Funding

The 2008-09 Budget continued funding for the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), initiated by the former Government in June 2007.

The former Australian Government’s Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Acts numbers 1 and 2 provided some $587 million in supplementary funding to Australian Government agencies in 2007–08 for seven key action areas:

• Employment and Welfare Reform – $205.8 million
• Promoting Law and Order – $64.7 million
• Enhancing Education – $24.4 million
• Supporting Families – $32.8 million
• Improving Child and Family Health – $83.1 million
• Housing and Land Reform – $85.1 million
• Coordination – $91.3 million.

Since the change of government in November 2007, more than $600 million has been committed to the NTER.
In February 2008, $313 million over five years was provided:

• $92.6 million for employment and welfare reform
• $99.7 million to improve child and family health and expand health service delivery
• $98.8 million to increase enrolment and participation in school
• $22.4 million to provide law and order.

A further $323 million was provided in the May 2008 Budget, mostly for the one-year continuation of NTER measures:

• $56 million for community safety and police-support measures
• $26 million for education measures
• $75 million for employment measures
• $75 million for continued implementation of income management
• $17 million for follow-up health services
• $74 million for leadership and coordination measures.

The Government has also made major commitments outside the NTER context including $547 million for major housing initiatives in the Northern Territory and $30 million for the construction of new boarding facilities.