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Budget Priorities

Practical Measures to
Address Indigenous Disadvantage

	The Government is committed to practical measures to address indigenous disadvantage.
programmes for indigenous people as part of Australians Working Together	As part of the package Australians Working Together, the Government has provided $83 million over four years to fund programmes for indigenous Australians. This will provide for community capacity building, the establishment of Indigenous Employment Centres and the improved delivery of Centrelink services to remote areas, and increased education and training assistance.
improved indigenous housing	The Government will provide additional funding of $75 million over four years to improve indigenous housing in rural and remote areas.
additional funding for indigenous health	This Budget's health initiatives allocate $20 million per year from 2003-04 to improve primary health care services.
additional funding for the timely resolution of native title issues	The Government is also providing additional funding of $86 million over four years to the Commonwealth native title system to ensure timely resolution of native title issues.

Safeguarding our Natural Resources

additional funding for the Natural Heritage Trust	The Government is extending the Natural Heritage Trust by five years from 2002-03 with an injection of more than $1 billion. The additional funding will provide a long-term, integrated and comprehensive approach to the conservation of Australia's land, vegetation, biodiversity, coasts and oceans.
previously announced funding to address the problems of salinity and poor water quality	The additional Natural Heritage Trust funding builds on the Government's previously announced funding of $700 million for the National Action Plan for dry land salinity and water quality.
continued participation of local communities	Since 1997, some 300,000 Australians have been involved in Natural Heritage Trust activities. These programmes will encourage the continued involvement of regional communities, providing the opportunity to identify local sites for environmental action.