Senator Nampijinpa Price talks to Paul Murray, Sky News

26 May 2026

Subjects: Senate Estimates, Remote Jobs Program, Indigenous Affairs, Tangentyere Council, Child Protection, Accountability

E&OE……………

PAUL MURRAY:

As always, we love keeping an eye on Senate Estimates, because, yeah, we are those kind of nerds. But I really love when people who know what they're talking about confront the people who know what's really going on, but the people, who are the public servants who really know what's going on, don't really know how to answer a question. Let me explain. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price today in Senate Estimates had a back and forth because the Albanese government had an incredible scheme that was worth an awful lot of money for minimum wage workers in the Northern Territory. I'll let the Senator take it from here.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Just a confirmation — so on the evidence we just received it is $950 million to create 6,000 jobs, so that is about $150k per job, and it was described as award or minimum wage. Can I just confirm that, please?

[CLIP STARTS]

BEN O'SULLIVAN, NIAA:

So the national minimum wage for a full-time position understanding it sits around $50,000 and then you've got on costs and capital costs, supervision and other costs that the organisation may need to create that job.

JESSICA GUTHRIE, NIAA:

And sorry, Senator, I might just add there as well, the funding, as I mentioned before, for the Community Jobs and Business Fund is also part of the entirety of the figures.

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Okay, so can those figures be broken down, because I'm looking at $950 million divided by 6,000 is $158,000 to create a $50,000 job a year.

JESSICA GUTHRIE, NIAA:

Yeah, we can break that down, Senator, because it's — Mr. O'Sullivan will find the exact details, but just because as a program, it was announced in February 2024, and then we've had the additional investment. It's not a neat figure that we have.

[CLIP ENDS]

PAUL MURRAY:

Senator, Senator... Senator Nampijinpa Price joins us now. It's not a laughing matter. $950 million to create 6,000 jobs. What possible justification was there for how they got to that number?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Well, we didn't get to that point of the line of questioning because they simply didn't have the breakdown in front of them, and they often don't have the breakdown in front of them. So we have got to wait for the question to be taken on notice and then they will come back with that information after the fact. This happens a lot in Senate estimates. But yeah, I'm sitting there scratching my head going, well, firstly, how's anyone going to live on that wage for starters, $50,000 under the current cost of living crisis? But also, where's the other $108,000 gone when you break it down in $950 million for 6,000 jobs, $158,000 a job, this is why I continue to call for an audit in the Indigenous Affairs space, and they sit there and try to tell you, this is really successful. Not only that, but we're propping up people in Indigenous communities, growing the public sector, as opposed to actually investing in economic development and allowing Traditional Owners to become job creators themselves. Imagine that. I mean, really, could this government wrap their head around that?

PAUL MURRAY:

But also, perfect example about the layer upon layer of garbage, right? Simple calculation, right. $50,000 times 6,000 workers is $300 million. So where's the other $650 million? That's the paper pushing? Now, does the federal government pay for the 50,000 jobs and the rest of the money is the facilitating? Or is all of it the facilitating and business has to pay the $50,000 to the workers?

SENATOR JACINTA NAMPIJINPA PRICE:

Well, at this point in time, you know, as much as I do, seriously, and, you know, it is, it's ongoing and ongoing and ongoing. I mean, you know, another example today is, you know, we have been honing in on it, the Australian has been honing in on Tangentyere council, which is responsible for the upkeep of town camps. We've seen articles that suggest that town camp people can't even get, you know a door handle fixed or a shower recess fixed or plumbing done, or, you know, all kinds of sort of stuff that the Tangentyere Council are responsible for. Well, we basically uncovered the fact that there were about 19 ongoing grants that equate to $70 million worth being funnelled into this organisation and for programs, 19 various different programs that they're supposedly running. And keeping in mind that town camps residents sit at around 1,000 people. There are those that, you know, itinerants that come and go, that move about, that come from other communities in a town camp. So you're looking at, sometimes that can fluctuate between 1,600 and 2,000 people. But some of those programs are for children as well. So, there's no transparency as to how that money is actually being spent. But not only that, whether it's actually producing any outcomes, improving anyone's lives. There is just no accountability or transparency in this space, which is why, once more, we keep asking for the need for an audit in this space. Taxpayers want to know that their hard-earned dollars are actually helping Indigenous Australians and not just propping up an organisation that, evidently, with the condition of town camps, anyone with eyes in their head can see, it is failing in terms of the maintenance, the upkeep, the safety. It's crazy.

PAUL MURRAY:

As you and many others have discussed before, that bigotry of low expectations, the idea that you have such a delta between the promise and the cost, it would be a scandal in any other area of government but because it's this area, whoa, whoa — don't discuss it, don't discuss. And even when you are spoon feeding it to those people whose full-time job is to talk about politics, this would be the most detailed conversation many people have seen. Well, all power to your arm, Senator. Lovely to see you. We'll look forward to seeing you again next time here on the show. Thank you. Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, good on her, good on her and thank goodness she's there in the Parliament. Thank goodness.

[ENDS]