More information on that last post... Government response...

http://www.nt.gov.au/dcm/inquirysaac/pdf/bipacsa_final_report.pdf


Is where the actual report is posted about the Enquiry into Child protection.

Has the federal government made an appropriate response?


What do you think!? below is the Federal goverments response to the report linked above...

Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Media Release

National emergency response to protect Aboriginal children in

the NT

21/06/2007

In response to the national emergency confronting the welfare of Aboriginal children in the

Northern Territory, the Australian Government today announced immediate, broad ranging

measures to stabilise and protect communities in the crisis area.

The immediate nature of the Australian Government's response reflects the very first

recommendation of the Little Children are Sacred report into the protection of Aboriginal children

from child abuse in the Northern Territory which said: "That Aboriginal child sexual abuse in the

Northern territory be designated as an issue of urgent national significance by both the Australian

and Northern Territory Governments…."

All action at the national level is designed to ensure the protection of Aboriginal children from

harm.

The emergency measures to protect children being announced today are a first step that will provide

immediate mitigation and stabilising impacts in communities that will be prescribed by the Minister

for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

The measures include:

•

Introducing widespread alcohol restrictions on Northern Territory Aboriginal land.

•

Introducing welfare reforms to stem the flow of cash going toward substance abuse and to

ensure funds meant to be for children's welfare are used for that purpose

•

Enforcing school attendance by linking income support and family assistance payments to

school attendance for all people living on Aboriginal land and providing meals for children

at school at parents' cost

•

Introducing compulsory health checks for all Aboriginal children to identify and treat health

problems and any effects of abuse

•

Acquiring townships prescribed by the Australian Government through five year leases

including payment of just terms compensation

•

As part of the immediate emergency response, increasing policing levels in prescribed

communities, including requesting secondments from other jurisdictions to supplement NT

resources, funded by the Australian Government.

•

Requiring intensified on ground clean up and repair of communities to make them safer and

healthier by marshalling local workforces through work-for-the-dole

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•

Improving housing and reforming community living arrangements in prescribed

communities including the introduction of market based rents and normal tenancy

arrangements

•

Banning the possession of X-rated pornography and introducing audits of all publicly

funded computers to identify illegal material

•

Scrapping the permit system for common areas, road corridors and airstrips for prescribed

communities on Aboriginal land, and;

•

Improving governance by appointing managers of all government business in prescribed

communities

•

The national emergency response will be overseen by a Taskforce of eminent Australians,

including logistics and other specialists as well as child protection experts. Magistrate Sue

Gordon, chair of the National Indigenous Council and author of the 2002 Gordon Report

into Aboriginal child abuse in Western Australia has agreed to take a leadership role on the

Taskforce.

The issue will be placed on the agenda for next week's meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee

on the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) to formally refer the issue to the ACC to allow it to

identify and locate perpetrators of sexual abuse of Indigenous children in other areas of Australia.

If required, a special sitting of Parliament in July will consider legislation to implement the

Australian Government measures.

The Northern Territory Government will be expected to:

•

Increase its efforts and resources to ensure the servicing and protection of its citizen in the

range of areas of State and Territory responsibility and support, within the scope of its

resources, the national emergency response

•

Develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle the 'rivers of grog' across the Territory

•

Resume all special leases over town camps in the major urban areas where lease conditions

have been breached. The Australian Government will act in this area if the NTG fails to do

so

•

Remove customary law as a mitigating factor for sentencing and bail conditions

•

The situation facing children in Indigenous communities is a national emergency and the

immediate action of the Australian Government is an appropriate response to the crisis

highlighted by the Little Children are Sacred report.

Additional information

Tackling alcohol abuse:

The Australian Government will introduce legislation to:

Ban the sale, possession, transportation and consumption of alcohol (initially for six months) in

prescribed areas, excepting wet canteens operating with the approval of the Taskforce that have

strict alcohol management practices and that do not allow take away sales; and

Require licensees to view photographic identification and record purchaser addresses and proposed

destination of alcohol purchases where the quantity exceeds five cartons for low strength and three

cartons for full strength beer, or equivalent across the remainder of the Northern Territory.

The NT Government will be required to develop a comprehensive plan to tackle the 'rivers of grog'

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Page 3

Welfare reform:

The Australian Government will introduce legislation to:

Reduce discretionary disposable income by quarantining 50 percent of all Australian Government

income support and family assistance payments, and CDEP wages, for an initial period of twelve

months, for people who have been, or become, in receipt of payment for two years or longer for

residents in prescribed communities, with those outside of these communities decided on a case by

case basis by Centrelink.

Improving school attendance:

The Australian Government will:

Link the receipt of Australian Government income support and family assistance payments to

school attendance for principal carers of children of compulsory school age in prescribed

communities, with quarantining of 50 percent of income support payments and one hundred percent

of family assistance payments, for an initial period of twelve months, in cases of poor school

attendance (more than three unexplained absences per school term) which would include mandatory

deductions to provide for school breakfast and lunch for the school age children.

Acquisition of townships:

The Australian Government will:

Introduce legislation to acquire a five year lease over prescribed Indigenous communities, with just

terms compensation with this to include, but not be limited to, communities of 100 people or more

located on:

Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (ALRA) land;

located on a form of freehold title issued by the NT Government to Aboriginal corporations and

known as Community Living Areas.

Other communities may also be prescribed by the Minister on the basis of advice from the

Taskforce.

The Australian Government's acquisition of five year leases not affect the Australian Government's

negotiations to achieve ninety nine year township leases.

Town camps:

The NT Government will be expected to:

Immediately resume all special leases issued by the Northern Territory Government to Aboriginal

associations for the town camps in the vicinity of major urban centres where these leases are in

breach of their lease conditions, (this would not require compensation) and if such action is not

undertaken urgently, that the Australian Government introduce legislation to allow it to exercise the

powers of the Northern Territory Government to resume the leases.

Reform of community living arrangements

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The Australian Government will, in prescribed communities:

Establish market based rents for public housing, with normalised tenancy requirements;

Improve housing stock

Community members on income support will be required to participate in community cleanups and

basic cleanups of public housing on a Work for the Dole basis

National Intelligence Taskforce

Additional resources will be provided to enhance the scope of the Australian Government led

National Intelligence Taskforce operations in the Northern Territory to include a sexual abuse

reporting desk.

A separate Fact Sheet regarding changes to the permit system is attached.

Return to web page • Home page

URL: http://www.facsia.gov.au/Internet/Minister3.nsf/content/emergency_21june07.htm

© Commonwealth of Australia

This page was last modified on 21/06/2007.

This page was accessed on 22/06/2007.