13B. ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMISSION
13B.1 Economic
13B.2 Social and Cultural Program
Although the 1996-97 Budget outlay on this program is nearly as much as the actual expenditure on the program in 1995-96, it is much less than the amount of $564.6 million budgeted for in the 1995-96 Budget. The largest components of this program (indeed a scheme which accounts for nearly a third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) annual budget), the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), will receive slightly more than it did in 1995-96 ($336.1 million compared with $310.6 million), but this may not be enough to fully accomodate the increasing demand for the participation on these projects.
The effect of the Budget on subprograms within this program is very uneven. The Native Title Sub-program has had its budget increased from an actual outlay in 1995-96 of $26.3 million to $41.9 million-reflecting the fact that the Native Title Representative Bodies which the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission funds are experiencing an increasing demand for their services. The Land, Heritage, Environment and Culture Sub-program had a slight increase in its allocation while the Aboriginal Hostels Limited, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, and the Housing, Infrastructure and Health Sub-program all had a slight drop in their allocation. The Legal Aid and Human Services Sub-program had a clear reduction in its funding from actual expenditure in 1995-96 of $72.2 million to a 1996-97 budget figure of $65.0 million. The Law and Justice, Sport and Recreation, and International Issues and Human Rights components of this Sub-program will all be under funding pressure in 1996-97, but the greatest pressure will be on the Community and Youth Support component which will be ending in March 1997 and with it funding to about 400 projects involving approximately 340 organisations.
Back to Budget Review 1996-97 Contents
Back to Detailed Portfolio Reviews Contents
