The Australian Greens say the release of an Amnesty International report into Indigenous incarceration should restart a national conversation about Justice Reinvestment as an alternative to "lock 'em up" prison culture.

Australian Greens spokesperson for legal affairs Senator Penny Wright, who chaired a 2013 inquiry into Justice Reinvestment, said some of the momentum for Federal action had been lost after the election of the Abbott Government.

The Labor and Liberal parties have today voted against a Senate motion to increase funding for community legal services, as centres across the country turn clients away amid funding uncertainty.

Australian Greens spokesperson for legal affairs, Senator Penny Wright, said she was extremely disappointed the Government and Opposition had voted against the Greens motion to increase funding for the sector in the upcoming Federal Budget.

I move that the Senate:

1.      notes the effects of Commonwealth funding uncertainty on the legal assistance sector, including the possible closure of community legal centres, staff loss, a reduction in services to clients and declining staff morale;

2.      acknowledges that, unless this uncertainty is addressed and funding restored, critical services directed at family violence, child protection, disability and mental health and services to regional, remote and Aboriginal land Torres Strait Islander communities may be irrevocably compromised;

The Australian Greens have condemned the funding cuts to indigenous legal aid services, which will see the peak body NATSILS close its doors in June.

Spokesperson for legal affairs Senator Penny Wright said the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service advocacy was crucial to addressing shocking levels of indigenous incarceration.

"More than one in four prisoners are Aboriginal, despite making up only a fraction of our population. Too many are in jail because of inadequate legal understanding and representation," Senator Wright said.

The Abbott Government's huge cuts to education and indigenous programs and will hold back students in remote schools despite Education Minister Christopher Pyne's Direct Instruction plan, say the Australian Greens.

Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright said the Coalition's abandonment of the Gonski funding model would see remote schools miss out on millions of dollars that would have helped attract and retain specialist literacy teachers.

Senator WRIGHT (South Australia) (10:07):  I too rise to speak on the Defence Legislation Amendment (Woomera Prohibited Area) Bill 2013, and to highlight the fact that this bill is being rushed through the parliament without the necessary due diligence.

More Aboriginal Australians will end up in jail because of the Abbott Government's cuts to indigenous legal aid, say the Australian Greens.

Spokesperson on legal affairs Senator Penny Wright said the Coalition's decision to cut $9m from legal services showed appalling lack of concern about shameful over-incarceration of Aboriginal people.

"More than one in four prisoners are Aboriginal, despite making up only a fraction of our population. Too many are in jail because of inadequate legal understanding and representation," Senator Wright said.

The Australian Greens said today that the alarmingly high rate of Aboriginal youth detention is a disgrace, and called on the WA Government to urgently invest in in Justice Reinvestment.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's ‘Youth detention population in Australia 2013' report has found that in the June quarter of 2013, the ratio of Aboriginal to non-Aboriginal youth aged 10-17 in detention in WA was 60 to 1, compared to the national ratio of around 31 to 1.