NARELDA JACOBS, HOST: The hugely successful Indigenous Ranger Program is being expanded. More than a thousand new jobs will be offered and over 100 programs will be funded. For more, I'm joined by Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy. Minister, welcome to Lunchtime. This is your first time speaking with me as Minister. This is a $355 million investment for the Ranger Program expansion. What's the return?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: This is a significant announcement, Narelda. 1,000 new rangers. 770 of those are First Nations women - positions for First Nations women across our country. And just to let your viewers know, the importance for First Nations rangers in caring for Country, caring for sea, for rivers, for desert country, right across the bush country. The knowledge that comes from our knowledge of over thousands of years, whether it's burning off Country and teaching firefighters about the importance of early burning or whether it's around caring for Country in terms of feral animals, even sea Country in terms of biosecurity. There is so much that our rangers contribute and I'm very excited to see this occur across Australia.
NARELDA JACOBS: Minister, given today's dire State of the Climate report, is First Nations knowledge about caring for Country being used enough to tackle climate change?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: It can always be used more, Narelda. There is no doubt about it. And the more rangers we have, the more opportunities we're going to see that they will be able to help influence and support and give guidance, when necessary, in terms of their respective areas of land that they look after. We have Indigenous Protected Areas, numerous that have been announced since we came to government. We've also got places like the Torres Strait Islands where we're looking at what's happening with the rising sea levels and with the South Pacific. So, their knowledge is quite critical and we are doing that and looking at that. But I want to see more with our rangers involved.
NARELDA JACOBS: Minister, just getting to some more issues. You've expressed deep disappointment at the NT CLP Government's moves to rush through laws to lower the age of criminal responsibility, while Queensland's incoming government is about to bring in ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws. When we're seeing states and territories act against expert advice, what can you do at a federal level given these tough on crime approaches will disproportionately impact First Nations children?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Well, there needs to be a greater focus on how we can support, in a very positive sense, our children, our youth across the country. What the Albanese Government has done though is, knowing that we are concerned with the high rates of incarceration of juveniles, with the high rates of out of home care, Narelda, we've established a First Nations Children's and Youth Commissioner and we're calling for applicants at the moment. We know that that's an important step. But the second thing I just want to add, Narelda, is next month is quite critical. We've got the Coalition of Peaks meeting in Perth with myself and Pat Turner as co chairs, along with Indigenous Affairs Ministers from around the country. And that issue of justice will be very much on the agenda at the joint council meeting in Perth.
NARELDA JACOBS: Child protection also disproportionately impacts Indigenous families. In Victoria, six children in three months died in state care, with advocates calling out a lack of action. Are you also looking into child protection reforms?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Well, it's absolutely tragic, you know, losing a child, losing any person really, in any form of system, whether it's in child protection, whether it's in the corrections system. And naturally that's why we have progressed with the First Nations Youth and Children's Commissioner because we want that person to be an advocate, to be able to work with the states and territories and each jurisdiction on what's going on in their respective areas.
NARELDA JACOBS: In a couple of weeks, or a few weeks actually, the NT Coroner will be handing down findings into several domestic and family violence related deaths. Yet several more women have been killed just since June. Has the Federal Government been doing enough to tackle the crisis in the Northern Territory?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: We've certainly established, obviously, as you've seen, the National Cabinet and putting on the priority list for all Australians in every state and territory, the high rates of family and domestic violence is an area that we are trying to work with, in terms of the funding amount that was delivered. Specifically to the Northern Territory, we can always do more in terms of our shelters, in terms of the resources. But I am confident that Minister Rishworth is working with the new Territory administration to ensure that those areas of the family and domestic violence sectors will be supported. I've been visiting and speaking with women's shelters in the Northern Territory just in the past week or two, especially with the Tangentyere Women's Family Social Movement. They've been going for 10 years, have done terrific work with our women. We still need to do more and I will be advocating for that.
NARELDA JACOBS: Some of those frontline services say they're waiting for federal funding that's been earmarked to flow. So, will you be making representations to Minister Rishworth to get that money flowing to them?
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: I certainly do make strong representations on behalf of the Northern Territory, as Senator for the Northern Territory. I am mindful of course, that we need to make sure we're doing it for the rest of the country. But, yes, I can say for the Northern Territory, I am advocating very strongly.
NARELDA JACOBS: All right. Thank you very much, Minister Malarndirri McCarthy.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: Thank you.