Kamahl was ‘spot on’ with $40 billion Indigenous spending claim

Sky News host Peta Credlin says Kamahl was “spot on” during his interview with The Project, where the musician claimed Australia spends about $40 billion every year on Indigenous people. Ms Credlin points to the Productivity Commission’s 2017 Indigenous Expenditure Report, which states the total direct government expenditure on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians was estimated to be $33.4 billion in 2015-16. “Then there's all the specific Indigenous programmes run by state and federal governments, such as the $4.5 billion a year spent by the National Indigenous Australians Agency,” she said. “Adjusting the 2016 figure in the Productivity Commission's report for inflation, well, that gives us a figure of $39.5 billion in Aboriginal spending today.” Ms Credlin warned against “misleading” and “deceptive” commentary surrounding the Voice to Parliament debate.