Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. The senator would be aware that the bill relating to these matters is scheduled for debate in the chamber tomorrow. I am not sure what the procedure is. I am happy to answer the question but if the senator is interested in the issue I invite him to join the debate on that measure tomorrow in the parliament. I know that Senator Scullion, who is distracted at the moment, will be engaged in that debate. He and I were engaged in it when the previous government sought to legislate in this area of permits. As I said, the issue will be dealt with by the Senate as early as tomorrow. We will have the debate then on the merits of the scheme. But, as I have outlined previously in the chamber, the Labor Party is of the view that the permit system provides some assistance in allowing the communities to control who comes onto their land. That assists them in keeping drugs and alcohol and criminals out of their communities. They say that it is an advantage to them in monitoring and controlling who comes onto their land.

This is about giving those communities the same sorts of rights that all Australians claim, which is to determine who comes onto their land. We all regard it as a natural right, if you like, that we can control who comes onto our properties. These Indigenous communities argue that community in determining who comes onto their land is important for them.

The debate about the permits has been held in this chamber a number of times. I know the opposition have a different view about it. We, though, have argued that the permits serve a useful purpose. They help deal with people seeking to run grog and drugs into these communities. Therefore we support the permits. We obviously also support, though, free access for government officials, police and others and will make sure that their access to communities is not impacted.

In terms of the scheme’s relationship to the review, the review of the Northern Territory intervention is, as I understand it, due by the end of September. So that review will be brought down shortly. Obviously the government will then respond to that. As I understand it there is bipartisan support for the review occurring to see how those measures have occurred. But we had this policy debate about the permits when the opposition were in government. It was our commitment to legislate to provide for permits being reapplied to Indigenous land. That election commitment by the Labor Party has been honoured. Unlike the current opposition we look to deliver on our election promises.

That legislation is about us delivering on an election commitment we made. We made a commitment to the Australian people that we would look to reinstitute permits and to give those communities the capacity to control who came onto their land. That is what we are going to do, Senator. If you want to oppose that or support it you will get your chance tomorrow. I hope that the opposition will rethink their positions and support the capacity of those communities to control who comes onto their land.