QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McCARTHY (Northern Territory—Minister for Indigenous Australians) (14:50): Thank you, Senator Thorpe. I believe in my previous answer I gave you that response. It's actually because I've enabled First Nations organisations to be at the table.

We are in a position now where the Northern Territory government wants to renegotiate an agreement. That is a 10-year agreement where we're supposed to have 2,700 homes built—270 a year. The Northern Territory government wants to reduce that down to 1,800 or maybe 1,100 homes, if the Northern Territory is lucky.

So that's why the joint steering committee is there. I put that there because we needed accountability and oversight over this agreement.