Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am sorry, Senator Scullion; history will not paint this as an appropriate way to deal with Aboriginal disadvantage in the Northern Territory. It just will not. It is discriminatory. They are not special measures; they clearly do not meet the definition of ‘special measures’, which is why you had to exempt this from the RDA in the first place. History will show this for the discriminatory measure and the waste of money that it is. Not one of the safe houses that were supposed to be built under the intervention is operating yet—unless they have managed to get one operating since estimates. Yet how many houses have they managed to build for government business managers? Not one safe house is operating to protect anybody—men or women. Some of them were built in the wrong location. There was no consultation, which is the first recommendation of the Little children are sacred report. They were built in the wrong location because there was no proper consultation. Going around and consulting specific people so you get the answers that you want is not the way to start addressing Aboriginal disadvantage in the Northern Territory. Putting in discriminatory, punitive measures does not work. The international evidence shows it does not. The review showed that there needed to be significant reform, and the government has chosen to amend it. That is what will go down in history. It does not work and it will not work.