Peter Dutton‘s new Elon Musk-inspired shadow minister for government efficiency has vowed to review federal funding for Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremonies if the Coalition is elected.
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was handed the newly-created role of shadow minister for government efficiency by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton last Saturday.
The move was widely seen as being inspired by US President Donald Trump who appointed the world’s richest man Elon Musk as head of a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’.
The X owner has been tasked with trimming red tape and delivering better value for US taxpayers by, among other things, axing jobs relating to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
It is a role that Senator Price has embraced with similar gusto, as she outlines her plans to slash the Canberra bureaucracy if the Coalition wins government.
‘Australians want to cut the waste, they want to make sure that outcomes are coming to life with the way in which taxpayer dollars are being spent by their government,’ Senator Price told the ABC.
First in her sights is the money spent on Indigenous affairs, in particular federal funding for Welcome to Country ceremonies.
‘I would like to look at an audit of the billions of dollars that are spent in the Indigenous space, so that we can understand where that can be better spent,’ she added.
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was handed the newly-created role of shadow minister for government efficiency by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton last Saturday (they are pictured together)
The move was widely seen as being inspired by US President Donald Trump who appointed the world’s richest man Elon Musk (pictured) as head of a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’
‘I don’t believe that we should be spending $450,000 a term on Welcome to Country when that isn’t actually improving the life of a marginalised, Indigenous Australian.’
‘That kind of funding could be redirected to actually improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous Australians, as opposed to being used for what is effectively a welcoming ceremony, many of which have now become quite politicised.’
Senator Price tried to claim Musk’s red-tape-slashing appointment ‘wasn’t an inspiration’ for her new portfolio but few are convinced.
Asked about Senator Price’s plans to review Welcome to Country funding, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kept on message about the cost of living crisis.
‘What Australians are concerned about when I travel around the country isn’t looking for culture wars and looking to divide,’ he said.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the decision was disappointing and showed the coalition was focused on ‘culture wars’.
‘It really is quite disappointing, actually – we know that the opposition leader walked out on the apology, he won’t stand in front of the Indigenous flag and now he doesn’t want elders doing welcome to country,’ she said.
‘We have to really ask the question, where is the Indigenous plan for the future with the coalition and with Senator Price?’
First in Senator Price’s sights is federal funding for Welcome to Country ceremonies (pictured: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese observes Aboriginal dancers during the opening of the 47th Federal Parliament at Parliament House in Canberra in July 2022)
The coalition has also started using the slogan ‘are you better off than you were three years ago?’, replicating the rhetoric Mr Trump used in his successful presidential campaign.
Taking another leaf out of Trump’s playbook, Opposition Leader Mr Dutton used a major speech on Friday to criticise cultural diversity jobs in the public sector and pledged to slash the number of public servants if elected.
‘I have not met an Australian across the country – I was in Alice Springs over the last couple of days – who can tell me their lives are better off because the government’s employed 36,000 public servants in Canberra,’ he said.
‘I have met people … who say their lives are worse off because of the extra bureaucratic red tape that comes with the employment of 36,000 more public servants.’
He took aim specifically at ‘cultural diversity and inclusion adviser positions’.
‘Such positions … do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Australians,’ he said.
‘They’re certainly not … frontline service roles that can make a difference to people’s lives.’
More money would be spent on frontline services that make a difference, including doctors, national security and intelligence, Mr Dutton said.
But Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Melissa Donnelly said staff with lived experience – such as people with a disability or Indigenous people – meant the government could better reflect the community and deliver essential services more effectively.
‘Inclusion and diversity may sound like an easy target to Mr Dutton and Mr Trump but for people who access public services, the value of having someone who speaks their language and understands their experience is immeasurable,’ she said.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has criticised the coalition’s pledge to axe public servants, arguing it would have tangible impacts including waiting times for things like veterans’ pensions.
On top of thousands of people losing their jobs, Senator Gallagher questioned where the cuts would come from, citing Labor increasing resourcing to process visa backlogs, social payment claims and border enforcement.