released on Tuesday includes $75 million to prepare for the referendum.
The Australian Election Commission will get $52.6 million over two years to prepare for the nationwide vote, while the National Indigenous Australians Agency will receive a $6.5 million funding boost.
To mitigate against low voter turnout in remote communities, more than $16 million has been set aside to help Indigenous people enrol and participate.
Enshrining the voice is integral to fulfilling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's promise to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart after he won the May federal election.
The Uluru statement also called for an independent Makarrata Commission to oversee agreements and truth-telling, and the budget includes $5.8 million to progress this work.
The economic blueprint locks in $1.2 billion to address health, education and economic inequality within Indigenous communities.
The government will spend $14.1 million to fund Indigenous language and cultural education in dozens of primary schools.
Students will learn the local Indigenous language from teachers of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Indigenous communities will also get greater access to cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy sources.
Almost $84 million will be spent over four years micro-grid technologies in remote communities.
The budget will fund more Indigenous rangers and create 10 Indigenous Protected Areas by 2028, ensuring First Nations voices are included in the conservation of Australia's environment.
Areas with high Indigenous populations will receive more money for birthing centres, training programs, dialysis units, and help to support people with chronic disease.
To address cost-of-living pressures, the 2022/23 Labor budget contains $25 million for housing and essential services in the Northern Territory.
A First Nations Justice package will address the disproportionately high rates of incarceration and deaths in custody among Indigenous people, which has been an obvious problem for many decades.
With $99 million going towards the initiative, Labor claims it is the largest justice "reinvestment" ever made by the Commonwealth.
The bulk of the money will be spent establishing community-led initiatives.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services will get $13.5 million to facilitate access to culturally appropriate services.
Indigenous survivors of family and domestic violence will receive more support as the Commonwealth invests $3 million in a national prevention program.
Australian Associated Press
