Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This week I celebrate eight years since being sworn in to the Senate. When I look back over that time, I think that not a month has gone by when we have not debated something about Indigenous Australians in this chamber. I pride myself in saying that by now I have got around to most, if not all, of the communities in the Northern Territory at least more than a couple of times. But unlike some of my colleagues from both sides of this chamber I am a bit tired of screaming and yelling about the plight of Indigenous Australians. I am a bit tired of getting angry about it. I have lived with and worked with Indigenous Australians for 25 years in the Northern Territory. My first speech reflects what I think of those people.

For a long time I have said that this country has failed to enhance the talents of Indigenous people. We have failed to capitalise on the strengths of Indigenous people. I am glad that we have a federal minister who now wants to make some noises about this, but I am saddened at the way that he is going about it. Mal Brough behaves like a rabbit in a spotlight. He has suddenly discovered the plight of Indigenous Australians but he is treating it and acting upon it in such a negative way. I was shocked this morning when, on ABC radio in Darwin, preceding my interview, Mal Brough referred to Aboriginal communities as ‘communist enclaves’. What an indictment of Indigenous people! What an outstanding insult to the old and trusted traditional owners of those communities. It also shows a complete lack of understanding of the role of traditional owners—their competence, the faith in and respect for those men that communities have, the many years of learned culture and belief that they carry on behalf of the people and their absolute connection with the land, of which they are the custodians.

I could not have thought of anything more insulting to Indigenous people than what Mal Brough said this morning. I was deeply offended and shocked by his comments this morning. This should not be what we hear from a minister who is seeking to rectify what is happening in Indigenous affairs. This is such a wrong way to go about it. There is no doubt that the plight of Indigenous Australians now has national attention—probably more than it ever has had. But we need to work with these people. We do not need to bully these people. We do not need to back them into a corner and say to them, ‘You’re not going to get basic services unless you give me your land for 99 years.’ That is not the way to treat Indigenous people. It is not the way we treat non-Indigenous people, and Indigenous people should not be treated any differently.

I think governments on both sides of the fence have failed in years gone past. In 27 years of the CLP in the Northern Territory not one secondary school was built in remote communities. Also, under the Hawke-Keating government, every time a state government took Indigenous money off the Commonwealth they took 48c in the dollar and stuck it in their pocket. I have to say that David Kemp, to his credit, along with the work that Bob Collins and I did, got the Commonwealth government to make sure that the states and territories take only 10c of every education dollar for their own pockets.

There is failure across the spectrum. Juvenile diversionary programs were not funded last year by this federal government, and they were a success in the Northern Territory. The Prime Minister promised the people of Port Keats $50,000 for a community patrol, and it has not been delivered. So there are faults everywhere when it comes to underfunding and underservicing.

But there are some wins. In estimates I heard about, the OATSIH are making progress on getting asthma puffers for Indigenous communities. People on CDEP, thanks to the work that some of us have done, can now get access to hearing aids. But there is not a holistic approach. There is not a national plan. There is no concept of walking together. There is no suggestion from Mal Brough that he might take the people in this federal parliament like Senator Scullion and I who talk to these people day in and day out and have a joint bipartisan parliamentary committee that advises and gives input to this government about what is really happening out there. Senator Scullion wants to see as many changes in those communities as I do. I am sick of the blame game, I am sick of the anger and I am sick of the yelling. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.