Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs recently met with me, and I'm very grateful for that, to discuss the unprecedented and tragic levels of sexual abuse of children in Alice Springs and elsewhere in the Northern Territory. Will the government please join with the opposition in supporting a royal commission into the sexual abuse of Indigenous Australians?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I also thank him for the constructive engagement that we had in my office, with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, about what are very serious issues. The Leader of the Opposition would be aware that just last year the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 was put in place by the former government. It was put in place with the support of state and territory governments and with the bipartisan support of what was then the opposition and is now the government. This is important because, quite clearly, when it comes to these issues, we need to work cooperatively across parliament but across parliaments at different levels of government as well. This work includes responding to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The National Office for Child Safety is leading work to protect all Australian children from child sexual abuse under the national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse over this decade. This was put in place by the Morrison government just last year as a result of the evidence that was put forward. I congratulate the former government for doing that. They had our support in doing that. The national strategy includes measures led in partnership by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and First Nations experts to support and empower First Nations communities in the Northern Territory.

Minister Burney was on the ground in Alice Springs recently, and Minister Burney might like to add to the answer as well on what she saw on the ground in those communities. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question.

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I visited Alice Springs on the ground just recently, not long after the Leader of the Opposition was there. I spoke to Territory families. I spoke to women's services. I spoke to youth services. In fact, I visited two youth services. Not one single person raised with me the issue of royal commissions into Aboriginal child sexual assault. What they did raise with me was working in partnership, with concrete actions to address this issue, which is unacceptable.