Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Siewert, for your follow-up question. It is quite clear that all Australians would like to see lower levels of Indigenous people in incarceration. In fact, we would like to make sure that we have a system that encourages people not to encounter the justice system in the first place. That's why it is so important, particularly as it relates to Indigenous Australians, that we, as governments—not just the federal government but state and territory governments around Australia—engage with the peak organisations in Indigenous communities to make sure that we can define and clearly articulate targets and then work towards those targets to make sure that we do close the gap. Rates of youth detention, in particular, as we all know, are tremendously high, but we should address not just youth detention but also adult incarceration. It is so important that we address this issue.