SARAH FERGUSON, HOST: Malarndirri McCarthy, welcome to 7:30.
MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY, MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS: Good to be with you, Sarah.
HOST: We've had more than 30 reports on Indigenous child safety since the landmark report Bringing them Home in 1997. Coroners’ reports, a Royal Commission, parliamentary inquiries, state, federal, all with findings on how to protect children. With all of that accumulated knowledge, how do you explain such a fundamental failure of protection?
MINISTER: Well, there's certainly a lot of questions in regards to what happened here. We do have a person in custody now and who has been charged. We know that those questions surround how was he released, why was he released, what plans were in place on that release? These are important questions that will no doubt go to the heart of, whether it's a coronial investigation or whether it's other formats in terms of looking into this. These are going to be important next steps in the coming weeks, Sarah.
HOST: Let me just stay with that question for the moment. Why was the accused man, who will obviously now face trial in court, why was he allowed to go to the town camp in Alice rather than being required to go to his home 500 kilometres away in Lajamanu, a dry community?
MINISTER: Well, that's the vexed question here, isn't it, really? He was actually on the Barkly work camp way up near Tennant Creek, working in that area as part of his incarceration and to be released from there and not return home. These are the fundamental questions that the families no doubt will ask at some point. But certainly, we who are now asking the questions in terms of what happened there, there is no direct answer at this point in time. But can I just say this, Sarah, it is important that the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth work through this as well. The corrections issue does come under the Northern Territory Government. I've met with the Northern Territory Indigenous Affairs Minister, Steve Edgington, to work with him and the Aboriginal organisations in Alice Springs. This is something that we know has to happen and we have to do that together.
HOST: The burden of my original question was about protecting children more broadly. Let me ask you a simple question. How would you describe the conditions in the town camps now?
MINISTER: Well, certainly in the circumstances here, I've met with the mum, I know that she's certainly dealing with a lot of issues in terms of questions around what's happened here for her and preparation for her and her baby girl. These are really important points to remember that we're still having a grieving family here, Sarah. So, I'm being very careful with my words because the families have asked for us not to politicise this, so I'm being very careful, so please stay with me on this. So, when we think about that, we know that she was very loved by her family members. Very loved. And I think that's a really important message that has to go out across the country. Irrespective of images that you've seen of the state of town camps. I really want to make that fundamentally clear on behalf of the family of how loved this little girl was. Now, those next questions that you're asking in terms of what happened and why it happened. Well, now we see a criminal investigation underway, and that is going to be a matter for the courts, in terms of making sure that what we saw happen here in terms of this evil that took place in Alice Springs, we need to make sure there is no way of jeopardising that particular case to go forward.
HOST: Let me put to you what the National Children's Commissioner appointed by the Albanese Government said today, that while the grieving must be respected and of course we share in that, sorry business does not silence the questions this loss demands, including the key point she made, which was about housing. You can't protect children in houses that are not safe. Do you accept that these questions are urgent for Indigenous Australians in Alice in the town camps and in remote communities?
MINISTER: Thanks Sarah. Well, firstly, I think it's really a testament to our government that we've established a First Nations Children's Commissioner. And I think it was really important with what Commissioner Sue-Anne had to say. I think that her presence here in Alice Springs or in the Territory, I'm back now in Darwin, but her presence there in Alice Springs was noted. It was certainly appreciated and respected. And there is no doubt the reason why our government established a National Children's Commissioner was because we are concerned about the care of our children across the country. And this is a really important time for the Commissioner to look at these things.
HOST: Now, the Prime Minister responded by talking about the funding that this government had made available, working with the Territory Government, to invest in housing in the Northern Territory. After an event as terrible as this, will the Federal Government step in to put more money on the table to speed up the timeline of both building new houses and fixing up damaged houses?
MINISTER: We have an agreement now with the Northern Territory Government. $2 billion from the Commonwealth, $2 billion from the Northern Territory Government, in terms of building 2,700 homes to reduce the overcrowding. That money is on the table now, Sarah. It really is a case of making sure those houses are being built. We've seen just in town camps across the Northern Territory, that they are a part of that infrastructure build. What we see here in Alice Springs is that you've got 15 housing associations in the 17 town camps, and those representatives of those housing associations are at the table through Tangentyere and with the Northern Territory Government to ensure that they receive part of the funding.
HOST: The Coalition has been calling for a royal commission since the events of last week. Why is the government opposed to conducting a royal commission?
MINISTER: Well, even the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory said no to a royal commission because these issues were not, as I recall, directly coming to her. What we need now is to just have some peace, to be able to bury this little girl. And there will be times for conversations later on. We've seen the National Children's Commissioner come out, and I think it's appropriate for the National Children's Commissioner to do so.
HOST: But I guess the question is that again, coming back to the wide respect that everybody has for the necessity of a deep and extensive grieving process, but for this little life to have meaning beyond this moment, that requires change. Do you accept that principle?
MINISTER: Well, I think everyone accepts that principle. And we saw that change, actually, Sarah. We saw that with the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people from all walks of life come together in Alice Springs and bring the deep sense of community spirit that we've always known was there. But to see it last week and to feel it throughout this weekend, certainly post what happened Thursday night. The town has come together in such a remarkable way. And I just call on all of those residents and families, not just in Alice Springs, but right across Australia, to stay with the family through this time of grief, to join them at the vigil on Thursday, to light a candle wherever you are in the country, to wear pink and join with the families, as we still do the appropriate thing here for sorry business and say goodbye.
HOST: Jacinta Nampijimpa Price, who is related to the grieving family, says the question about funding is whether or not it translates into safer lives. It's the right question, isn't it?
MINISTER: Well, I think it's the same for any family across Australia. We all want to feel safe, Sarah, irrespective of whether we're First Nations families or just ordinary Australians across the country. That is a fundamental question for all governments and safety is a state and territory responsibility.
HOST: If I may just jump in there. The figures, yes, the figures, though, show us that Indigenous people in Australia, especially women and children, are not safe. So, in that case, is Senator Price asking the right question about translating funding into results?
MINISTER: Well, I think it's important on every level. When we look at Closing the Gap and the targets that we have, we know we've got a hell of a lot of work to continue to do, but we must do it with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Not for them, not against them, but always with them.
HOST: Senator McCarthy, thank you very much indeed.
MINISTER: Thank you, Sarah.