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

The government is committed to the Closing the Gap agenda, but, with the expiry of four of the seven targets, there is an opportunity to refresh targets to ensure they are focused on delivering the change that we know we need. We need targets to be developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and not by government alone, but we also need the state and territory governments to be at the table, because we know that, while the Commonwealth can do a great deal, many of the levers of change are in fact held by the states and other jurisdictions. In the area of justice, the practical reality is that the state and territory governments have the responsibility for the justice system and for the corrections system. The custody notification service is a state and territory responsibility, and, because we know it saves lives, I have offered to every state and territory to fund it for three years. We made this offer on 31 August 2017. I'm disappointed that none of the states are yet to take up this offer. I call on everyone here to support this.