Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I again thank the senator for the question. It is well known that I seriously want to take a bipartisan approach to my whole portfolio and particularly to the issue of school attendance. I was pretty disappointed with Mr Shayne Neumann, who put out a media release on 20 December last year saying that this was simply a thought bubble and asking why I had not actually bothered to talk to communities about it. This initiative involved about three years of consultation. This is exactly what the community has asked for. So I recommend to Mr Neumann that he perhaps leave his cosy desk, wherever that is, and move in amongst the communities and ask their advice about how well they think we are pursuing this matter. I think their advice would be as firm as it has been to me that this is the way forward and it should be a central character of all the ways we move forward in this area.