Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Marion Scrymgour is the member for Lingiari, and I think she's doing an absolutely outstanding job for her constituency. She cares very deeply for all of those communities, right across the central area and the northern area, and her input has been invaluable to try to improve the lives of people across the Territory not just recently but over her many years as a parliamentarian and also in the health worker field, working to improve lives in the Aboriginal community health sector. I commend you, Marion, when you listen to this, for all the work you're doing, and I thank you for that. I know there would not be any steps taken by Marion to see this not work.

If we're talking about family groups, I know that you've got a passion for Yipirinya School. I know that your mum works there. You declared that at estimates, hence the continued raising of it, which is important. I know your mother has a great deal of passion for wanting to do that. But it is important to recognise that what this debate is about is the principles that Senator Watt has raised throughout the last six to seven hours. And if we are successful, we sincerely want to ensure that, whatever the design looks like, it would be something that we would do here in this parliament in consultation with First Nations people.