Hotline for indigenous Australians saved

Indigenous Australians taken into custody will continue to have 24 hour access to lawyers after the federal government threw the service a $1.8 lifeline.

The NSW government has slashed funding in their budget but Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said the custody notification service was crucial, as he announced funding until 2019.

The program is part of efforts to reduce Aboriginal incarceration rates, with indigenous adults being 15 times more likely to be imprisoned compared to non-indigenous Australians.