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Joint
Press Conference with the
Hon Mal Brough,
Minister for Families, Community Services
and Indigenous Affairs Canberra
Media Release: 22 June 2007
Subject: Indigenous emergency
Well
ladies and gentlemen, Mr Brough and I have
called this news conference to announce
a number of major measures to deal with
what we can only describe as a national
emergency in relation to the abuse of children
in indigenous communities in the Northern
Territory.
Anybody
who's read or examined the report prepared
by Pat Anderson and Rex Wild entitled Little
Children Are Sacred will be sickened and
horrified by the level of abuse. They will
be deeply disturbed at the widespread nature
of that abuse and they will be looking for
the responsible assumption of authority
by a government to deal with the problem.
We are unhappy with the response of the
Northern Territory Government. It is our
view that if it hadn't been for the persistence
of Mr Brough in elevating this as an issue,
the inquiry conducted by Rex Wild and Pat
Anderson would never have been commissioned.
The report was in the hands of the Northern
Territory Government for some eight weeks
before it was released and subsequently
the Chief Minister has indicated that they
would have a response in a period of six
weeks and it's only today that I've received
a letter from the Chief Minister and Mr
Brough has, indicating that there is a desire
on the part of the Northern Territory Government
to work with us to deal with the issue.
We're
very happy to work with the Northern Territory
Government, but it will need to be on the
terms that I'm about to announce. We regard
this as akin to a national emergency. Mr
Brough's put it to me this way; that if
this set of circumstances had been disclosed
as taking place in the suburb of Dickson,
can you imagine what the local response
from police, from medical authorities and
from the state government would have been?
It would have been horror and immediate
action and a demand by the community that
something be done. That has not happened
in relation to the Northern Territory and
we therefore believe that the action I'm
about to outline is totally justified and
warranted given our overarching responsibilities
for the welfare of children throughout Australia.
These
measures are going to be overseen by a taskforce
of eminent Australians. It will include
logistics and other specialists and child
protection experts. The measures involve
a number of actions. Firstly in relation
to alcohol the intention is to introduce
widespread alcohol restrictions on Northern
Territory Aboriginal land for six months.
We'll ban the sale, the possession, the
transportation, the consumption and (introduce
the) broader monitoring of take away sales
across the Northern Territory.
We
will provide the resources and we'll be
appealing directly to the Australian Medical
Association to assist. We will bear the
cost of medical examinations of all indigenous
children in the Northern Territory under
the age of 16 and we'll provide the resources
to deal with any follow up medical treatment
that will be needed. We're going to introduce
a series of welfare reforms designed to
stem the flow of cash going towards alcohol
abuse and to ensure that the funds meant
to be used for children's welfare are actually
used for that purpose. The principal approach
here will be to quarantine as from now through
Centrelink, to be supported by legislation,
50 per cent of welfare payments to parents
of children in the affected areas and the
obligation in relation to that will follow
the parent wherever that parent may go so
the obligation cannot be avoided simply
by moving to another part of Australia;
and effectively the arrangements will be
that that 50 per cent can only be used for
the purchase of food and other essentials.
We're
going to enforce school attendance by linking
income support and family assistance payments
to school attendance for all people living
on Aboriginal land. We'll be ensuring that
meals are provided for children at school
with parents paying for the meals. The Commonwealth
Government will take control of townships
through five year leases to ensure that
property and public housing can be improved
and if that involves the payment of compensation
on just terms as required by the Commonwealth
Constitution then that compensation will
be readily paid.
We'll
require intensive on ground clean up of
communities to make them safer and healthier
by marshalling local workforces through
Work for the Dole arrangements. We will
scrap the permit system for common areas
and road corridors on Aboriginal lands.
We're going to ban the possession of x-rated
pornography in the proscribed areas and
we're going to check all publicly funded
computers for evidence of the storage of
pornography.
Law
and order will be a central focus of the
measures I've announced. There will be an
immediate increase in policing levels, they're
manifestly inadequate. The existing laws
even with their shortcomings are not being
adequately enforced. We'll be asking each
state police service to provide up to 10
officers who'll be sworn as police in the
Northern Territory. We will provide the
additional cost and we'll provide special
incentives and bonuses for the police around
Australia to participate in this activity.
We're going to provide additional resources
to set up an Australian Government sexual
abuse reporting desk and we'll appoint managers
of all government businesses in all communities.
And
there are two other very important actions.
Next Thursday there'll be a meeting of the
intergovernmental committee on the Australian
Crime Commission to formally, and at that
meeting, I'm sorry, our Minister will ask
the ministerial council to formally refer
this issue to the Australian Crime Commission
to allow the crime commission to locate
and identify perpetrators of sexual abuse
of indigenous children in other areas of
Australia. And this is will be a precursor
we hope to the effective prosecution of
those people by the relevant state and territory
law enforcement authorities.
I
should also indicate to you that Mr Brough
is bringing to Cabinet at its next meeting
some proposals to further extend the conditionality
of welfare payments to all Australians receiving
income support to ensure that these payments
are used for the benefit of their children.
I should indicate that if necessary Parliament
will be convened during the winter break
for a special session to deal with the legislation
that will be needed to give effect to the
announcements I've made.
These
announcements will involve amendments to
the Northern Territory land rights legislation
and also amendments to the Territory self
government legislation. They do represent
very dramatic and significant Commonwealth
intervention. We're doing this because we
do not think the Territory has responded
to the crisis affecting the children in
the Territory and we believe that our responsibility
to those children overrides any sensitivities
of Commonwealth Territory relations. In
the end the duty of care to the young of
this country is paramount and nobody who
has any acquaintance with that report could
be other than appalled by its contents,
appalled by what it reveals, appalled by
the cumulative neglect of many over a long
period of time and frustrated in the extreme
at the inability of governments to come
to terms with an effective response to deal
with this problem.
We
are dealing with children of the tenderest
age who've been exposed to the most terrible
abuse from the time of their birth virtually
and any semblance of maintaining the innocence
of childhood is a myth in so many of these
communities and we feel very strongly that
action of this kind is needed; it is interventionist,
it does push aside the role of the Territory
to some degree, I accept that, but what
matters more: the constitutional niceties
or the care and protection of young children?
We believe the latter is overwhelmingly
more important. We hope that the Northern
Territory Government will cooperate and
see the wisdom of working with the Commonwealth
Government, but our resolve to implement
these measures is firm and we intend to
set about them from the time of this announcement.
Can
I pay tribute to Mr Brough for the way in
which he has identified this issue, and
pursued it, and as a result ensured that
the Northern Territory Government appointed
the inquiry and his contribution to this
has been immense and without his efforts
I wouldn't be making the announcement I
just have. Any questions?
JOURNALIST:
...I
mean this is clearly directed at the Northern
Territory but is this a problem in Aboriginal
communities elsewhere?
PRIME
MINISTER:
Yes
it is but we have the power to do something
in the Northern Territory. And can I say,
Michael, I hope as a result of the announcement
I've made today the Premiers of Western
Australia, and of New South Wales and Queensland,
where there are similar problems, will announce
the same measures that I have announced.
We don't have the power to do these things
in other parts of Australia but those Premiers
do and I'm asking them to do what we have
said we will do and we will cooperate with
them. And let me make it clear any additional
expense involved in what I've announced
we will carry.
MINISTER
BROUGH:
Can
I just add one thing, you should be aware
that New South Wales had its own report,
and it's been sitting on it for nine months,
which went to the core of these issues and
found the same sort of findings and to date
we have still seen no substantive action.
So here is a chance to actually step up
to the plate, but the in the event that
they don't, by the referrals by the Minister
for Justice to the crime commission, we
can give those people the power to go beyond
the Territory, that is something practical
we can do.
JOURNALIST:
Prime
Minister why have you judged it necessary
to take control of land bestowed under the
Aboriginal Land Rights Act as part....
PRIME
MINISTER:
Because
we don't believe we can effectively implement
these changes without taking that authority.
Having decided to do something in this area
you've got to make sure you have the authority
to implement your decisions and unfortunately
this is an area which has been bedevilled
by the falling-between-the-stools phenomenon
of federal state relations in this country
where you have a desire and a will at a
federal level to do something, you don't
have a sufficiency of power and you can't
complete it and you end up with a lowest
common denominator response. Now we don't,
because it's the Territory, we do not have
to accept that as an outcome and that is
why we are taking the action we are. And
I mean I'm quite blunt in saying that if
the response of the Northern Territory Government
had been different then I wouldn't be saying
what I am today.
JOURNALIST:
Are
there estimates of the total cost?
PRIME
MINISTER:
No,
no, no, I mean it will be some tens of millions
of dollars. It's not huge but there could
be some costs in relation to the extra police.
There'll be costs in relation to the medical
examinations of children, that is very extensive
task and I'll be asking directly the AMA,
which has spoken very strongly about this,
to encourage doctors, and I believe there'll
be many doctors in Australia who will be
more than ready to help in regard to this.
JOURNALIST:
Mr
Brough do you expect that the extension
of conditionality of welfare payments to
other Australians would be on the same terms
as the Prime Minister's indicated in the
Aboriginal communities?
MINISTER
BROUGH:
We'll
discuss that in Cabinet. I've made my points
very clear and that when you provide payments
for the benefit of children, particularly
through the Family Tax Benefit, the Australian
population has a real desire to see that
money only spent in the welfare of children.
That has been our clear objective, that
is what I've been working up, in addition
to that is, of course, school education.
It shouldn't have a black or white boundary
every child should be going to school and
if this can help do that then they are two
areas which we are currently examining and
will have further to say after the Cabinet.
JOURNALIST:
I
was thinking you were only meaning unemployment
benefit payments but you are talking about
Family Tax Benefit payments as well.
MINISTER
BROUGH:
Indeed,
we are talking about the payments that are
directed to the benefit of children.
JOURNALIST:
And
how would you police that, how would you
know?
MINISTER
BROUGH:
Well
you'll have to wait a little while because
we are still going before Cabinet, we have
numerous discussions with state authorities
on this issue, to deal with their court
system for child protection to do with the
education system to see what is practical,
what is possible and what we can deliver
in the interests of the Australian population.
PRIME
MINISTER:
The
point should be made that, Lenore, that
and you may be getting it that this is in
the end we are prepared to apply the same
principle to all sections of the Australian
community, it's just that the grosser examples
and the more concentrated examples of this
problem are to be found in Aboriginal communities.
I am not saying for a moment that there
wouldn't be some other areas of Australia
where Australians who aren't indigenous
are just as neglectful of their children,
I accept that.
JOURNALIST:
Would
you still call it a national emergency?
PRIME
MINISTER:
I
do.
JOURNALIST:
But
across the whole country?
PRIME
MINISTER:
No,
no. You can have a national emergency in
Far North Queensland, an emergency in North
Queensland where there is a cyclone, I mean...
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
in relation to...
PRIME
MINISTER:
They
are separate issues those two. Look let's
not misstate the situation, the grossest
examples of this problem, sadly, are to
be found in indigenous communities particularly
in the Northern Territory. There are examples
of it in other indigenous communities in
other parts of Australia. There are examples
of this sort of thing in many parts of Australia,
not as concentrated and therefore not as
apparently gross and as distressing as can
be found in the Northern Territory. And
the point I am making is that the principle
will be applied without discrimination but
the particular problem and the emergency
of which I am speaking is the emergency
effecting young Aboriginal children in the
Northern Territory which has been identified
in this very graphic report.
JOURNALIST:
After
the medical examinations take place, will
doctors be able to recommend that children
are removed?
PRIME
MINISTER:
Well
the doctors will do what they think is professionally
appropriate.
JOURNALIST:
Will
that be the kind of power...
PRIME
MINISTER:
Well
the doctors will report on the condition
of the children, I am not going to pre-empt
what the doctors are going to say and...I
am certainly not going to do that, but I
think the first thing we ought to do is
to find out how the children are that's
the very first thing we should do. We will
bear all of the cost of that, we will bear
all of the cost of any follow up medical
treatment. Obviously we will listen to what
doctors have got to say.
JOURNALIST:
Will
these tests be compulsory and do you think
you would have the power to actually force
children under 16 to have a medical examination?
PRIME
MINISTER:
Well
we would hope that communities will cooperate
and let's hope that compulsion and the like
is not necessary but all parents have responsibilities
to allow medical examination of their children
where there is a good need for that and
I hope the commonsense of the Australian
people will understand that in the end parent's
responsibility for the welfare of their
children is the greatest responsibility
of all.
MINISTER
BROUGH:
You
must understand that the conditions will
have changed fundamentally. The fear that
people may have today if we said we were
to do it when grog flows in, drugs flow
in and that the strong men prevail, won't
be there. We'll have our people on the ground,
we'll have additional police so they will
have the protection to actually be able
to have their children...the women have
their children examined knowing that they
are not going to have any repercussions
from someone who wants that evidence protected.
JOURNALIST:
Mr
Brough, in your mind's eye the acquisition
of these townships, how will they operate
if everything goes through today. What kind
of extra resources, what kind of extra administration?
MINISTER
BROUGH:
Look
right now the problem we experience in Wadeye,
which as you know not little of 12 months
ago there were 300 men rioting in the streets,
and women I might add and children, houses
being destroyed, men being speared, they
were real circumstances happening in Australia
today. When we tried to clean up the houses
because we didn't have any jurisdictional
responsibility, we don't own the homes,
we don't set the conditions, the cleanliness,
the hygiene, the repairs, we had all sorts
of barriers, it took a longer than necessary.
What we are trying to do is to remove all
those artifical barriers, ensure that people
live in a clean, hygienic environment, we'll
put the money in to have the houses repaired,
people will be part of work for the dole,
doing it themselves with professional assistance,
we'll have managers on the ground to do
that. So we'll have managers on the ground
to do that and we'll have adequate policing
on the ground as well. They are the fundamentals
that we have articulated for 15 months.
Law and order, good governance, then you
get normality, you can't have a community
with a lot of grog.
PRIME
MINISTER:
One
more question, we've got to get ready.
JOURNALIST:
Prime
Minister if this program is to be extended
to these states what sorts of powers would
have to be referred to the Commonwealth?
PRIME
MINISTER:
No,
no, we are asking the states who clearly
have the power to do all of this within
their own jurisdictions, we are asking the
states to do within their own areas of responsibility
what we are able to do in the Territory.
JOURNALIST:
Would
you fund that...any extra costs for the
states, you said before you'd fund...
PRIME
MINISTER:
We
fund everything in the Commonwealth, we
talk to the states about cost but you know
the states have responsibilities, they've
got a lot of money. One more.
JOURNALIST:
Did
you consult with Clare Martin?
PRIME
MINISTER:
I
endeavoured to contact Clare Martin earlier
today and I was unsuccessful.
MINISTER
BROUGH:
As
my office attempted to do as well.
PRIME
MINISTER:
Attempted
to do as well but, you know, I will be happy
to discuss these matters with her but I
think it's very plain that we are unhappy
with the response of the Northern Territory
Government, they've had adequate time. I
mean bear in mind this report would not
have been commissioned if it hadn't have
been for Mr Brough. They had the report
for eight weeks before they released it
and then having released it, she said that
she was going to take another six weeks
to indicate the response and I got a very
general letter today saying well we've had
a look and we are getting ready to say something
about it and we'll happy to talk to you.
Well I don't think that's a government that
regards this as an urgent problem, I don't
think it's a government that sees it with
any sense of crisis or emergency, that's
in a sense a metaphor for the inaction of
the Northern Territory Government. That's
why we've acted. Thank you.
[ends]
The
Original Media release can be found on the
Prime Ministers Website at:
http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Interview/2007/Interview24380.cfm
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