Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. On 17 November at the handing down of the report into the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory, Minister Scullion stated that the government would develop a response not only for the Northern Territory but every jurisdiction in Australia. Considering that young Indigenous people are 27 times more likely to be in prison than non-Indigenous young people and that we are hearing allegations of abuse similar to those at Don Dale across Australia, urgent action is needed. Will you reaffirm the government's commitment to national leadership on youth justice and detail when the government will action of findings of the royal commission? I acknowledge Amnesty International are here today and they are eager, as I am, for your reply.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. The government, as you know, acted swiftly to establish the royal commission in July 2016, following reports of the mistreatment of children at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. I want to thank Commissioners Margaret White and Mick Gooder for their dedication to this difficult but also very important task. I also want to acknowledge, on behalf of the government, the individuals, expert witnesses and government and non-government representatives who came forward to give evidence to the royal commission.

My government will now consider the recommendations made in the report and work with the Northern Territory government—in respect of whose activities most of the recommendations apply—key stakeholders and communities to inform the development of our response. Most of the recommendations, as I noted, are matters for the Northern Territory government. I'm sure the honourable member is familiar with them. The Australian government will now also carefully consider the findings that are directed to the Commonwealth. We've already committed to ratifying the optional protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which will ensure that oversight of places of detention, including youth detention, is strengthened in the Northern Territory, and, of course, everywhere else.

When children are safe, the whole community benefits as well. This is our greatest obligation: to look after our children. We understand that. All children deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and all children deserve to be safe. That's the responsibility of the whole community and, importantly, families and government agencies.

I want to make an observation to the honourable member's benefit about funding. I quote from the royal commission:

A consistent theme heard by the Commission was that there is insufficient funding in the Northern Territory to address the issues it is grappling with. However, having reviewed financial data available to the Commission, the Commission considers that the underlying problem is not the level of overall funding but that Commonwealth and Northern Territory Government investment is not rigorously tracked, monitored or evaluated to ensure that it is appropriately distributed and directed. Value for the money expended cannot be demonstrated.

The major investment in Aboriginal affairs over many years has delivered mixed success, often with dismally poor returns. The combination of under-performing programs, poor coordination across governments and a lack of engagement with Aboriginal people in the design and delivery of services is producing continually poor results. The approach must be changed.

We absolutely recognise the force of that observation. As you know, in 2017-18 the Northern Territory government will receive $4.2 billion from the Commonwealth. We are determined to ensure that every dollar that we spend on Indigenous affairs and Indigenous welfare delivers the right outcomes that we need. I want to thank the honourable member for her question. It's a very important report and we're working to deliver a very comprehensive response.