As human beings, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
The Australian Government wants to bring the achievements of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) into a framework that looks to the long-term and respects human rights.
The truth is that human rights of Aboriginal peoples in the Northern Territory have been compromised for many years.
The right to healthy and affordable food; to a quality education and health care; to adequate housing; to the full protection of the law; and to live free from violence and abuse - to name just a few.
Connected to this, people’s sense of responsibility and care for each other has also come under pressure and diminished in many cases.
When the NTER was introduced in June 2007, the previous government suspended the operation of the Racial Discrimination Act in affected communities.
The NTER Review found that the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act, combined with a lack of consultation, left Aboriginal people feeling hurt, betrayed and less worthy than other Australians.
In response to this, the Government has committed to introducing legislation into Parliament in coming months so that the Racial Discrimination Act applies to the NTER.
Through the NTER, we have delivered school nutrition programs, crèches, child health checks, ear and eye surgery, extra police, safe houses, new food stores and more affordable healthy food in over 70 communities.
We have seen increased household expenditure on food and clothes and children and more families getting involved in household budgeting through the combined effect of income management and community stores licensing.
Evidence to date tells us that the NTER measures have delivered some improvements and benefited many Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.
We also know that there is a lot more to be done. The level of disadvantage in still very high.
We are committed to improving the lives of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, and believe that we can achieve this by continuing and improving the measures under the NTER while conforming with the Racial Discrimination Act.
This will not be a straight-forward process – not for us, and not for Aboriginal people.
We will need to dig deeply into these issues to find solutions. There will be no easy answers.
But we want to get it right. We want to work with you to get it right.
We are prepared to really listen to people’s views.
We will be consulting throughout the NT and want to hear the views of those affected by these measures.
The Hon. Jenny Macklin MP
Minister for Families, Housing,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
21 May 2009