http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/16381723/libs-indigenous-policies-wel...Indigenous leader and former ALP national president Warren Mundine has welcomed the federal opposition's plans to make major changes to indigenous policies if elected.
Speaking at the Sydney Institute on Friday night, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he would move the Department of Indigenous Affairs into the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, in effect creating a "prime minister of Aboriginal affairs".
Mr Mundine said he was glad to hear indigenous issues would be a priority under a coalition government.
"It's great to hear that he's going to do that. He's going to put it at the top level," he told ABC television on Saturday.
Mr Abbott also proposed having truancy officers to fine parents when children skipped school.
Mr Mundine would not explicitly say if he supported the idea, but he did say it was important to be tough on getting kids to school.
"We can spend billions and billions of dollars on education but until parents start getting their kids to school, until they start supporting that school, it's going to be a waste of money," he said.
"What we expect of kids in Sydney, Dubbo, Bourke and other places we need to expect of kids in Aurukun, North East Arnhem Land and the Kimberley."
The proposed truancy officers would replace the current income quarantine system for parents whose children don't go to school, a system Mr Mundine said had mixed results.
Mr Abbott said he was also considering ways of making it easier for Aboriginal people on missions to buy their own homes.
Mr Mundine said he had raised that issue back in 2004.
"We need to start having home ownership, we need to start building up assets for indigenous people," he said.
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