Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

The Aboriginal Legal Service pioneered the model of community legal services in Australia. They began as an operation of volunteers, Australia's first free legal service, in Redfern in my electorate of Sydney. They have been in operation since 1970. As well as the absolutely vital legal services they provide, they also operate the Custody Notification Service, the CNS. The CNS was set up in response to the recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody that police should notify the Aboriginal Legal Service when an Indigenous person is taken into custody. We all remember the national shame of the rate of Indigenous deaths in custody in the last century. As that royal commission found, between 1980 and 1989, 99 Indigenous people died in custody.

The royal commission found that Indigenous people face significantly higher risks of self-harm and of death in custody. They often feel more comfortable discussing health and welfare issues with someone from the Aboriginal Legal Service than with police. The CNS assists over 15,000 people every year. On average, once a week the CNS picks up that an Indigenous person in custody is at significant risk, either of self-harm or because of a pre-existing health condition. They can alert the police, and the person gets the help they need to be safe.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Nigel Scullion, himself said of the CNS earlier this year:

It works, it has worked in NSW, it has led to zero deaths …

He is right. It does work. Since the CNS began, there have been no Indigenous deaths in police cell custody in New South Wales or the ACT in over 15 years. The CNS motto 'It's not just a phone line, it's a lifeline' is absolutely true. There is no other service available to take over this life-saving and vital work. But, sadly, they will not be able to provide this service for much longer. Despite the minister's praise, funding for the CNS was only renewed for six months. That means that funding will stop this year on 31 December, just weeks away. I call on the government to continue to fund this absolutely vital service, this life-saving service, provided by the outstanding Aboriginal Legal Service.

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