MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Hello, it's Malarndirri McCarthy here. I'm the Senator for the Northern Territory and Minister for Indigenous Australians, and I'm a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Borroloola in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
NANCE HAXTON, JOURNALIST: Senator, thank you so much for joining us on the National Indigenous Radio Service today.
McCARTHY: My pleasure Nance, thankyou for having me on.
HAXTON: Senator, if we can start with the great news, of course today, the Paralympians have returned to Australia. There were some wonderful achievements there. 18 gold medals and 17 silver, 28 bronze, but also from our Indigenous competitors. Wasn't there?
McCARTHY: It was an outstanding performance Nance by all our Olympians and Paralympians in Paris. But I have to say, I was really heartened to keep an eye on our mob who were over there. We had four pretty amazing people. We had Amanda Reid, we had Ruby Storm and Telaya Blacksmith from the Northern Territory, and Samantha Schmidt and all of them just did an outstanding job in making Australia, but certainly our mob, incredibly proud.
HAXTON: And they've been shared on social media quite extensively around the world haven’t they, to show what an achievement they've made.
McCARTHY: Absolutely, I mean to win in cycling, to get silver in the swimming, you know, for Telaya, to run like she did in athletics. You know, a 16 year old Warlpiri woman from Lajamanu. You know, a community of 800 people, Nance. You know, 10 hours drive from Darwin. What an extraordinary experience. And then you had Samantha, who was certainly very strong in the discus, and I think that's an incredible achievement for all of them on a very personal level, but also nationally, for our country and our people.
HAXTON: And does show, I suppose, what people with disabilities can achieve from a First Nations background?
McCARTHY: It does. It certainly does. I'm so conscious of that, my eldest son has a disability, Nance, and he loves playing wheelchair basketball. He just missed out on going to the Paralympics, but he was certainly very, very proud of his teammates, who did go with the Australian Rollers. And I think it's testament that we have incredible athletes, very gifted athletes, but we have gifted First Nations people right across the country, in every area.
HAXTON: Yes, I think a lot of people might be watching Telaya with her AFLW (indistinct) I think in the next few weeks.
McCARTHY: Oh yeah, we'll all want a photo with Telaya, let me tell you. She's got a beautiful smile and incredible, incredible ability to just run and jump, just incredible.
HAXTON: And Senator also just moving on to other news issues. Can we get an update on where we're really at with Truth and Treaty and the Makarrata Commission on a national level. We've been doing reports on the National Indigenous Radio Service about Truth and Treaty really falling over in a number of places. Northern Territory Government seem to be abandoning it. The WA Government’s abandoning it. It's looking very shaky in Queensland, the LNP has abandoned bipartisan support for that treaty process. Where are we at with the federal government oversight of that process and the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
McCARTHY: Sure, thankyou Nance. It is an incredibly important question. I have been on the record to say that in terms of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the three areas of Voice, Treaty, Truth, we uphold those principles at the federal level where we committed to those principles. We respect those principles. We certainly lost the referendum, and we respect the decision of that but we are very, supportive of the fact that people want to know what's going to happen next. From my perspective, as Minister for Indigenous Australians, I know that I have to get on with the job. The message of the referendum was that the country wanted to keep the status quo, not change, not move forward with the Voice. So, the status quo to me means working at Closing the Gap, working even harder with the Coalition of Peaks to close that gap, but also with the state and territory governments and that's what I'm doing. In terms of Makarrata and truth telling specifically, we've supported a bill that's before the Senate. So, there is now an inquiry underway so that we can hear from Australians across the country. And I do urge all Australians who are interested in this, in particular First Nations mob, to actually get on the website of the Australian Parliament and take part in providing a submission to that Senate inquiry. This bill, that was introduced by the Greens, is an important bill, and I think it's important that people have their say, and this is what we're going to listen to when the inquiry starts to travel around the country next month.
HAXTON: Would you hope that that inquiry may bring around more bipartisan support? I know in the Senate, you have mentioned that that seems to be the biggest obstacle going forward.
McCARTHY: I recognise that we won't probably get bipartisanship in terms of, well we certainly didn't with the Voice, and I think the principles of the Voice, I haven't heard that the Opposition would support that. And I recognise that on this particular subject, Nance, that I probably won't get that support. What I've asked for support in is in Closing the Gap and the Closing the Gap targets. So, I've had those meetings across parties, with the Coalition, the Greens, the Independents, the Teals, One Nation, I've been speaking to all of them because, to me, those targets in Closing the Gap are targets that we should all be responsible for. Everyone in the Australian Parliament and every state and territory parliament, along with our Aboriginal organisations across the country.
HAXTON: Another big issue that we have reported on is regarding youth crime, and concerns about that, but particularly in the states, and also deaths in custody recently in Western Australia of young people in detention centres. I know Lydia Thorpe has called for more federal oversight of that. Just thought I’d get your perspective on really what is needed to get progress in this youth crime area.
McCARTHY: I've been working in this space for the last two years as Assistant Minister in Indigenous Health, where I've wanted to see the healthcare in prisons improve, to have the Aboriginal medical services in our prisons and in our youth centres as well Nance. So, we have in the Don Dale in the Northern Territory, Danila Dilba, Aboriginal Medical Service. We have Congress in the Alice Springs Correctional Service. And we have Winnunga here in Canberra in the local jail here to provide a medical service. And I believe that what we have with our high incarceration rates of our mob going in, is that there must be good clinical care, because a lot of First Nations people go into custody, go into jails with already chronic illnesses, whether it's underlying diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and sometimes as we find, often in coronials, that these were not picked up. So, to me, what I would want to see is the input of further Aboriginal medical services across the country involved in our justice system, and that's something I am working on. When I was in Perth last week, I did go to the Banksia Hill facility where tragically a young man took his life, and he's the second to do so within 12 months. And that says a lot about what's going on with our young people in this country, all young people, not just First Nations. You know, the high rates of suicide though for First Nations people deeply troubles me. And so I see that this aspect is critical, and that's how I'm working with our state and territory jurisdictions.
HAXTON: Would perhaps at the gathering of Attorneys-General, would that be a place that this could be raised as a way forward, bringing in more of those appropriate Aboriginal health services in prisons on the ground?
McCARTHY: Well, it's both the AGs and also Health Ministers across each state and territory jurisdiction, Nance. Health Ministers also need to get on board and support this kind of initiative. And I know that Health Minister Mark Butler is leading the way in that, and also now followed by Assistant Minister in Indigenous Health, Ged Kearney. Our government is incredibly focused on this area and we know that it's one that we want to see improve and increase, if you like, in terms of that care of health for prisoners and people in custody.
HAXTON: Also, would there be consideration for more programs, I suppose, to support young people rather than punitive measures, rather than prison, from a federal perspective?
McCARTHY: Well, I think we would all want to see young people stay out of our Corrections. I think it's an area that I would urge, certainly the new Northern Territory Government not to go, in terms of lowering the age to 10. I'm deeply concerned that they are focused on that as one of their first pieces of legislation. It is a conversation I do need to have with the new cabinet, the new Chief Minister, and obviously now the new Indigenous Affairs Minister of the Northern Territory and Justice. So, I am watching what's going on with the Northern Territory in particular because of that, but I am mindful that at a federal level, the Attorney-General here knows that this matter of youth and youth going into custody or jails is something that does concern us.
HAXTON: Thank you. And just finally, just wondering if there was any consideration possibly given to a national reparation scheme for stolen wages. We saw that the Northern Territory came to an agreement last week, but would there be any consideration to that?
McCARTHY: Well, the Northern Territory is still going through its hopeful settlement situation, and this matter is still before the court in regards to the Northern Territory, and the settlement is subject to court approval. So, that's certainly a positive step that we're going towards. And there has been settlements for Queensland and also for Western Australia. So, there are states and territories that have actually done that. Historical wages repayment schemes are not new. So, that's New South Wales as well, Western Australia and Queensland. So, in Queensland, for example, a class action settled in 2019 in Pearson in Queensland. And you know, that was quite an extraordinary outcome and a wonderful one in Queensland and these other states and territories are starting to follow suit.
HAXTON: So happy with how that process is rolling out at the moment with the states?
McCARTHY: They've pretty much led the way with Queensland, WA and also New South Wales. So, what we'd like to see is the Northern Territory one settled, and obviously have a look to see what's going on with the remaining states.
HAXTON: Wonderful Senator. Really appreciate your time today. Is there anything else that you'd like to add for our listeners? Perhaps that I haven't asked?
McCARTHY: No, not at all Nance. Just a big hello to everyone, and you know, be safe wherever you are.
HAXTON: Thank you so much, Senator, and hope you have a great day.
McCARTHY: Thanks Nance.
HAXTON: Much appreciated.