Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. The minister is aware of allegations of child rape by truck drivers of Aboriginal girls as young as eight years in the Moree and Bogabilla areas, aired on the ABC’s Lateline program dated 13 March 2008. Is the minister aware that the local state MP, Kevin Humphries, has said that he has known about the issue for over a year, as have assistant commissioner for police Stephen Bradshaw and others in the community? Assistant Commissioner Bradshaw said on the Lateline program:

We have significant information in relation to it. But the problem has always been … the under-reporting and the reluctance of victims and witnesses to give us information that can result in evidence.

Given that Aboriginal people are reluctant to come forward to the police and that the New South Wales government appears reluctant to follow up on these reports, will the Commonwealth undertake an inquiry into these allegations of child abuse to give the opportunity for community members to come forward and report their knowledge of these events?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for New England for his question and for his very real concern about what are extremely serious matters that have been brought to the public’s attention in the programs that he highlights in his question. He also highlights what I think is the critical issue—which the police have also raised—which is the need for people to come forward with their evidence about these terrible allegations. The police cannot act unless they have evidence upon which to act, and so I would say to any member of the public who has evidence about these very serious matters that they should bring that evidence to the attention of the police so that people can be properly prosecuted.