Warren Mundine delivers blunt message to Tony Abbott over 'lifestyle choice' comments

The chairman of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council, Warren Mundine, says he has delivered a blunt personal message to Tony Abbott about his comments on remote communities.

Last week, Mr Abbott angered Indigenous leaders when he backed a plan in Western Australia to close more than 100 remote communities and move more than 1,000 people, saying "what we can't do is endlessly subsidise lifestyle choices".

Indigenous leaders, including Noel Pearson and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, later criticised Mr Abbott for the "off-the-cuff" comments, saying they were "hopeless" and would "cause offence in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community".

Mr Mundine also criticised the comments, telling Radio National the issue was not as "simple" as the Prime Minister had described.

"These people are actually living on their homelands and it affects a lot of things, it affects their cultural activities, it affects their native title, it affects a number of areas," he said.

"It's not as simple as ... if someone from Sydney decides to have a treechange and go and live in the bush. It's about their life, it's about their very essence, it's about their very culture."

But in his meeting with Mr Abbott in Canberra on Wednesday, Mr Mundine said he this time delivered a blunt message directly to the Prime Minister.

He said urged the Government to engage in genuine discussion about how remote communities should be serviced.

"There's no doubt that the Prime Minister has a foot in mouth disease in some of these areas but we've got to get back on the track because we had some really good announcements in these areas last week and we need to focus on them," he said.

Government presses ahead with welfare card

Mr Mundine's message comes as the Government prepares to roll out a new debit card that will quarantine a portion of welfare payments to restrict how much money can be spent on alcohol.

Recipients would not be able to use the card for alcohol purchases but would get a certain percentage of cash to use at their discretion.

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-19/warren-mundine-delivers-blunt-message-to-tony-abbott/6330740