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

I think that what has come to light through the proposed changes here to the permit system just complicates serious problems that have emanated from the Northern Territory in the last 12 months, and I think the government should give some serious consideration to this. There is an infamous newspaper article that was written by an Australian journalist about one particular community in the corner of the Northern Territory on the South Australian and Western Australian borders. It led to a traditional owner issuing a permit, which then led to a non-Indigenous person trading Viagra for Indigenous art. Under that system, the Central Land Council was able to step in. Under the system you are proposing in the nature of protecting children, if that same scenario exists in two months time the person who is driving into that community with a truckload of Viagra in exchange for Aboriginal art would not need a permit if he goes down the main road and stays in the main part of the town, or he could get a permit from a traditional owner who would be just as culpable in all of this.

Basically, what you are saying to me is that, under your changes in this legislation, nobody would be able to revoke that permit except that traditional owner. Having packets of Viagra and trading them for art is not breaking the law; it is not illegal to do that. It was that issue that was raised by that journalist, which is a real-life issue, which triggered Rod Kemp’s passionate need to get this parliament to inquire into Indigenous art so that some of that stuff could be stopped. I honestly have to ask you to sincerely think about how taking away the ability of the land councils to remove that permit in a situation like that could protect the children in that community.