The decade long continuation of the NT intervention in Aboriginal communities will receive $3.4 billion but only modest sums will be spent in the first year.
The Gillard government's Stronger Futures legislation is expected to clear the Senate this week. They include measurers such as alcohol restrictions and the controversial scheme that links school truancy to parents welfare payment cuts.
The laws continue the Howard government's NT intervention in 2007. In Tuesday Federal Budget, the government reaffirmed its commitment to closing the gap on indigenous disadvantage.
However some areas with duplicated programs received a trimming. Under the Stronger Futures package $713.5 million was allocated for primary health care over ten years but only $58.5 million will be rolled out in 2012-13.
The budget papers do no contain a breakdown on funding after the first year because subsequent dollar amounts need to be negotiated with the NT government.
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Tackling alcohol abuse and increasing community safety with extra police numbers was also a high priority with $694.9 million over a decade.
However only $55.4 million will be spent in 2012-13, with no specified amounts for subsequent years.
The government will scrap three pilot programs aimed at reducing substance abuse, and will save almost $10 million over a decade. In education, the government has earmarked 200 teachers for remote NT schools and the construction of 103 teacher homes.
About $14.3 million over three years will be spent on luring top teachers to remote areas.
The closing the gap literacy and numeracy program for underachieving indigenous students will be cut with savings of $152.9 million over ten years redirected to other areas within the Stronger Futures package.
Meanwhile, four remote indigenous employment programs will be rolled into one, called the Remote Jobs and Communities Program.
The new program will operate from July 1, 2013 at a cost of $1.5 billion.
The change will provide a single point of call for job seekers and will operate on the ground rather than use fly-in, fly out providers.
